Helping businesses make confident decisions.

We combine the knowledge, experience and energy of the whole firm to solve the biggest global organisations’ most complex challenges, wherever and whenever they arise.

Whether it’s entering new markets, defending corporate reputation or managing multijurisdictional regulation, we are renowned for breaking new legal ground to help our clients go further.

Our values

Set out below is our statement of who we are. It embodies our ambition to be exceptional, our culture and our absolute determination that all of us will work with each other, our clients and our other stakeholders, day in day out, in the way we describe to help our clients go further.

Our people make our firm

We strive to be exceptional and meet the highest standards
We enjoy our work and are determined to do an outstanding job, whatever our role in the firm. We observe the highest personal, ethical and professional standards in everything we do and operate with integrity at all times. We recognise that the reputation of our firm is vital to our success and we all have a duty to preserve and grow it for the long term.

We value people and treat them with respect, consideration and courtesy
We are a people business. Diversity is a strength and we value the fresh perspectives, creative ideas and connections that flow from bringing together people with different backgrounds. We seek to create a welcoming, supportive environment in which all can flourish.

Find out more about our diversity and inclusion initiatives.

We deliver best when working in teams
We know we deliver best when working as a team rather than as individuals operating alone. Being a great colleague and working efficiently and effectively with our clients and other stakeholders around the world to achieve the right outcome is crucial to our success. We welcome feedback from others on how we are doing.

We think and work globally

We are one partnership
We are one partnership across the world, sharing the risk and rewards of our business and with an over-riding duty to bequeath the firm in better shape than we inherited it.

We have a ‘one-firm’ mindset
We don’t just say we are one firm; we act like one firm right across the world. We bring together the knowledge, experience and energy of the whole firm to help our clients. We encourage, support and share in the success of all our colleagues.

We work seamlessly across borders
We work wherever our clients need us. This is how we define ourselves, not by reference to where we have offices. Cross-border work isn’t just what we do, it is what we excel at. We understand what it really takes to work across different legal systems and commercial environments and to bridge language and cultural gaps.

Find out more about our global capabilities.

We aim to add value in everything we do

We want our clients to succeed
We are passionate about helping our clients achieve their goals, however ambitious and no matter how many obstacles they face. Our clients’ challenges are our challenges and we’ll do whatever it takes to help them in the right way to achieve the best possible outcome.

Learn more about the services we offer and the industries we cover.

We are creative and innovative and enjoy finding the best way to do things
We use our knowledge, intellectual rigour and experience to help clients make judgements and achieve their aims. We have the creativity to find innovative solutions to difficult challenges and explain them simply. We have a long history but are a modern business, open to new ways of working, so that we give clients an ever more efficient and effective service.

Find out more about our approach to innovation.

We aim to make a positive contribution to the communities in which we work
Through our work for our clients, the value we contribute every day by our pro bono work and volunteering and our ethical and responsible business practices, we seek to make a real and positive difference to the world around us.

Read more about our responsible business initiatives.

Leadership and governance

Freshfields became a limited liability partnership in 2008. It is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Several committees oversee the firm and decide how it is run. Here’s a brief explanation of the two main ones.

Partnership Council

The Partnership Council is the firm’s top policy body. It monitors the firm’s performance, reviews the firm’s strategy and considers nominations for leadership appointments, merger proposals and the business needs case for appointing internal or lateral hire partners.

The Partnership Council has delegated responsibility for day-to-day decision-making to the central management team (the senior partner and the managing partner, supported by the executive partner and the general counsel).

Practice Committee

The firm’s main operational body, the Practice Committee supports the chief executive and others to develop the firm’s practice groups.

For more than 175 years, we have played a key role in shaping Europe’s strongest – and the world’s fourth largest – economy.

With more than 500 lawyers across Germany’s key financial and industrial hubs, domestic and international clients alike rely on us to resolve their most complex, critical problems. Often breaking new ground, we provide first-class advice on cross-border transactions, global investigations, large disputes and international regulation.

Few can match our breadth and depth – no other law firm in Germany has achieved so many top rankings for its practice and sector groups. With corporate M&A, disputes, regulatory, and competition/antitrust practices that are consistently rated among the world’s best, we are considered to be the leading global law firm in the country.

https://www.freshfields.com/