Our inclusive workplace is characterised by openness, respect, equality and nondiscrimination. It’s a key part of our firm’s strategy and a major business imperative at Herbert Smith Freehills.
Our Leading for Inclusion strategy is framed around four pillars based on talent, clients, innovation and values. You can connect, collaborate, excel and lead within the context of our inclusive culture.
DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT
We want you to bring your whole self when you come to Herbert Smith Freehills. We place great value in our people’s life experience and we’re hiring more graduates from diverse backgrounds than ever before.
Working this way, we’re able to attract and retain the very best talent and provide our clients with the most considered and innovative advice. Our approach to diversity encompasses but isn’t limited to gender, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability and social inclusion.
Our diversity networks are at the heart of our firm and our Leading for Inclusion strategy. They are a vibrant part of our inclusive culture, influencing key decisions, educating teams and driving change through innovative events, campaigns and initiatives. Joining our networks unlocks a supportive group of role models and peers committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive profession – you will have the opportunity to be involved in some exciting projects from day one.
Our Ability Network offers support and guidance in relation to disability to all our people, to increase knowledge and awareness of disability across the firm, and to remove barriers to success.
We are committed to supporting all our people who have caring responsibilities. We provide enhanced parental leave pay and offer coaching for individuals returning from parental leave.
We have a range of global networks focused on gender equity. Gender diversity is a critical component of our firm’s past, present and future.
We are proud that Herbert Smith Freehills was the first major Australian law firm to appoint a woman partner. We have public targets in relation to women in partnership and leadership positions, ensuring we have a full and robust pipeline of female talent.
Our global IRIS (Inclusion Respecting Identity and Sexuality) network connects and engages LGBTI and ally colleagues across the regions. Our network has hosted some wonderful events, which build on the strength of our IRIS programs. The network advised on the development of our Global Transitioning Guidelines.
Our Multicultural Network is essential as a global firm operating across international jurisdictions. We aim to enhance the multicultural diversity of our people at all levels of the business.
Our Veterans’ Network recognises and acknowledges the unique nature of military service and the contribution that members of the military and their families have made. Herbert Smith Freehills have recently signed the Australian Government’s Veterans’ Employment Commitment, publicly declaring to support greater employment opportunities for veterans and to recognise the value that veterans and their family members bring to our firm. Going forward we will work with clients and the Military Network in our London office to actively attract, support, connect and develop veterans and their family members.
In 2018, we launched #FutureFit – a viral program to empower our people to design our future together. Starting with an intensive period of crowdsourcing organisational design within the organisation, the program created lots of new ways for people across the business to ideate and design new initiatives. A wide range of solutions emerged that increase humanity and community within the organisation, and designed to change how the firm engages beyond it. Herbert Smith Freehills set out to understand and design its workplace for the future, prioritising three key questions:
Our graduate program goes beyond law because we want to provide you with the skills and experiences to succeed in your career – wherever it may take you. Just look at where the careers of our alumni have taken them.
Since working together is a good way to get to know each other, we often fill graduate positions through our vacation clerkship program.
Our graduate program is a comprehensive learning program designed to provide the best foundation for your future success.
We are the first Australian law firm to register active commitment as a global employer to the New Colombo Plan initiative.
You’ll be offered unrivalled secondment and transfer opportunities.
