Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
London·Sydney·New York
Disputes·Energy·Corporate
Formed from UK firm Herbert Smith (1882) and Australia's Freehills (1852) in 2012, then completed its combination with US firm Kramer Levin in June 2025 to become Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, occupying a genuine 'sweet spot' just outside the Magic Circle.
Why this firm
Elite disputes work, a brand-new US combination, and one of the deepest energy practices in the market.
Disputes leadership
HSF Kramer's disputes practice is one of the clearest reasons the firm stands apart.
Why it matters: The firm holds top-tier Legal 500 and Chambers rankings in commercial litigation and international arbitration, with a genuine Latin America and energy focus running through its arbitration work. That's a different training proposition from a firm known mainly for transactional work: real argument, contested facts and advocacy preparation, not just deal execution.
Ask yourself Does contested, high-stakes uncertainty appeal to you more than closing a transaction, and can you point to something concrete (debating, mooting, a case you followed) that makes that credible?
The Kramer Levin combination
HSF completed its combination with Kramer Levin in June 2025, filling in the one real gap it had: scale in the US.
Why it matters: HSF was the last major international firm without meaningful US presence. Kramer Levin brings a New York-headquartered practice plus Washington DC, Silicon Valley and Paris offices, and deep energy, financial services, infrastructure and technology client relationships. The combined firm now runs to roughly 2,700 lawyers, 640 partners and 25 offices, with revenue above $2bn. Trainees are joining a firm actively building new cross-border capability right now, not one with a decades-old, static structure.
Ask yourself Can you speak to why joining at this specific moment of change is more interesting to you than joining somewhere already settled?
Energy and projects strength
The firm has been ranked in Chambers Global's top band for Africa-wide Projects & Energy for 14 consecutive years, with more ranked lawyers in that category than any other firm.
Why it matters: That work spans oil and gas, power, renewables and infrastructure across all 54 African jurisdictions, backed by a 700-plus person global energy team. It's sector depth most competitors can't claim, not just geographic breadth.
Ask yourself If you have any real interest in energy transition, infrastructure or emerging markets work, this is genuine, rare material to bring into an interview.
What this firm looks for
Drawn from Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer's own recruitment materials
Based on the firm's published recruitment materials, graduate recruitment commentary and stated values.
"Human, Bold, Outstanding" values
HSF launched a firm-wide values framework in 2023 (Human, Bold and Outstanding) as the centrepiece of its employee value proposition; Human covers relationship-building, Bold covers ambition and entrepreneurialism, Outstanding covers client impact and leadership, and it still frames the combined firm's recruitment messaging.
Demonstrate through Reference a specific moment you showed boldness or built trust with someone, not just the words 'human' or 'bold' themselves.
Interpersonal skill: perceptiveness, empathy, diligence
A Graduate Recruitment Manager is quoted seeking exceptional people with the desire and ability to become truly brilliant lawyers, specifically naming perceptiveness, empathy and diligence as key interpersonal skills, alongside genuine motivation for the firm.
Demonstrate through Use a concrete example that shows empathy or diligence in practice, such as noticing something someone didn't say directly.
Selected on assessed live-client work
The firm only recruits trainees through its Vacation Schemes, where candidates complete an assessed piece of work in each of two chosen seats and receive supervisor feedback between them, selecting for demonstrated on-the-job performance over interview polish.
Demonstrate through Treat the assessed exercise itself as the real decision point, not the interview alone.
Past applications
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