We don’t exist in a vacuum; our work puts us at the centre of world business and our lawyers know the world of business as well as they know the law.

First, we’re unique among our peers in being the leading litigation firm in Europe and Asia and having one of the world’s pre-eminent corporate practices.

Our award-winning in-house advocacy unit – the first such unit in the UK – offers a complete litigation service and a realistic alternative to the Bar. A similar vein of quality runs through our other practice areas, such as finance, competition, regulation and trade, real estate and employment, pensions and incentives.

By choosing to start your career with us you’ll be joining some of the brightest minds in the legal profession, doing the best work for the best clients. Over 70% of our trainees get the chance of a secondment to one of our international offices, or to one of our major clients. 

Second, the international nature of our business. We provide a co-ordinated service using the best lawyers across the globe. We deliver this from our own offices in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. In the US we work collaboratively with many of the country’s premier law firms.

Our teams in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing have led many of the multi-billion dollar international offerings that have propelled China's former state-owned enterprises onto the world stage.

Our reputation for handling groundbreaking emerging market mandates has been one of the defining features of the firm in recent years. Our long-established full-service capability in Moscow makes Herbert Smith one of the top international firms in Russia. We are doing an increasing amount of South America related work in areas such as energy, finance and arbitration. With our Paris office leading the way, we have been active on the African continent for some 30 years, while our India practice is one of the strongest of any international law firm.

Third, the premium we place on training and developing our people. We enjoy what we do and are passionate about providing the highest level of client service. We believe that a meritocratic and collegiate environment – where lawyers are treated as individuals – will attract and retain the best talent. As a trainee, you’ll have responsibility and exposure to interesting work at an early stage. This will give you an exceptional set of skills and experiences and will help you realise your full potential.