Get the chance to go above and beyond at Herbert Smith Freehills, a truly international firm that offers exciting work with high-profile clients.
LOOK AT LAW DIFFERENTLY BE A PART OF EVERYTHING
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LOOK AT LAW DIFFERENTLY
In this brochure, you’ll find all the essential information about joining Herbert Smith Freehills. We’re putting you first, so we’ve placed the key guidance up-front. At the end of the brochure, we’ve provided an overview of the work we do and how we do it. For an in-depth, interactive and immersive experience of life at our firm – from working on cases and deals, to joining our diversity networks – visit our website: https://careers.herbertsmithfreehills.com/uk/grads/
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INNOVATION WINNER
TOP 50 SOCIAL MOBILITY EMPLOYER
GLOBAL DISPUTES FIRM OF THE YEAR
PROJECT MANAGEMENT THE LAWYER BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AWARD 2018
SOCIAL MOBILITY FOUNDATION EMPLOYER INDEX 2018
TRANSACTIONAL LITIGATION THE AMERICAN LAWYER GLOBAL LEGAL AWARDS 2017
INTRODUCTION
We are Herbert Smith Freehills, a leading, full-service, global law firm working on some of the world’s biggest cases and deals. With an award-winning depth of expertise across a wide variety of sectors, geographies and legal specialisms, our progressive approach sets us apart. Inclusivity is our defining characteristic: here, you’ll be a part of everything. By combining different perspectives and potential from diverse backgrounds, we’re able to view and practice law differently. This allows us to break new ground, whether it’s a complex international dispute or a billion-pound, cross-border deal. Now, we want to add your expertise to the mix.
Mark Bardell
Catherine Howard
Gregg Rowan
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JOURNEY
OPPORTUNITIES
At Herbert Smith Freehills, we recognise that exceptional lawyers can come from any background. To ensure that we’re recruiting a diverse and innovative group of trainees, our application and qualification processes are designed to be fair and inclusive. The simple infographic below outlines the steps you can take to start your journey to join our firm.
This year, we’ll only be recruiting our future trainees from our vacation schemes and all candidates will have the opportunity at the end of their vacation scheme to interview for a training contract. These schemes have been specifically designed to build and test the unique combination of skills and potential required to succeed at Herbert Smith Freehills. It’s really important to us that you have the combination of skills and potential that we’re looking for: it will enable you to become a better lawyer, build stronger connections with our team and hit the ground running when you start your career here. It’s a two-way process. The scheme gives you the chance to get to know us and see what life for you would be like at Herbert Smith Freehills before you make a decision about your career. For those who are unable to attend a vacation scheme, please get in touch with Shaunna Morey at shaunna.morey@hsf.com to discuss your individual circumstances, which we will consider on a case-by-case basis.
DISABILITY-RELATED QUERIES AND ADJUSTMENTS We value inclusivity, equality and fairness throughout our assessment process. If you have any disability- related queries or would like to have a conversation with our experienced team, please contact Zoe Brown zoe.brown@hsf.com or Shaunna Morey shaunna.morey@hsf.com
QUALIFY AS A SOLICITOR
SEAT ONE
SEAT TWO
SEAT THREE
SEAT FOUR
All of our opportunities are open to students of any discipline with the exception of our Intellectual Property (IP) Open Day for which we seek out Science, Technology, Engineering, Electronics or Maths (STEM) students and graduates. FIRST YEAR WORKSHOPS Spend two days learning from leading lawyers through interactive sessions and by shadowing one of our trainees. KEY DATES Workshop One: 1 – 2 April 2019 Workshop Two: 15 – 16 April 2019 Apply between: 1 January – 15 February 2019 (open to students of any discipline) CAMPUS AMBASSADORS Work side-by-side with our Graduate Recruitment team and alumni from your university to gain an in-depth understanding of Herbert Smith Freehills and be the face of our firm. KEY DATES Apply between: 1 January – 15 February 2019
VACATION SCHEMES Explore our firm for yourself, build your connections and find your vocation, with hands-on training from leading lawyers. You’ll have the opportunity to be offered a training contract at the end of the scheme. WINTER SCHEME Scheme runs: 3 – 14 December 2018 Apply between: 17 September – 15 October 2018 Assessment centres: End of October – Mid November 2018 (open to finalists and graduates only) SPRING SCHEME Scheme runs: 1 – 12 April 2019 Apply between: 12 November 2018 – 4 January 2019 Assessment centres: January – March 2019 (open to penultimate year undergraduates, Summer Scheme One runs: 17 June – 5 July 2019 Summer Scheme Two runs: 8 July – 26 July 2019 Apply for either scheme between: 12 November 2018 – 4 January 2019 Assessment centres: January – March 2019 (open to penultimate year undergraduates, finalists and graduates) finalists and graduates) SUMMER SCHEMES
OPEN DAYS Experience a personal introduction to Herbert Smith Freehills and experience what work and life is like as part of our world through two focused open days: Disputes and IP. The first will focus on our market-leading approach to complex disputes. The second will show how STEM skills can be applied to the evolving world of intellectual property.
