Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (2024)

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Old hands at new ideas

We are one of the oldest global law firms, but we are constantly reinventing ourselves.

Technological disruption, economic crises, political risk – the challenges facing the world’s biggest businesses have been the same throughout history. We know because we have been at their side for nearly three centuries, giving them the confidence to shape the future.

About us

  • Who we are
  • Our history
  • Innovation
  • Responsible business
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Pro bono
  • Alumni

Related news

  • Freshfields sponsors historical research at Oxford University
  • In conversation with Nuffield College

About us

  • Our history
  • Purpose and values
  • Connected innovation
  • Responsible business
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Pro bono
  • Alumni

Related news

  • Freshfields sponsors historical research at Oxford University
  • Second link

Read our story so far:

  • 1743

    Our first client

    Samuel Dodd appointed attorney to the Bank of England. The bank is still a client today.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (4)

    1788

    The Industrial Revolution

    Winter & Kaye, the antecedent of Freshfields, begins advising ‘father of the factory’ Sir Richard Arkwright, whose invention of the ‘water frame’ ushered in the Industrial Revolution.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (5)

    1801

    The first Freshfield

    James William Freshfield, who started his working life as a teenage apprentice to a London watchmaker, becomes a partner. His adopted coat of arms includes the archangel Saint Michael, which we still use today.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (6)

    1824

    Lloyd's

    James Freshfield is made an honorary member of Lloyd’s – his firm had already been conducting the institution’s legal affairs for some time.

  • 1800s

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (7)

    1840

    Stegemann

    The precursor firm of Bruckhaus Westrick Heller Löber is founded in Hamburg and builds a solid ‘Hanseatic’ shipping and trade practice and through that a public international law practice. In the 1890s Stegemann acted for the Imperial German Government on the international treaty between the German Empire and the UK to transfer Zanzibar and British and German interests in East Africa.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (8)

    1847

    'The Panic'

    Freshfields takes a central role in responding to the effects of a serious UK economic and social crash caused by the bursting of a railway investment bubble and the Irish Potato Famine.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (9)

    1853

    Making the law

    James William Freshfield (the younger) advises Prime Minister William Gladstone on the Succession Duty Act, an important inheritance tax development.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (10)

    1856

    The Great Eastern

    Charles Freshfield advises on contractual issues around the construction of the Great Eastern steam ship. He communicates directly with Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

  • 1871

    Building global trade

    Freshfields’ international clients include the East Indian Railway Company, the Ottoman–Smyrna Railway Company, the Copiapó Mining Company of Chile, the East and West India Dock Company, Australia’s Peel River Land and Mineral Company and the National Bank of New Zealand.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (11)
  • 1900s

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (12)

    1931

    The Great Depression

    Freshfields is heavily involved in a commission that meets throughout the 1930s at Rothschilds to deal with the fallout of the Credit-Anstalt collapse.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (13)

    1935

    Law Society president

    Sir Leslie Peppiatt, who became president of the Law Society, joins the firm. His brother Kenneth was Chief Cashier at the Bank of England.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (14)

    1944

    A new beginning

    Old Freshfields Jewry offices destroyed by a WWII ‘doodlebug’ V-1 bomb. The firm moves to the Bank Buildings.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (15)

    1962

    A German partnership

    Arved Deringer, a German lawyer and politician, founded law practice in Bonn together with Claus Tessin.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (16)

    1963

    Dispute resolution

    Alan Redfern is hired, the first litigator in what will become our world-leading DR practice.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (17)

    1972

    Continental Europe

    The Paris office opens. Another 13 offices across continental Europe follow in the next 28 years.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (18)

    1974

    Modernisation

    Partners agree to move the focus from private clients to corporate law. The lockstep remuneration model is adopted. Freshfields is regularly involved in complex corporate transformations such as the bailout of Rolls-Royce.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (19)

    1977

    The US

    The New York office opens, followed by a Washington office in 1998.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (20)

    1980

    Asia

    Freshfields’ Asia presence is established with a Singapore office, followed by Beijing, Shanghai, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (21)

    1986

    The ‘Big Bang’

    Freshfields gets an enormous boost from the ‘Big Bang’ deregulation of London’s financial services markets, laying the foundation of Freshfields’ world-leading M&A practice.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (22)

    1989

    Brussels

    Our Brussels team’s work in Europe lays the foundation of our peerless ACT practice.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (23)

    1993

    250 years

    Freshfields celebrates its 250th anniversary with 125 partners and more than 400 lawyers.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (24)

    1998

    First German–Austrian cross-border merger

    Bruckhaus Westrick Stegemann merges with Vienna-based Heller Löber Bahn & Partner to form Bruckhaus Westrick Heller Löber.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (25)

    2000

    A merger of equals

    Freshfields merges with German firm Deringer Tessin Herrmann & Sedemund and German–Austrian firm Bruckhaus Westrick Heller Löber to form Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. This unprecedented merger of equals brings together more than 270 years’ of experience.

  • 2000s

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (26)

    2005

    Dubai office

    The Dubai office opens followed by the Bahrain office and the Abu Dhabi office over the next three years. Freshfields has been advising clients in the UAE since its establishment.

  • 2007-9

    Global financial crisis

    A snowballing global banking crisis sees our lawyers called on to address unprecedented restructuring and insolvency matters, and advise governments worldwide (including drafting over a single weekend new legislation for the German government).

