HSF retains 30 of 32 qualifying trainees

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By Legal Cheek on

8

94%

Herbert Smith Freehills’ London office

Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has recorded an impressive retention score of 94% with 30 of its 32 final-seat trainees securing associates roles.

The Silver Circle player confirmed that all 32 trainees applied for positions, and 30 received offers, all of which were accepted. There are no fixed term contracts.

Commenting on the result, David Rosen, partner and training principal at HSF, said:

“In the current climate we are delighted to see such high retention rates among our trainees. It is testament to our commitment to fostering a supportive and enriching environment where trainees can thrive and develop their careers. It also speaks volumes about the exceptional quality of our trainees and underscores our ambition to recruit and retain the best junior lawyers.”

The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows the HSF recruits around 65 trainees each year and offers a recently improved NQ salary of £135,000.

The retention score follows an equally strong set of financial results for HSF. Profits rose by 14.5% to £444.5 million and turnover increased by 10% to £1.3 billion compared to the previous year. Profit per equity partner (PEP) also saw a healthy increase of 12.1%, reaching £1.31 million.

8 Comments

Don’t @ me

Best overall firm! Don’t @ me

hsfer

agreed. I have worked maybe 2 weekends throughout my time at the firm and generally kept my evenings.

good perks, good salary, mostly decent people, good work.

Anon

But if you have worked there for one week that’s not such a boast. Context is king.

What you gonna do about it

@ you

Market commentator

A strong result for a mid-market firm. Retention rate is expected to rise as the US firm market has been fairly dead.

Mid-market?!

Not sure if you’re trolling or which market you’re commentating on but HSF is very much one of the leading firms at the top of the UK legal market

kool-aid

Said a person who has been drinking the Kool-aid at Exchange House and believing all the “we are beyond magic circle” gibberish

reality

market-leading disputes and ever-improving corporate, what’s not to like?

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