SIT THE LEGAL PRACTICE COURSE (LPC)
TAKE YOUR GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN LAW (GDL)
JOIN THE FIRM
DISPUTES OPEN DAY Open day: 14 November 2018 Apply between: 17 September – 15 October 2018 (open to students of any discipline) IP OPEN DAY Open day: 7 December 2018 Apply between: 17 September – 9 November 2018 (open to STEM students)
NON-LAW STUDENTS
LAW STUDENTS
ATTEND A FIRST YEAR WORKSHOP
BECOME A CAMPUS MANAGER
JOIN A VACATION SCHEME
APPLY FOR A TRAINING CONTRACT
UNIVERSITY
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DEVELOPMENT
TRAINING CONTRACT
It’s never too early to start becoming a brilliant lawyer.
Our two-year training contract will let you discover yourself and hone your skills in a range of practice areas. With four, six-month seats to choose from, you can tailor your training contract to suit you from your very first seat. DIVERSE As well as ensuring we recruit from any background, we take a roughly equal split of law and non-law students. This diversity of experience and interests allow us to develop creative solutions to our clients’ problems. CHALLENGING During your training contract, you’ll undertake over 135 hours of structured learning and development, from interactive workshops to Professional Skills Course training. A partner will mentor you as you progress through your training contract, and in each seat you’ll share your office with either a senior associate or a partner. PROGRESSIVE If you’re keen to develop client relationship skills and business growth strategies, you can join our entrepreneurial Trainee Business Development Committee. You’ll get the opportunity to submit seat preferences before every rotation, including before your first seat, enabling you to truly tailor your training contract to your specific interests. You can also discuss your preferences with our dedicated trainee HR team. GLOBAL Over 90% of our trainees go on either a client or an international secondment. There are also opportunities to qualify into one of our international offices.
FIRST YEAR WORKSHOPS Every spring, we run two workshops at our London office, which take place over two days. During this time, you’ll develop key skills through interactive activities run by highly experienced lawyers, such as: • • Corporate negotiation workshop • • Alternative dispute resolution workshop • • An insight into our pro bono work • • Careers fairs (at which you’ll meet partners, associates and trainees from each of our practice areas) CAMPUS AMBASSADORS First year students can apply to become a Campus Ambassador during their second year of study. This invaluable experience gives further insight into the firm, preparing you for the vacation scheme application process, and involves: • • Planning activities and organising events • • Growing your professional and personal network • • Sharing information and amplifying our impact on your campus VACATION SCHEMES Our vacation schemes immerse you in our work, networks and the international world of law. Key features: • • You’ll sit with a partner or a senior associate, delivering real work for key clients. • • You’ll attend workshops and presentations covering all our practice areas. You’ll also spend some time working on a pro bono research project. • • We’ll give you the chance to apply to spend time in our network of international offices in addition to the London vacation scheme. This is a great opportunity to experience first-hand our truly global network. • • You’ll be invited to various networking events with partners, associates and trainees. • • We guarantee a training contract interview to all vacation scheme participants. This will take place at the end of your vacation scheme.
During my international vacation scheme in Sydney, I was able to sit with three different teams. I attended negotiations with a senior partner and I learnt a lot from seeing the tactics they used.