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (27)

    2009

    Olympic Games

    Freshfields is appointed as the first official legal services provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

  • Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (28)

    2015

    A global service centre

    The Global Centre opens in Manchester, UK, to ensure Freshfields stays ahead in a fast-changing world. Among its services is the Legal Services Centre, a lower-cost, high-quality alternative for process-oriented legal services.

  • The future

    With more than 270 years’ experience globally, Freshfields continues to help clients grow, strengthen and defend their businesses – building on its history of thinking ahead.

Close

Worldwide

Our regional experience

Europe

  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • CEE / CIS
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Scandinavia
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom

Americas

  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Mexico
  • United States

Asia-Pacific

  • Australia
  • China
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Japan
  • Singapore
  • South East Asia
  • South Korea
  • Vietnam

Middle East

  • Bahrain
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE

Africa

Our history | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (2024)

FAQs

How to answer why Freshfields? ›

In answering why Freshfields, try to draw out specific interactions you have had with the firm. For eg: 'During my time at the Spring Scheme/Open Day/ Webinar... ' Prefacing your reasons with an interaction shows proactivity.

What does the Freshfields logo mean? ›

Emblem. The first James William Freshfield (1775–1864) adopted the crest of John Freshfield of Norwich as his own, having seen it as a boy. It was later used as the firm's mark. The emblem represents St Michael, depicted as an angel with a spear.

What is the oldest law firm in London? ›

THE FIRM With roots going back to 1570, Thomson Snell & Passmore have been honoured by the Guinness World Records as the oldest law firm in operation.

Who is Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer? ›

A leading global law firm for the world's most prestigious businesses. Freshfields is the leading firm for complex US corporate, litigation, investigations, arbitration and regulatory work, ranked Band 1 globally by Chambers across eight practices.

Who are Freshfields biggest clients? ›

Corporate/M&A clients: eBay, Google, London Stock Exchange. Represented BP in it's $4 billion acquisition of renewable gas producer Archaea Energy.

Why are lawyers paid so much in London? ›

The main reason is the rise in US law firms coming to London. US firms usually pay London lawyers the same as what they're paying their New York lawyers (which tends to be higher than typical London salaries). So, UK firms then need to increase their salaries to avoid their staff leaving to US firms.

What is Freshfields famous for? ›

The firm is renowned for its expertise in a wide range of practice areas. Freshfields is especially noted for its leading position in big-ticket corporate/M&A, banking and finance, competition/antitrust, dispute resolution, international arbitration, and tax.

Is Freshfields a magic circle firm? ›

In the world of Commercial Law, you will often hear talk of 'Magic Circle' firms. This is an informal term used to describe what are generally regarded as the five leading UK-headquartered law firms, namely Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Linklaters and Slaughter and May.

Why is Freshfields unique? ›

Freshfields is unique in the magic circle for its balanced split between corporate and litigation. The revenue from Freshfields' litigation team grew significantly after 2008.

Which law firm does the Queen use? ›

Farrer & Co
Headquarters66 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, United Kingdom
Date founded1701 (via the Tempest Slingers' practice)
FounderTempest Slinger
Company typeLimited Liability Partnership
Websitewww.farrer.co.uk
6 more rows

What is the world's strongest law firm brand? ›

For the past 12 years, Baker McKenzie has been recognized as the world's strongest law firm brand according to the Thomson Reuters Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index (former Acritas).

What is America's largest law firm? ›

What is the largest law firm in the United States? The largest law firm in the U.S. is Kirkland & Ellis. With a revenue of $6.04 billion in 2021, not only is Kirkland & Ellis the largest law firm in the United States, but in the world in terms of revenue. What are the top 3 law firms in the world?

How much do you get paid at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer? ›

The average Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP salary ranges from approximately £20,444 per year for Human Resources Assistant to £160,648 per year for Senior Associate.

Who are the competitors of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer? ›

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer competitors include White & Case LLP, Clifford Chance, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Herbert Smith Freehills and Linklaters LLP. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer ranks 2nd in Overall Culture Score on Comparably vs its competitors.

What is the bonus for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer? ›

Magic Circle law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has begun paying out special bonuses to mid-ranking lawyers working on private equity deals, as it seeks to keep hold of its staff in the face of competition from US firms.

What makes Freshfields unique? ›

The firm is renowned for its expertise in a wide range of practice areas. Freshfields is especially noted for its leading position in big-ticket corporate/M&A, banking and finance, competition/antitrust, dispute resolution, international arbitration, and tax.

Why do you want to join this firm answer? ›

I'm eager to learn new skills and take on new challenges, and I see this role as a perfect fit for my career goals." "I'm excited about the company's mission and values, and I believe in the work that you do. I'm eager to be a part of a team that is making a positive impact and creating meaningful change."

How do you answer the why firm question? ›

Consider the following steps to help you prepare effective answers for an interview:
  1. Research the organisation before the interview. ...
  2. Describe the organisation's growth prospects. ...
  3. Explain what you can contribute to the company. ...
  4. Describe your desire to work for the company. ...
  5. Give specific examples. ...
  6. Discuss your goals.
Aug 10, 2023

Why have you chosen to apply to this firm? ›

Talk about specific examples of how you can help this company achieve their goals and highlight any relevant transferrable skills that will make you stand out as the right candidate. Write down any recent achievements you can talk about or any challenges you've faced recently that might be related to this new job.

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