Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
| Headquarters | London, England Sydney, Australia |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 26 (2020) |
| No. of lawyers | 2,600 (2024) |
| No. of employees | c.5,000 (2024) |
| Key people | Justin D'Agostino (CEO); Rebecca Maslen-Stannage (Senior Partner) |
| Revenue | £1.306 billion (2023/24) |
| Profit per equity partner | £1.315 million (2023/24) |
| Date founded | Herbert Smith (1882); Freehills (1852); Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel (1968); Merger between Herbert Smith and Freehills (2012); Merger between Herbert Smith Freehills and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel (2025) |
| Founder | Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership (Herbert Smith Freehills LLP) Partnership (Herbert Smith Freehills) |
| Website | hsfkramer.com |
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP (HSF Kramer) is a global law firm with headquarters in London, England, and Sydney, Australia. As of 2024, the firm was the 33rd largest by revenue. Its predecessor practice, Herbert Smith Freehills, was formed on 1 October 2012 by a merger between the United Kingdom-based Herbert Smith founded in 1882, then a member of the Silver Circle of leading UK law firms, and Freehills founded in 1852, one of the Big Six Australian law firms. A subsequent merger between Herbert Smith Freehills and American law firm Kramer Levin in 2025 resulted in the creation of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, making it one of the world's largest law firms by revenue and number of lawyers.
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has achieved particular recognition in dispute resolution, former Herbert Smith partner F.A. Mann having played a pivotal role in transforming London litigation. As of 2024, HSF Kramer retains the most UK-listed clients of all law firms, representing 116 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. It also advises the highest number of FTSE 100 clients in United Kingdom Court of Appeal cases.
According to GlobalData, as of 2023 Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer secured the most Asia Pacific (APAC) M&A mandates by deal value, being "among the only two advisers to surpass $20bn in total deal value during Q1-Q3 2023”.
As of 2024, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer had the highest litigation revenue in the UK of any law firm at £314.6m, significantly higher than Freshfields and Quinn Emmanuel both with revenues of c. £197m.
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is called upon for some of the highest value and most complex litigation. In 2022, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer was the law firm with the highest average claim value in the High Court and has maintained its position within the top three firms every year since.
Herbert Smith Freehills announced its merger with U.S. law firm Kramer Levin effective 1 May 2025. The new firm is known as Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, abbreviated as HSF Kramer.