Herbert Smith
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Herbert Smith LLP is a prestigious international law firm, with its headquarters based in London. The firm was founded in the City of London in 1882 by Norman Herbert Smith and today has more than 230 partners and 1,200 fee-earners.
The firm has offices in London, Brussels, Paris, Moscow, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo, and Bangkok, with an associated office in Jakarta.
Herbert Smith also has a formal alliance with the leading German law firm Gleiss Lutz and Benelux law firm Stibbe. The firm also works closely with a number of the leading US firms, including, among others, Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
After initial specialisation in the early part of the 20th century in company flotations and advising mining companies, the firm's more recent reputation rests on a combination of its litigation strength, a practice area that it has dominated since the 1960s, and its corporate capability (M&A and equity capital markets in particular). The firm is now investing considerably in growing its finance practice. Other market-leading practices it has include real estate, energy, and competition.
In 2007, The Lawyer magazine awarded Herbert Smith Corporate Team of the Year and Litigation Team of the Year. This twin specialisation in the most complex corporate and dispute resolution work is perhaps the firm's biggest strength and sets it apart from most of its UK-headquartered rivals.
Herbert Smith is considered by some media, including Legal Business magazine, to be a member of the "Magic Circle", a group of leading Anglo-Saxon law firms. According to Hemscott's Corporate Advisers Ranking Guide, published in May 2007, the firm is principal or joint corporate adviser to 15 of the UK's FTSE 100 companies, the fifth highest total.
The firm's standing in equity capital markets was reflected in Bloomberg's 2006 IPO rankings, where the Herbert Smith-Gleiss Lutz-Stibbe alliance was ranked third overall for advice to managers of European IPOs. The firm was also ranked 5th for advice to issuers on European IPOs. Globally, the alliance was ranked 4th in Bloomberg's 2006 Global IPO issuer table. The firm's Asian practice ranked number one in Bloomberg's Hong Kong and China IPO Legal Adviser table for the second consecutive year.
Its revenue was £334 million in 2007, making it the 9th largest firm by fee income in the UK.
