Freshfields - The Inside View

“I often say that we’re the perfect law firm for true 21st century legal issues,” is how head of Freshfields’ MedTech practice, Vinita Kailasanath, introduces us to the firm. It’s certainly true that the firm has undergone a refresh in recent years, shortening its name and updating its logo as part of its plans to continue appealing to the market. Despite its elite status back home in the UK – and roots that date back to the early 18th century(!) – you can definitely say that Freshfields continues to keep things fresh. Much of this forward movement has been centered in the US, and the firm now has five offices in New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Washington, DC and, most recently, Boston. As one insider summarized, “we’re energetic and scrappy, almost like a startup!”

Unsurprisingly, many of our interviewees chose Freshfields for its focus on growth stateside. “I loved the idea of being part of building something,” one junior reflected, “The growth has surpassed my expectations and it’s fun to be part of it.” For those on the inside, this means Freshfields is “an exciting place to be. After all, we’re trying to win big, not lose small.” Indeed, Freshfields is achieving success in the Chambers USA guide rankings, coming out top for its national corporate crime & investigations and international arbitration work. The firm also picks up high rankings in securities litigation in California, antitrust in DC, and bankruptcy and white-collar crime & government investigations in New York.

“I work with lawyers in Madrid, London, France and across the US.”

Freshfields also earns its fair share of applause from Chambers Global, and this international prestige was certainly appreciated by associates. To summarize, “the firm doesn’t just have offices in different locations; there’s so much cross-collaboration.” This means that, day to day, “I work with lawyers in Madrid, London, France and across the US.” Despite this massive global reach, associates agreed that “Freshfields still feels like a small firm. The New York office was smaller when I first started, so I’ve really gotten to know people well. Even from the interview stage, they’ve always treated me as a person.”

Freshfields is recognized as a Strong Performer for Associate Satisfaction and three other categories in our 2025 survey.

Strategy & Future

Our sources felt leadership is doing a good job at communicating the firm’s plans to its juniors, noting, “the messaging has stayed consistent from when I was interviewing up until now. The firm has grown a ton since then, so it’s cool seeing those plans materialize.” Growth in Silicon Valley was a special highlight for associates, who noted, “since the office opened, it’s grown from ten to dozens of attorneys.” Freshfields also expanded its network with a brand-new Boston office earlier this year, appointing private equity M&A partner Matt Goulding to lead it.

Andrea Basham, recruiting chair for the firm’s US offices, tells us more about this focus on growth in the US: “When I joined Freshfields in 2019, we were 37 partners and just over 100 lawyers. Today, we are over 100 partners and over 400 lawyers in the US.” With plans to continue this expansion, Freshfields has made several high-profile additions over the last year or so, including several government hires. As Basham explains, “that is very much a reaction to clients wanting the kind of inner circle insights that former government practitioners can provide.”

Read more from our interview with Andrea Basham and Vinita Kailasanath under the 'Get Hired' tab.

The Work

Just under half of the associates on our list were settled in the dispute resolution department, with plenty more in global transactions and antitrust, competition & trade, and a handful in tax and people & reward. Most were based in New York, with around a quarter of juniors in DC or Silicon Valley. It’s worth noting that teams are frequently staffed cross-office on both domestic and international matters. As a summer, newbies get to work across all strands. Then, when joining as a first-year associate, they work within their specific practice groups. Work is allocated through a centralized system, but “the longer I’m here, the more I find work comes organically.” Staffing coordinators are “there as guideposts,” we heard, assigning work based on associates’ availability and interests. This system was well received by our sources, as “not everyone wants to go out to farm their own work and that’s okay.”

The dispute resolution practice covers commercial litigation, securities, international arbitration, sanctions & trade, and white-collar crime. The work is generally split between litigation and arbitration, but newbies “go back and forth between the two early on” before “firmly” settling into one side of the practice. Through this, juniors “develop a well-rounded toolkit as you naturally start specializing.” The international arbitration team’s work mainly involves Latin American matters, most commonly representing companies against states, though there’s also a fair amount of state vs state and commercial arbitration. As you might expect, there are plenty of Spanish speakers in the team, but the group also handles US-specific English language cases and assists the London office with its own work. Typical junior tasks here include drafting, research, reviewing documents and attending client meetings. There’s still a fair bit of document review (a classic junior task!) but insiders clarified that “though there’s occasional admin, I haven’t found it to be too heavy.” All in all, this mix of work meant newbies felt, “I’m doing a little bit above what I would have expected, and I’ve enjoyed getting such substantive experience.”

