Freshfields

An international firm with an even more international client base in your field of interest? This British jetsetter offers a Fresh take on US BigLaw.

About the Firm

There’s no getting past it, image matters. Nestled amongst the crème de la crème of international law firms, and a staple in the UK’s ‘Magic Circle’, Freshfields is a no-brainer if you’re looking for a law firm with a little status.

Take a walk down the halls at this firm and you’ll find a “very international client base,” which was a big part of the draw for juniors: “I wanted a place that would be inclusive with a global feel – and Freshfields fits the bill!” With 29 offices worldwide and top Chambers Global rankings in the likes of arbitration, public international law, competition/antitrust, corporate, dispute resolution, private equity, and tax, it’s hard to argue with that.

“It’s an international firm focused on growing the US practice.”

Despite its global focus, Freshfields has a good number of large US clients, and growth in North America is firmly on the agenda. Offices in New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Washington DC, and Bostonall feed into what one associate described as “an international firm focused on growing the US practice – it’s cool to have such a collaborative global team while emphasizing work in the US.” And its ambition has paid dividends; Freshfields is now marked out as a top firm in Chambers USA for its international arbitration practice, and the firm also clocks up good rankings in corporate crime & investigations, corporate governance, international trade: CFIUS, and securities.

Freshfields is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Junior Satisfaction and an Excellent Performer for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey. Freshfields is also recognized as The Elite for Junior Satisfaction in Washington DC specifically.

Strategy & Future

Associates at Freshfields were of the opinion that the firm is “very future-focused.” Juniors felt that this was helped by leadership’s “openness to feedback across the ranks,” something that was exemplified by the global town halls “where they tell us what they’re doing and you can ask questions, so they’re pretty open about it.” For some, “if anything it’s a volume issue trying to keep up with everything, because every week there’s a new prestigious partner or expert from government or the private sector that’s been poached!”

Associates at the firm told us that “it feels like a startup – we’ve grown so quickly in the last five to ten years and we’re only continuing to grow!” Although Freshfields is focused on transactions, according to our sources, dispute resolution continues to be the firm’s bread and butter. Because of Freshfields’ continued growth, the firm is moving to a new office in DC in early 2027. The firm is also offering a new associate development program, Freshfields Next, which includes training programs which acknowledge the role AI will play for lawyers going forward.

Read more thoughts about the firm's strategy and future from partners Jennifer Loeb and Sanjay Murti under the 'Get Hired' tab.

Freshfields is recognized as The Elite for AI Integration in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Summer Program

“I LOVED being a summer!” was the unanimous sentiment shared with us both on the social and the work side because “you’re given opportunities off the bat.” One source described the culture as “a critical mass of normal people” (not a given), with socials a blend of karaoke, bowling, parties at partners’ houses, and even the fulfillment of “frivolous requests – we asked them about renting out a theatre to watch a movie and they were like… okay!” On the work side, how specialized a junior will be depends on the office. In DC, juniors are recruited into litigation or antitrust. In Boston, they receive general offers, but we heard that the firm currently only has corporate attorneys stationed there. In Silicon Valley, San Fran and New York, juniors can try different kinds of work, but at the end of the summer they’ll receive offers into corporate, litigation, or a smaller group like benefits and tax. “You try whatever you want, which is optimal because you don’t know what you want to do until you try it,” one junior explained.

The Work

When joining the firm as a junior, the work allocation remains pretty similar to the summer period; unlike the summer though, newbies are placed into a specific pool, each of which has its own centralized staffing system – “they serve as the in-between person.” Juniors are split into either the corporate pool or litigation pool and then rotate between different practices within them. A very small minority also work in the People & Reward team. The vast majority of juniors are located in the firm’s New York headquarters, followed by DC, with a few in Silicon Valley.

Career Development

Right from the outset, Freshfields places a priority on juniors’ development. From starting as a summer through to the junior years “there is a structured program, so you have periodic training throughout.” The AI academy alone has various training sessions – “maybe like, one a week?” – there are more general practical sessions across practice groups, and individual teams have their own training structure or will combine with other teams.