2 YEARS 4 SEATS
17 18 1 36 SECONDMENTS INTERNATIONAL CLIENT PRO BONO
SIAN GREENLEY, TRAINEE
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BENEFITS
LOCATIONS
Our global network
25 DAYS’ ANNUAL LEAVE
CYCLE TO WORK SCHEME
ACCESS TO A MORTGAGE BROKER
PRIVATE MEDICAL INSURANCE
PERMANENT HEALTH INSURANCE
EYE TESTS
CORPORATE GP SERVICE
UPON QUALIFICATION UP TO INCLUDING SALARY AND BONUS £93k
FIRST YEAR SALARY
SECOND YEAR SALARY
£44k
£48k
OFFICES
GROUPS
MADRID MELBOURNE MILAN* MOSCOW NEW YORK PARIS PERTH RIYADH* SEOUL SHANGHAI SINGAPORE SYDNEY TOKYO
BANGKOK BEIJING BELFAST BERLIN
AFRICA INDIA IRAN ISRAEL LATIN AMERICA KAZAKHSTAN NORDIC UKRAINE
We started expanding in Asia and HSF asked me to go to Singapore. It was almost a blank canvas: I could explore, win work and develop new business. That took me to the next level in my career.
DENTAL INSURANCE
GADGET INSURANCE
TRAVEL INSURANCE
PROFIT SHARE SCHEME
BRISBANE BRUSSELS DUBAI DUSSELDORF FRANKFURT HONG KONG JAKARTA*
*Associated offices
SUBSIDISED GYM MEMBERSHIP
SUBSIDISED RESTAURANT AND CAFÉ FACILITIES
LIFE ASSURANCE AND CRITICAL ILLNESS COVER
RETAIL AND CHILDCARE VOUCHERS
STEPHEN NEWBY, PARTNER
JOHANNESBURG KUALA LUMPUR LONDON
PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS FROM HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS
INTEREST-FREE SEASON TICKET LOAN
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APPLY
ADVICE
Three simple steps
PERSONALISE YOUR APPLICATION Tailor your application by conducting thorough research. Our brochure, website and social media channels are a good place to start. You can then think about what stands out about us, to you. The more you learn about us, our values and our areas of expertise, the better: this proactive approach will demonstrate your motivation. REMEMBER, IT’S A TWO-WAY PROCESS Meet us at events, come to law fairs and get to know our people. Think about who you’ll be meeting in advance and what you would like to ask them. By sharing their experiences, our lawyers can give you a real insight into who we are, what we do, and how we do it. This is your chance to get to know us in a more informal environment and find out whether we’re right for you. LINK EXPERIENCE TO LAW When talking about your experience, explain how the skills you’ve gained are relevant to a career in law – and to Herbert Smith Freehills specifically. Consider the way we work and the skills and abilities we look for to deliver high-quality services to our clients. WE’RE LOOKING FOR INDIVIDUALS We recognise and value the differences that make us unique. By embracing a diversity of views, we can provide our clients with innovative solutions. Be yourself throughout the application process and emphasise the qualities that make you stand out. SHOW YOUR POTENTIAL We’re not looking for the finished product and we know that gaining legal work experience is increasingly difficult. What we’re looking for is your potential to become a Herbert Smith Freehills lawyer. Demonstrate the transferable skills you’ve gained through the experience you have, legal or non-legal. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT We use just one online assessment, designed to assess a number of key skills. You can find example questions on our website. CHECK AND DOUBLE-CHECK Before you apply, don’t forget to double-check your application for typos. We expect a high level of attention-to-detail.
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COMPLETE OUR ONLINE APPLICATION FORM Tell us about your academic credentials, the skills you’ve gained from extra-curricular activities and work experience, and why you have the motivation and potential to become a great Herbert Smith Freehills lawyer. TAKE A BLENDED ONLINE ASSESSMENT Demonstrate your problem-solving and verbal reasoning skills, as well as your approach to scenarios relevant to the work at Herbert Smith Freehills. Don’t underestimate the importance of this stage: it’s a strong indicator of good future performance as a Herbert Smith Freehills lawyer. COME TO OUR ASSESSMENT CENTRE Our assessment centre comprises three elements that are designed to give you the opportunity to showcase your potential to be a future lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills. A CASE STUDY INTERVIEW Engage with a case study, based on work that our lawyers do at Herbert Smith Freehills, and present your thoughts to a partner. A SCENARIO-BASED INTERVIEW Demonstrate your ability to think on your feet when discussing with a partner how you would have approached a project they’ve worked on recently. A COMPETENCY INTERVIEW Discuss your motivation for a career in law at Herbert Smith Freehills and show you have the key skills to become a great part of our team.
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We use contextual data to discover the true academic potential of applicants, taking account of their background and circumstances. All of our Graduate Recruitment partners undergo unconscious bias training, and all of our staff attend Diversity & Inclusion training.