Dispute resolution clients: Buzzfeed, Roblox, Pinterest. Representing Tesla in four putative class actions concerning the misappropriation of company data by former employees.

“… no day looks the same.”

The antitrust, competition & trade group does both litigation and merger clearance work. Associates work across both sides of the practice, meaning “there’s a lot of diversity in the work and no day looks the same.” On the merger side, associates may find themselves doing preliminary risk assessments, a task which one associate especially enjoyed as “you get to dive into an industry, see how it overlaps with others and understand it from a different perspective.” Insiders also appreciated how smaller matters come with slightly increased responsibility, while larger cases might “teach you the soup to nuts of how to prepare a deal before it’s even signed.” Juniors also found that there’s plenty of client contact, with opportunities to join meetings, learn more about the context of clients’ work and manage relationships. On the litigious side, the department has worked on cases defending companies and institutions against class action suits. Associates on this side of the work are typically involved in court filings and research.

Antitrust clients: Adobe, AstraZeneca, Netflix. Representing Google in various lawsuits relating to its ad tech business.

In their first year in global transactions (GT), juniors join a pool and are staffed across a range of practice areas. They might experience specialist teams like IP, life sciences and funds alongside the larger capital markets, restructuring, finance and M&A groups. Associates pick a specialty in their second year, and many end up in M&A, GT’s largest subgroup. The team works on both public and private transactions, as well as sponsor deals, strategic deals and minority investments. Interviewees suggested that public M&A was a particular strength for the team, yet nonetheless noted, “we’ve been working towards having that same caliber in the private sector.”

Insiders were more than happy to explain, “it’s certainly not the case that only some associates get the glamorous deals while others are left on the small stuff.” In short, there are plenty of deals on offer for associates to get a range of experience, whether that’s work with different partners or leanly staffed deals that might come with increased exposure. As a result, juniors felt integrated into their teams and appreciated working on a variety of meaningful tasks: “You don’t just do signature pages for hours on end or anything like that.” Although admin is sometimes a part of the job, we heard that “people are very willing to let you take the first cut at drafting or leading a client call.”

Transactional clients: eBay, Uber, Johnson & Johnson. Advised Universal Music Group on its investment in Marvin Global, an independent Afrobeats record label.

Career Development

“They’ve made it clear that they’re invested in our development. It’s not just a transaction of exchanging labor for a paycheck.”

More generally on professional development, associates shared, “they’ve made it clear that they’re invested in our development. It’s not just a transaction of exchanging labor for a paycheck.” And what does this look like in practice? Well, as associates progress in seniority, there are plenty of year-specific training sessions to “help you understand what skill sets are needed at that level.” Mentorship is another key part of the equation as juniors are paired with a senior associate or partner mentor and are “encouraged to go out and get coffee or lunches on the firm.” There are also opportunities for more formal feedback through mid-year and end-of-year reviews.

Long-term plans were also a consideration for interviewees, who noted, “there isn’t a formal ‘if you want to make partner, you need to do x, y and z’ attitude, but general expectations are clearly communicated.” Associates also appreciated the “really useful” sessions on offer with clients and companies to discuss legal positions outside of BigLaw. The firm told us they recently hired a career adviser who is on hand to have individual conversations about career development.

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: no requirement

Salaries and bonuses are lockstep at the junior level, which sources appreciated as “there isn’t this pressure to bill, bill, bill to get a slightly better bonus. We’re very privileged that Freshfields pays top salaries anyway.” However, this certainly doesn’t mean they’re kicking back and raking it in, as “everybody is still very invested and works very hard.” For instance, weekend work might pop up here and there, but “it’s not outrageous. It’s usually not more than once a month.” What’s more, “they don’t expect you to be online all weekend either. They don’t force you to engineer work to make sure your icon stays green.” That said, associates are required to work from the office from Monday to Thursday, but there’s still enough flexibility: “It’s manageable – people will be in the office for most of the day, but if they need to leave early to pick up their kids or something, that’s okay.”

