Solid spring score of 93%
Global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has recorded a spring 2021 retention score of 93%.
From a March qualifying cohort of 30, HSF made 28 offers — all of which were accepted. One rookie qualifies into the firm’s office in Tokyo. None are on fixed-term contracts.
The firm does not disclose the base salaries of its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers, however Legal Cheek‘s Firms Most List shows that this sits around £93,000. It can reach up to £105,000 with bonus applied.
David Rosen, training principal at the firm, said: “We are very excited that one of our London trainees in this round is qualifying into our Digital Law Group, which demonstrates the diverse opportunities available to our trainee solicitors. This is in line with our firm’s strategy — highlighting our commitment to focus on digital transformation in our business and service delivery.”
Today’s result marks a major improvement on the firm’s autumn 2020 score which saw it retain just 22 of its 32 qualifying associates — or 69%.
Rosen continued:
“As a global law firm, we are keen to provide international opportunities for our lawyers to develop their career and we are delighted to offer one of the trainees a role in our Tokyo office in this round. The high retention rate shows our continued commitment to investing in our people and attracting the highest calibre of future lawyers.”
Last summer, HSF was one of a number of City outfits to delay the start dates of some of its future trainees in response to the pandemic. As reported by Legal Cheek at the time, TC holders were offered £8,000 and potentially a further £1,000 to put towards an educational programme, to defer by six months.
