“In 2008 I’ve been to Tokyo (twice), many times to Moscow, Almaty, Lagos, Kiev, Amsterdam and Hong Kong. This extensive contact with people from different countries and cultures does more than exercise my language skills: it stimulates my mind too”
John Balsdon, partner
About the portraits
As a leading international law firm, Herbert Smith has offices across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. We encourage everyone who joins Herbert Smith to spend time working in an international office during their career.
Wherever you choose to work within Herbert Smith you’ll find an enjoyable and supportive environment, a wide range of opportunities to ensure your career develops in line with your expectations, and a range of competitive benefits to match the challenging work that is on offer.
Given the predominance of English law in the commercial world most of our work has a cross-border element. Our network of offices share a number of the firm’s clients and frequently work together to advise them on multi-jurisdictional matters and regulatory issues.
We have the top cross-border India practice. Our global dispute resolution practice is seen as a world leader, as is our global energy practice. 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. And, with our Paris office leading the way, Herbert Smith now has one of the best francophone Africa practices.
In Europe, our Alliance with two of Western Europe’s leading law firms, Gleiss Lutz and Stibbe, is integral to our international capability. Gleiss Lutz has offices throughout Germany and in Brussels and associated offices in Budapest, Prague and Warsaw. Stibbe has offices in Amsterdam, Brussels and Dubai, as well as a Dutch law practice in New York and London.
Additionally, in Asia, we have offices in Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo, and an associated office in Jakarta (Hiswara Bunjamin & Tandjung).
We opened a Dubai office in 2007 and subsequently opened an office in Abu Dhabi in May 2008. We have further developed our presence in the Middle East through our association with Al-Ghazzawi Professional Association (GPA) in Saudi Arabia.
Complementing this arrangement we have developed “best friend” relationships with leading law firms in other countries, including the US. Clients around the world looking to expand their international operations provide us, and our best friends, with an opportunity to cross-sell our expertise and support the development of each others' businesses.
Practice areas
We will provide you with an unparalleled opportunity to develop skills across a range of practice areas.
International roles
We’re constantly growing to match our global client base and are developing an exciting array of international training contract and vacation scheme opportunities to support this.