Culture

One source described the culture: “It’s super chill. People are professional, perhaps a little reserved, but generally friendly. I’ve never heard anyone raise their voice.” Our interviewees also reported relatively little cultural shift during the US expansion process, with many noting how lateral hires come with “no clash of culture. They are people who want to be here, and leave other opportunities behind because of the culture we have. Even as we grow, I don’t think that will change anytime soon.”

“The people at Freshfields are some of my best friends in the city.”

Juniors in New York were in love with the new World Trade Center office, noting, “it’s incredible, state-of-the-art and much brighter than the old one,” with various meeting areas and a cafeteria. It’s by far the largest of the three US offices, but those in the cosier Silicon Valley space pointed out that one conference room there can squeeze just about all of its attorneys in! “We have monthly all-attorney meetings,” said one associate in that office, “it’s fun because you get to chat with people over lunch afterwards.”

In fact, it was these more social aspects of Freshfields life that really stood out to our junior interviewees, one of whom mentioned, “the people at Freshfields are some of my best friends in the city.” Others joked, “maybe I need better work-life boundaries because I love my co-workers and most of them are now my friends! They’re all great people.”

Freshfields is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Quality of Life in our 2025 survey.

Pro Bono

Pro bono at Freshfields is “considered just as billable as client hours,” one interviewee told us, “I’m really happy that they let us dive so deeply into it.” Many associates work on asylum and immigration cases, and such opportunities are open to non-litigators. Interviewees also had the chance to work on projects related to women’s rights, such as domestic violence cases and legal advice for incarcerated women. Additionally, the firm partners with the Giffords Law Center for Gun Safety.

On the corporate side, there are opportunities to help businesses and non-profits with their charts, governance documents and general housekeeping. There’s also work with European NGOs on various challenges to their funding sources. Interviewees had special praise for the firm’s pro bono lawyer Rebecca Kerr, who has been trying to bring in more non-contentious pro bono work: “Getting more pro bono hours for the GT group is Rebecca’s hill to die on!” Sources were pleased that it also provides an opportunity for networking, such as a recent immigration clinic where associates had the chance to interact with big-name clients on the other side.

Pro bono hours:

• For all US attorneys: 38,192
• Average per US attorney: 78

Inclusion

“Looking out for people is a big priority…”

Associates appreciated the firm's efforts on inclusion. One associate said, “It feels like the firm’s putting things in place to reach that goal, such as surrogacy support and generous parental leave.” On top of this, sources felt that female attorneys are “there for each other and make it a safe and inclusive environment.” This attitude was appreciated on a broader level as well, as illustrated by one associate who explained that “looking out for people is a big priority in my teams. It feels good knowing that you can express your personal needs” – such as an appointment or family plans – “and it won’t be taken the wrong way.”

Get Hired 

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus    

Freshfields recruits from a wide variety of US law schools, as well as select Canadian law schools. The firm seeks ambitious, collaborative and entrepreneurial law students who are looking to grow, lead and make an impact early in their careers. 

Top tips for this stage:    

“They asked interesting in-depth questions I didn’t get asked elsewhere, and they were talking about the work they had done with other offices.” – a junior associate

“I really liked everyone in the interview process. The culture spoke to me as a person. The people were friendly, open, and honest. We’re pushing into the US, and when I was joining it was the beginning of that push. It was exactly what I was looking for: an established firm that wasn’t taking a risk, but at the same you could be part of something new and innovative.” – a junior associate

Callbacks    

A callback at Freshfields consists of interviews with two partners and two associates, and candidates are encouraged to interview in person when possible. Those who receive offers to join the summer associate program have many opportunities to meet with additional lawyers and learn more about the firm. 

Summer program 

The Freshfields summer associate program is designed to introduce summer associates to life at the firm. It offers the opportunity to work with, learn from and be mentored by lawyers in an entrepreneurial, collaborative, and inclusive environment.  

