Herbert Smith Freehills LLP > Riyadh, Saudi Arabia > Firm Profile

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP > Firm Profile

Herbert Smith Freehills is a leading global law firm with over 5,000 people, including 2,600 lawyers, in 24 offices across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the US.

As one of the world’s leading law firms, we advise many of the biggest and most ambitious organisations across all major regions of the globe. Our clients trust us with their most important transactions, disputes and projects because of our ability to cut through complexity and mitigate risk. We offer local insight and seamless cross-border service in all major regions. Positioned to support the major trade flows, we help the world’s top companies thrive in the global economy.

Seven of our 24 global offices are located in Europe including offices in Belfast, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan and Paris. A pre-eminent and recognised firm in litigation, arbitration, contentious regulatory work, public and private M&A, private equity, capital markets, infrastructure, dispute resolution, real estate, restructuring and insolvency, PPP, energy, ESG and banking and finance; we have advised on European transactions for over 50 years and today our multidisciplinary teams act for international clients conducting business across Europe and the rest of the world. Herbert Smith Freehills is now a top 20 firm in Continental Europe by lawyer headcount.

We work with domestic and international investors, governments, financial institutions and asset managers as well as IBEX 35 companies and a large number of CAC 40 and SBF 120 companies. With a major focus on cross-border work we operate seamlessly within our global network partnering with our clients to gain an in-depth understanding of their environment to provide our clients with the highest level of service.

Our EU law experts have handled a large number of cases in the EU courts and guide clients through the EU’s legislative and administrative processes. Our teams have an excellent understanding of the workings of the EU, drawing on the experience of former secondees, officials and judges at the European Commission and EU courts. Our Brussels office is also the hub of our global International Trade/WTO practice, acting on disputes under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism and advising on market access strategies, sanctions, export controls and trade remedy matters.

Herbert Smith Freehills is the largest fully integrated law firm in Asia Pacific and is one of the world’s top ranked and most experienced energy & resources firms; a globally pre-eminent and recognised firm in litigation, arbitration and contentious regulatory work; and an international leader in M&A, private equity, capital markets, infrastructure and banking and finance.

Visit our website to read more about our vision, our determination to drive diversity, inclusion and responsible business, and our ambition to redefine legal services for the digital-first age.

Legal Briefings

• Reforms to the audit market – major changes ahead

  Recent years have seen an unprecedented focus on audit and auditors in the UK. This has been driven, at least in part, by a number of high-profile corporate failures as well as the perceived widening of the ‘audit expectations gap’, the difference between what users expect from an audit and the reality of what an …

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• All together now

  The important role that UK business has to play in wider society is being reflected in their updated corporate governance arrangements, explain Paul Ellerman, Caroline Rae, Gareth Sykes and Ben Ward of Herbert Smith Freehills In most major jurisdictions there has been a considerable increase in focus on corporate governance issues in recent years. In …

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• Why does a GC need to know about warranty and indemnity insurance?

  I am writing this from my home office, the world having been turned somewhat upside down in the last few weeks. I was expecting to be writing about warranty and indemnity (W&I) insurance trends and claims in 2020, but the form book has been very much disrupted, at least in the short term. I have …

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• Are you prepared?

  Alexander Oddy, Greig Anderson, Paul Lewis and Tom Hutchinson of Herbert Smith Freehills review the major insurance issues facing in-house lawyers in the current market.

• White-collar crime developments and trends in the UAE

  The risk of white-collar crime in the UAE is high, but authorities are increasingly proactive in taking steps to prevent, detect and prosecute crime and thereby to enhance the country’s profile as a safe investment destination.

• Insurance items on the board’s agenda for 2021

  The past 12 months have been unprecedented on many fronts. Insurance is an important asset that can provide protection for organisations in challenging times and now that the proverbial ‘rainy day’ has arrived, in-house lawyers need to work closely with their risk managers and the business to maximise potential recoveries under the range of policies …

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• Insurance and insolvency

  The pandemic has plunged many previously healthy businesses into or close to insolvency, with serious implications for both the company itself and its commercial counterparties. In the middle of a crisis, it is easy to overlook insurance. Yet, by taking the right steps, corporates can use insurance to bring much-needed stability and liquidity.

• White-collar crime developments and trends in the UAE

  As a federation of seven emirates, each with different leadership, economic circumstances and priorities as well as different (at least in part) legal and regulatory systems, the UAE presents significant complexity for government authorities and regulators when combatting money laundering (‘AML’) and other financial crime. In March 2022, the UAE was added by the Financial …

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• White-collar crime in the UAE

  Introduction The UAE’s well-developed legal and regulatory system, alongside its geographical location, is fundamental to its role as a global trade and transport hub. However, the system is complex – comprised of federal and emirate-level laws and enforcement agencies operating differently across jurisdictions including on-shore UAE and the country’s freezones. Many of the advantages and …

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