For example, while antitrust flies its associates out to Brussels every six months for structured training, M&A will often combine training sessions with teams like capital markets “whenever things overlap.” Disputes have a more practical training program whereby “you do the training with orientation, then they gave us a mock case that was reviewed by a counsel or partner.”

“Once you remove the training wheels you’ve already learnt how to ride!”

Our interviewees acknowledged that “nothing compares to the real deal,” but remarked that “once you remove the training wheels you’ve already learnt how to ride!” Once associates move to mid-level, “there’s a big, structured development program” to get you trained up for becoming a mid-level and senior.” There are: TISA (Transition into Senior Associate) for sixth-year associates and Mid-Level Academy for third-year associates. These programs are US-wide and all associates in those class years are invited to participate. For those looking to other pathways “we have a dedicated career counsellor who can go over what works and what’s not working for you and go through plans for the future.”

Freshfields is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Career Development in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Culture

“People are driven and perfectionistic,” one associate made of the culture, but it was noted by all our interviewees that, almost contrary to the fact, “it’s not a cutthroat culture – everyone is very nice!” We heard that there is “an expectation” for juniors “to build relationships,” and as a result people make an effort to be collaborative and make those connections. “Obviously we are lawyers and lawyers are stressed,” another junior chuckled, “but it has been really great.”

For associates at the firm, “it definitely is an international environment, a very inclusive environment where people cherish different identities. Because we work with so many offices abroad, everyone is quite open minded and open to other viewpoints.” Although offices differ slightly with New York emulating “what you’d expect for New York – the same for DC which tends to be more relaxed,” ultimately the offices all demonstrate a “great culture.”

Some interviewees had the opportunity for “international travel, so we get to bond with our co-workers from the flight to the Uber – we spend a lot of time together, which makes people closer.” Officewide events are frequently on offer, and we heard these are typically well attended because “people want to come in to interact beyond just working together.” Juniors mentioned everything from kids trick-or-treating in offices over Halloween, to Christmas parties and the typical summer events for newcomers.

Freshfields is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Culture in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Hours & Compensation

Freshfields sets no official billable hour requirement for associates,but a number of sources did mention a “recommended minimum” of 2,000 hours - “which is very doable because there is plenty of work available, but at least in corporate it does fluctuate.” Thankfully, pro bono does count as billable for those a little lighter on the client billable side, and business development is considered as valuable as chargeable time.

Something our interviewees were particularly positive about was the freedom to take time off. Vacation, for example, is something they’re “really respectful” of; “I’ve taken week-long vacations which have been respected, but even if it’s just a day, they will respect that too.” The associates we spoke with all felt that “partners are all human about it…they acknowledge when you’re working a lot so the support is definitely there.” All-in-all “we are pretty well compensated” – on top of the base salary and bonus, associates receive a $1000 wellness benefit, which can be used on almost anything - from a facial to a gym membership or buying supplements.

Freshfields is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Benefits & Quality of Life in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Pro Bono

At Freshfields, “they’re super supportive of pro bono in general, and it’s a pride point!” Considered as valuable as typical client hours, “partners encourage us to get on those cases,” which can vary by practice and size, depending on the interests and capacity of an associate. Our interviewees all felt there would be no pushback if they were to bring cases they were interested in to the firm, but did note that there are typical cases most juniors take on: “In New York we do a lot of immigration and refugee programs,” alongside advising entities with respect to ESG initiatives and work on the Incarcerated Mothers Law Project, “but you can also bring cases you’re interested in to the firm.”

“…they’re super supportive of pro bono in general, and it’s a pride point!”

Freshfields is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Pro Bono in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Inclusion

“It’s nice to know they walk the walk,” associates told us of the firm’s efforts on inclusion – or, in other words, “we’re down for the cause!” Our sources were very positive about a number of Employee Resource Groups including HALO, the Hispanic group, the Black affinity network, and the women’s affinity group “which are open to everyone, including allies! For the women’s group we also have good fertility benefits, so they hosted a session where they had people from our benefits program come and share their experience of using those benefits.” Overall, “they’re very active hosting events, so it’s a good resource.”