LEADING FOR INCLUSION
At Herbert Smith Freehills we recognise and appreciate all the differences that make each of us unique. Upholding a culture of inclusion that fosters these differences is fundamental to our business and the diverse clients and communities we work with. Embracing a diversity of backgrounds and views means we attract and retain the best talent and provide our clients with the most considered and innovative advice. Our approach to diversity includes initiatives encompassing gender, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability and social inclusion. Here are just a few of the ways we’re living our inclusive values:
BAME We partner with Rare Recruitment who offer an introductory programme for top BAME students to the world of commercial law through ‘Articles’ and ‘Rare Foundations’. Our Roger Leyland Memorial Scholarship (in memory of Roger Leyland, the first black partner of the firm) provides exceptional black and minority ethnic students with a high level of financial support throughout their university studies, as well as work experience. We offer mentoring programmes for BAME future joiners and trainees. We’re also a sponsor of Bright Network’s Black Heritage event, The University of Warwick’s Multicultural Scholars programme and The University of Cambridge’s MCL African-Asian Bursary. Outside of the UK, we offer penultimate-year law undergraduates studying at a university in India the opportunity to join our summer vacation schemes.
SOCIAL MOBILITY We’re committed to improving access to the legal profession for all and we aim to ensure we give under-represented groups the chance to shine. We’re proud to be ranked 15 in the top 50 UK employers by the Social Mobility Employer Index 2018. We sponsor the Rare Discuss programme for talented students interested in commercial law. We also collaborate with Aspiring Solicitors to increase diversity throughout the legal profession. We have a dedicated Social Mobility Partner panel and we’re also a founding member of PRIME, an alliance of UK law firms which aims to improve young people’s access to the legal sector.
LGBT+ Our IRIS (Inclusion Respecting Identity and Sexuality) network co-founded DiversCity, a cross-firm organisation set up to encourage members of the LGBT+ community to apply to City law firms and build confidence among these students. This year we’ll be hosting the DiversCity in Law event in our office to give students the chance to talk to representatives from some of the top firms about what it’s like to be out in the City. We’ll also be participating in the Aspiring Solicitors’ Pride event.
DISABILITY Our Ability network works closely with
WOMEN Our Women Lawyers and Women Trainee Lawyers networks both run events within our firm. Our Women Trainee Lawyers network has also run a number of events on various university campuses across the UK. We’re committed to achieving our gender targets in relation to increasing the proportion of women in the partnership and in key leadership roles. As of May 2018, 25% of our global partnership is female (as against our target of 30% by May 2019).
MyPlus consultants to shape our workplace adjustments and ensure that everyone is supported in their role if they’re affected by a physical or mental disability. We hold events for students with a disability through EmployAbility and Aspiring Solicitors, where we explain the adjustments we can make to the assessment process to ensure everyone has equal access to our firm and to build confidence in talented students with a disability.
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PEOPLE
See our world, through our eyes. Visit our website to meet our team of ambassadors, ask them questions and follow their journeys, so you get an insider’s view on our leading global law firm.
RACHEL LIDGATE | PARTNER | DISPUTES
STEPHEN NEWBY | PARTNER | CORPORATE
HOLLY MCCANN | ASSOCIATE | DISPUTES
SCOTT WARIN | TRAINEE | DISPUTES
AJAY MALHOTRA | SENIOR ASSOCIATE | DISPUTES
NAOMI OFORI | ASSOCIATE | REAL ESTATE
SIAN GREENLEY | TRAINEE | EMPLOYMENT
KINGSLEY BOATENG | TRAINEE | CORPORATE
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WORK
PRO BONO & CITIZENSHIP
As international leaders in multiple fields of law, we advise the most influential organisations on the world’s biggest cases and deals. Whether we’re undertaking pioneering contentious or transactional work, providing specialist advice or getting involved in pro bono and citizenship initiatives, our innovative approach helps us to shape the future of the law. LAW, FROM THE INSIDE OUT On our website, you can discover in-depth case studies that examine our work from multiple angles, including text, videos and podcasts. To explore these ground-breaking matters from the perspective of the market and our people, go to our Work page.
