In April 2005, Herbert Smith established a dedicated advocacy unit in its London office with the recruitment of two leading Queens Counsel, Murray Rosen and Ian Gatt.
We are the first UK law firm to establish an in-house advocacy unit. The unit allows Herbert Smith to offer clients a complete litigation service, in which legal teams of solicitors and barristers work together from the outset to prepare and present cases. We believe that, in appropriate cases, this integrated approach improves the efficiency of the litigation process and offers real benefits to clients in terms of the ability to manage cases.
We do of course always offer clients the option of instructing outside counsel and we retain strong relationships with the Bar. A member of our advocacy unit will only be recommended, as one of a number of options, where we believe that that individual is right for a particular case.
As the UK’s leading dispute resolution firm, Herbert Smith has always been committed to the development of an advocacy practice. Over 40 of our dispute resolution lawyers are qualified solicitor advocates, among the highest number of any City firm. Our plan is to grow the unit with the recruitment of exceptional advocates from both within the firm and outside.
- Please click here for more information about the different roles of solicitors and barristers in England and Wales.
Litigation team of the Year
The Lawyer Awards 2007
Herbert Smith - best litigation practice
Vault Guide to the Top 50 UK Law Firms 2007