Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Freshfields LLP
Company type	Limited liability partnership
Industry	Legal services
Founded	1743
Headquarters	London, England, United Kingdom
Area served	Asia, Europe, Middle East, North America
Key people	Georgia Dawson (Senior Partner), Jake Reynolds (Head of Client Sustainability and Environment)
Products	Legal services
Website	https://www.freshfields.com

Freshfields LLP (previously known as Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer or FBD) is a British multinational law firm with its main office located in London, England. It is recognized as a member of the prestigious "Magic Circle". The firm maintains a network of 28 offices spanning 17 countries across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Its clientele includes national and international corporations, financial entities, and governmental bodies.

History

The current Freshfields LLP was established in 2000 through the consolidation of the UK-based Freshfields, Germany’s Deringer Tessin Herrmann & Sedemund, and the Germany-Austria firm Bruckhaus Westrick Heller Löber.

As the oldest member of the Magic Circle, Freshfields traces its roots back to 1716 with Thomas Woodford. The firm regards 1743—when Samuel Dodd succeeded Woodford and became attorney to the Bank of England—as its founding year. The Freshfield family’s influence grew significantly after James William Freshfield joined in 1800. Over time, the firm's name evolved to reflect changes in partnership, including titles such as Freshfield & Son (1825) and Freshfields & Williams (1876–98). The final partner from the Freshfield lineage retired in 1927.

Bruckhaus Westrick Heller Löber began operations in Hamburg in 1840 and was one of Germany’s largest firms by the time of the 2000 merger. Meanwhile, Deringer Tessin Herrmann & Sedemund, founded in 1962 by Arved Deringer and Claus Tessin, operated out of Cologne prior to joining Freshfields.

In a landmark move in 2019, Freshfields became the first non-American law firm to raise junior lawyer salaries in the UK to £100,000; this figure increased to £125,000 in 2022 and further to £150,000 by 2024. This decision highlighted its competitive stance within the Magic Circle.

Leadership developments include Georgia Dawson’s appointment as senior partner in September 2020 following her tenure leading Asia operations. In October 2022, Jake Reynolds took on the role of head of Client Sustainability and Environment to steer the firm’s initiatives on energy transition, human rights, governance, climate change, and sustainable finance.

In 2024, the firm simplified its legal name from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer to just Freshfields as part of a rebranding effort.

Future expansion

Senior partner Georgia Dawson revealed plans in 2024 to broaden Freshfields’ footprint in the U.S., driven by increasing revenues. Targeted expansion areas include Texas and Boston, Massachusetts, aligning with strategic objectives for growth in promising markets.

Emblem

The firm’s crest, originally adopted by founder James William Freshfield (1775–1864), displays John Freshfield of Norwich’s coat of arms featuring archangel St Michael armed with a spear. Following the 2024 rebranding, this emblem is mainly reserved for internal use such as sports teams rather than external commercial branding.

Controversies

Freshfields has encountered regulatory scrutiny and legal challenges that have affected its public standing. In 2019, the Solicitors Regulation Authority raised concerns regarding the firm’s review of UBS’s management of a sexual assault allegation.

Since 2017, German authorities have conducted raids at Freshfields’ Frankfurt offices amid investigations into their role in the cum ex tax fraud scandal—an event alleged to have cost Germany more than five billion euros. The firm provided tax counsel that supported these controversial transactions. In November 2019, Ulf Johannemann, former head of international tax at Freshfields, was arrested and charged with tax fraud; another ex-partner faced charges in 2020 related to aiding tax evasion connected to this scandal.

Furthermore, investigations in 2020 uncovered historical links between Freshfields’ founder and the Atlantic slave trade, revealing financial gains tied to slavery through trustee responsibilities for slave owners.

Distinguished Freshfields Lawyers

External links