Whether it’s a multi-jurisdictional pro bono legal matter, fundraising for a worthy cause, or working with our own supply chain to embed best practice, we focus on building relationships so that we obtain the best possible result for everyone involved. And while today’s business environment presents complex challenges, it’s also an exciting time to be a responsible global professional services business. We’re uniquely placed to respond to a range of needs that exist in the communities and regions in which we do business. We’re rising to the challenges and opportunities of an interconnected world in which human rights abuses and climate change have the potential to affect every community. And we’re committed to the process of creating a truly sustainable professional services business. Our initiatives fall broadly within the following four areas: PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICES All lawyers are encouraged to participate in the firm’s pro bono programme: whether internationally or closer to home, it’s up to you. We focus on five key areas: access to justice, international development, social impact investment, not-for-profit advisory work and human rights (particularly anti-trafficking and anti-slavery).
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS Whether we’re supporting a charity through fundraising, or providing mentoring or scholarship opportunities for disadvantaged high school students, we offer multiple ways to facilitate and support the relationships our people develop with community partners. We recognise that we all have a part to play in ensuring that we balance our growth as a business with doing what we can to reduce our impact on the environment. Our sustainability strategy has four pillars: reducing our environmental impact, engaging our people in sustainability issues, leadership, and supporting charities acting on climate change through our pro bono and community work. BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) we’re committed to being a responsible business. As a participant in the UNGC, we explicitly commit to respect internationally recognised human rights, and to ensure that we’re not complicit in human rights abuses through our supply chain and stakeholder relationships. SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES
OUR FIELDS OF EXPERTISE • • Alternative legal services • • Anti-bribery and corruption • • Business and human rights • • Capital markets • • Competition, regulation and trade • • Compliance advisory • • Construction and engineering • • Corporate M&A • • Corporate crime and investigations • • Crisis prevention and management • • Cyber security • • Data protection and privacy • • Dispute resolution • • Employment, pensions and incentives • • Environment, planning and communities • • Finance • • Financial services regulatory • • Intellectual property • • International arbitration • • Real estate • • Tax • • US securities
PRO BONO CONTRIBUTION LONDON 2018
£6.14m 22,767 HOURSOF ADVICE CONTRIBUTION
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CULTURE
To best serve our clients – as well as ensuring that our recruitment process is inclusive and open to all – we continue to provide an open, dynamic and inspirational working environment. DIVERSITY NETWORKS Our diversity networks connect staff across the firm. They’re a vibrant part of our culture, creating an inclusive atmosphere and performing an influential and educational role through innovative events and initiatives. ABILITY Our Ability Network raises awareness of disability and the importance of mental health, providing a forum for communication and education. During Mental Health Awareness Week, we hosted a discussion with footballer Clarke Carlisle, who spoke about male mental health in the world of sport. To celebrate the network’s fourth anniversary, Katie Piper, former model and TV presenter, joined us to discuss facial disfigurement, rehabilitation and survival. diverse ethnicity, race, nationality, religion and faith. As well as celebrating cultural and religious events such as Chinese New Year and Eid, at our Multiculturalism Network’s sixth anniversary celebration we were joined by comedians Bilal Zafar and Ava Vidal, as well as the 2016 BBC Slam Poetry Champion, Adele Hampton. MULTICULTURALISM Our Multiculturalism Network celebrates
WOMEN LAWYERS Our Women Lawyers and Women Trainee Lawyers networks aim to improve gender balance within the firm and support talent amongst female lawyers. In May 2018, 80% of our new partners were women, which is a great step towards our 30% target of female partners by May 2019. IRIS Our IRIS Network (Inclusion Respecting Identity and Sexuality) supports our LGBT+ and ally employees in the workplace and fosters an inclusive working culture. We’re one of six organisations recognised as a Stonewall Top 100 Employer for 10+ consecutive years and we’re also ranked as a Stonewall Top Global Employer. The IRIS Network holds a number of client events exploring and celebrating the diversity within the LGBT+ population including our spectacular annual LGBT+ Summer Party, the largest client D&I event of the year. FAMILY The Family Network supports parents and carers who are also balancing a City career. It has an extensive annual programme designed to educate employees about a range of topics ranging from technology and screen time, transitioning to parenthood, and caring for carers. The network provides parents and carers with unique opportunities to connect with colleagues who are facing similar challenges in relation to parenting and caring.
This brochure is printed on material derived from sustainable sources, and printed using vegetable based inks. Both the manufacturing paper mill and printer are registered to the Environmental Management System ISO 14001 and are Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) chain-of-custody certified.
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