Herbert Smith has been long established as the leading dispute resolution practice in the UK, Europe and Asia. We specialise in resolving large, complex and high-value disputes and in minimising clients' exposure to contentious risk.
Being the pre-eminent dispute resolution practice means that we are often the first port of call for major corporates who find themselves in a dispute or who want advice on a matter that might become contentious. We service clients across a variety of industries, ranging from the world's leading investment banks, Fortune 100 and FTSE 100 companies, to governments and high profile individuals.
With a team of over 80 partners and 200 associates worldwide, we work simultaneously on a number of cases at any one time and are able to field large teams of specialists as and when the need arises. Our international network, with offices in London, Moscow, Paris, Dubai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Bangkok, Jakarta and Abu Dhabi operates in a coordinated manner to offer seamless and high-quality service to our global clients.
Our practice is focused on five main areas: commercial litigation, international arbitration, insurance litigation, banking and regulatory disputes and intellectual property. We also provide specialist advice across a range of areas including energy, media, construction, telecommunication, fraud and investigations, public international law, competition litigation, trusts litigation, professional negligence, health and safety, partnership disputes and administrative law.
We recognise that litigation and arbitration are no longer the only processes for clients seeking legal remedies to enforce or defend their commercial positions. We are, therefore, increasingly providing advice on pre-litigation matters and working alongside our non-contentious teams as risk managers. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is an integral part of our practice and an area where we have great expertise. We regularly undertake mediations, expert determinations, adjudications and bespoke processes to resolve disputes. A number of our lawyers are also accredited mediators.
As a firm we are strongly committed to the development of our advocacy practice. Our unique in-house advocacy unit provides a number of benefits for clients including ease of instruction and reduction in cost. Over 40 of our dispute resolution lawyers are qualified solicitor advocates.
Commercial Litigation Law Firm of the Year
Who's Who Legal Awards 2010
Litigation Team of the Year
The Lawyer Awards 2010
Litigation Team of the Year
The Lawyer Awards 2009
International Arbitration Law Firm of the Year in China, North Asia and South East Asia
Asian-Counsel Awards 2009
Recognised for Excellence in ADR, 2008 Law Firm Award
International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution
Herbert Smith - best litigation practice
Vault Guide to the Top 50 UK Law Firms 2007