The ten-week program is offered in New York, Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley/San Francisco. The firm also offers a small summer program in its London office for US law students. 

In 2025, there will be 88 summer associates in the New York, Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley/San Francisco offices. 

Top tips for this stage:  

“The firm is full of a lot of smart people who are interested in their work but also care about each other. I was struck by how many people check in to see you’re doing okay.” – a junior associate

“You feel very welcome to ask questions of senior associates, partners, counsel, whatever you need. It’s very exciting to be at a place that’s so positive.” – a junior associate

Interview with partners Andrea Basham and Vinita Kailasanath

Commercial strategy, market position and trends

Chambers Associate: How would you define your firm’s current position and identity in the legal market? What differentiates your firm from your peer firms in the market?

Andrea Basham: The firm has grown significantly in the US, particularly over the last five years. The firm made a strategic decision many years ago that—although it was already a powerhouse in Europe and Asia—it was necessary to build a premier, market-leading US practice in order to serve clients at the highest level on a global basis. Freshfields US is a name that is associated with leading legal services, and it is a destination practice for all the large clients you would expect—not only in the US but globally.

Vinita Kailasanath: I often say that we’re the perfect law firm for true 21st century legal issues—issues that are interdisciplinary and cross-border and that require novel approaches. And from my vantage point in Silicon Valley, we have a very strong sector focus in tech, life sciences, clean energy and energy transformation.

Basham: I think it’s also important to share a concrete picture of our growth over the past five years. When I joined Freshfields in 2019, we were 37 partners and just over 100 lawyers. Today, we are over 100 partners and over 400 lawyers in the US.

CA: Have there been any developments at the firm over the past year that you’d like law students to know about?

Kailasanath: We’ve made significant recent investments in both the private equity and capital markets spaces. For example, we’ve hired leading private equity lawyers Neal Reenan and Ian Bushner in New York as well as Matt Goulding to lead our Boston office.  We also just hired the former Director of the SEC’s Division of Corporate Finance, Erik Gerding, as well as Melissa Hodgman, who was one of the highest ranking senior officers in the SEC’s Enforcement Division.

Basham: The number of government hires we’ve made in the US is really significant, and that is very much a reaction to clients wanting the kind of inner circle insights that former government practitioners can provide. Importantly, we recently hired Christine Wilson, who is a former Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission , as well as the two former heads of CFIUS, the government agency that regulates foreign investments coming into the US. That agency has only existed long enough to have had three heads, and the first two are now partners at Freshfields.

CA: Are there any domestic or international events/trendsthat are affecting any of the firm’s practices at the moment? Are there any trends that you think are affecting the business of law firms more generally, and how is that playing out with your firm?

Basham: Trends associated with global politics are top of mind for our clients right now and what will likely drive both transactions and the litigation landscape in 2025 and going forward. I think there will be a lot of trends around energy transformation and the environment generally that will impact our clients individually and transactions in the US in the upcoming years. I also think there will be a shift in the way companies are thinking about those industries, but I don't think activity will cease; rather, it will just shift. In terms of how recent trends are affecting the firm, AI is obviously top of mind and something that we are thinking about every day. As a law firm, we need to understand how to use it properly, the risks it poses, and how it can benefit our clients and our ability to provide services. Because we’ve been focused on this space for the past five plus years, we found ourselves very well prepared when ChatGPT launched last year. We’re now taking advantage of both internally developed and externally provided software programs that are changing the way we work in a way that will be incredibly beneficial for clients going forward.

Kailasanath: Clients have also noticed that many law firms are raising their rates. In-house budgets are contracting or staying flat, and we’ve seen a flight to quality. We’re in the fortunate position of being a beneficiary of this trend because firms like ours are the ones that you trust with complex, critical matters.

CA: What is your firm’s commercial strategy focusing on, and how do you expect the next year to unfold?

