Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) is an international firm headquartered in both London and Sydney following the 2012 merger between silver circle UK firm Herbert Smith and big six Australian firm Freehills. The firm has 2100 lawyers across 26 offices worldwide and in Australia has offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The firm also has separate offices in Sydney and Melbourne for its Alternative Legal Services (ALT) service staffed with lawyers, legal analysts and eDiscovery specialists to address high-volume, document-intensive legal work with the aid of technology. 

Focusses / specialisms

HSF is a full service firm that is strong across the transactional board with a finance practice that has a core focus on asset finance, acquisition finance, property finance and corporate finance. It is also dominant in the project financing of PPPs (public-private partnerships), social and economic infrastructure projects, and energy and resources markets, especially in renewable energy alongside its solid debt capital markets and restructuring and insolvency practices. 

Key clients

Key clients of the firm include Virgin Australia Holdings, NEXTDC, BNP Paribas, Korea Development Bank, Arrotex Group, Lendlease Corporation, NSW Treasury and The Carlyle Group. 

Research period review: 30th edition (2019/2020)

During the research period the firm’s finance practice was preoccupied with leveraged and acquisition finance transactions, asset and real estate finance; while the projects team acted in transport, wind and solar mandates. 

The debt capital markets team handled corporate and covered bond issuances while the restructuring and insolvency practice advised on recapitalisation deals, corporate and debt restructuring mandates, and insolvencies in the oil and gas and mining industries. 

The firm was hit with the retirement of finance partner Amanda Wales and the departure of restructuring and insolvency expert Peter Smith to Johnson Winter & Slattery’s Brisbane office.

Deal highlights: 30th edition (2019/2020)

-Arrotex Group A$510 million unitranche facilities

-Coles Group AMTN programme 

-Eclipx Group A$340 million refinancing 

-Hornsdale 309MW wind farm

-ING Bank Australia covered bond programme

-Northern Oil & Gas Australia insolvency

-Speedcast Group restructuring 

-Sydney Light Rail PPP