Herbert Smith Freehills to be launched this year
October of this year will see the launch of Herbert Smith Freehills – the combination of top international law firms Herbert Smith LLP and Freehills, operating in 20 offices in across Australia, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the UK.
The new firm will have over 2,800 lawyers including 460 partners creating a top 10 global law firm based on number of professionals.
Gavin Bell, current managing partner at Freehills said: “The merger will give Herbert Smith Freehills the platform to become the leading global law firm across Asia Pacific, a region likely to see continued substantial growth and to become an increasingly important part of the global legal services market. Establishing from day one a single, integrated firm will give all partners the incentive to work together toward a set of shared goals and ensure a seamless service to clients.”
The merger, which partners of both firms voted ‘overwhelmingly’ in favour of, will combine internationally recognised strengths in dispute resolution, energy and M&A.
David Willis, the current managing partner of Herbert Smith said: “We are excited about bringing together two pre-eminent law firms to create a new and distinctive global law firm. We share with Freehills a strong belief that over the next few years the market for premium legal services will become increasingly dominated by a small number of truly global firms. This merger will therefore put us in a strong position to provide clients with the single global offering they increasingly demand.”
Who’s Who Legal lists 114 lawyers from both firms making it the ninth largest in our research with nominees from 18 offices.