Kailasanath: You can probably sense that theme throughout all of our answers: it’s strategic growth. We are continually making investments in our bench and exploring different kinds of geographies.  We’re also constantly thinking about how we can provide the best client service and tap into the best talent pools. The investments we’ve made globally have put us on an incredible upward trajectory, and I think that has a very positive effect in terms of recognition in the market. Using Silicon Valley as an example, the office was founded a little over four years ago with four core partners. Today, in early 2025, we have an incredible, robust Bay Area presence with over 80 of us here.

CA: As the firm grows in the US, should incoming associates expect any changes to the junior experience?

Kailasanath: We’ve made a lot of investments in professional development, including on informal and formal training and bringing in a dedicated career advisor. In Silicon Valley, we have a unique office culture, and we’re dog friendly! We have a tradition of tea in the afternoon because one of our fabulous partners is a tea aficionado, and we celebrate each other’s birthdays. Even though we’ve grown, I think we’ve done a really good job of maintaining a small office feel and staying true to the ‘Being Freshfields’ principles which are shared globally.

Basham: We’re approaching lawyer needs through a really modern lens and investing in resources based on what the 2025 young lawyer needs, wants, and expects rather than historical systems and processes.

Inside the Firm

CA: What’s the firm’s approach to bolstering inclusion?

Kailasanath: Going back to the ‘Being Freshfields’ principles of respect and inclusion, I think one of the benefits of our international heritage is that we’ve taken a very broad approach to how we talk and think about inclusion. We’re continually focused on making sure ours is a dynamic environment where everyone can thrive.

Basham: We fundamentally believe that clients benefit the most from the broadest possible range of advice that incorporates different perspectives and the ability to think creatively and outside the box. And we, in turn, foster an inclusive culture where colleagues feel supported to succeed and thrive, and contribute to delivering outstanding client service around the world. We’re committed to our inclusion efforts that are aligned with our purpose and values, and allow all our colleagues to belong, engage and excel.

The Legal Profession

CA: How do you predict the legal profession will change in the next five years? Are there any particular challenges the industry is facing?

Kailasanath: I think that there is a trend toward differentiation. Even within the top 100 firms in the US, for example, we’re seeing a pulling away in certain regards of certain firms based on the composition of their clients, the kinds of matters they work on, their profitability. Moving forward, I think we’ll see more segmentation in the market based on the kind of work the firm provides, the rates they support, the talent that they’re able to bring on board, etc.

The Fun Bit

CA: What was the first car you owned?

Kailasanath: I had a Toyota Corolla. It was an automatic, not a stick.

Basham: I inherited a 70s style Volkswagen bus from my parents. It was blue on the bottom and white on top, and it was a stick, which has served me well in life because I can go anywhere in the world, and I will always be able to drive a stick shift car.

CA: What memory/moment has stuck with you from law school?

Basham: I met a woman named Karen on my first day of law school, who sat next to me in our section and ended up being my very best friend all through law school. She was very serious, probably more than I was, and already thinking about what she was going to do for her career. So, I was telling her about my background and what I was interested in, and she looked at me and said, ‘You are 100% going to be a transactional lawyer in a big global firm.’ She was right, and here I am today.

Kailasanath: Really just feeling like it was a time of intense change. I remember taking capital markets as the financial markets were collapsing in 2010. When you’re a law student and it feels like the world is changing around you, in an odd way you are actually in an incredible place of privilege because you get to sit and think about these things with some objectivity. You get to talk with amazing professors, you have access to government officials who want to speak at your school, to law firm practitioners who are on the board of visitors or teaching guest classes. In retrospect, it’s amazing to think that I was taught by a former SEC Commissioner who would print out the front page of the Wall Street Journal every morning and talk to us about it. To law school readers, I would encourage you to take advantage of the resources that are available to you because it may take you a decade or more once you’re out of that law school environment to get back to that level of access and insight.

CA: Which actor/actress would you want to play you in a biopic about your life?

Kailasanath: People have told me that I look a bit like Mila Kunis. I would also be happy to be played by any of America Ferrera, Emilia Clarke, Aubrey Plaza, Mayim Bialik or Mindy Kaling.

Basham: Jennifer Connelly is probably about my age in real life, and I have watched her play roles that have always resonated with me at different phases of my life and do them very well. So, growing up, she always reminded me of someone who has dealt with similar circumstances.