Herbert Smith Freehills announces new and innovative five-year partnership with Queen's University Belfast

Herbert Smith Freehills ("the firm") is delighted to announce a new and innovative partnership with Queen's University Belfast which will see the firm sponsor the Student Hub in the University's new School of Law for a period of five years.

The announcement was made at an event at the University attended by Northern Ireland's new Minister for the Economy, Simon Hamilton.

Queen’s new School of Law will open in September 2016 following a £15M refurbishment of the University’s former Library Tower. The new Student Hub, sponsored by Herbert Smith Freehills, will be a 600m2 space providing social and informal group study space, with an estimated 3,500 footfall per day through its café and study area. As part of the sponsorship relationship, Herbert Smith Freehills and Queen’s will work collaboratively to deliver a tailored and innovative programme of activities specifically designed for Queen’s students, beginning this autumn.

Welcoming the new partnership, Professor Sally Wheeler, Head of the School of Law at Queen’s, said: “As a leading international University, with one of the top Schools of Law in the UK, Queen’s is committed to working with the foremost employers to ensure its students have access to the kinds of opportunities which help them to reach their full potential. This new aspect of our long-standing partnership with Herbert Smith Freehills builds on our already existing strong links, and our alumni presence, and will further enhance the technical and legal knowledge our students acquire, ensuring they are best-equipped to take up their role in society.”

Queen's School of Law has a reputation for excellence and is currently ranked as one of the UK's top 20 law schools in the 2017 Guardian University Guide (11th). The redevelopment of a new home for the School is a key element in the University’s investment of £350m in world-class facilities for research and education for Queen’s staff and students planned over the next decade.

While this new sponsorship marks an exciting new phase, Herbert Smith Freehills and Queen’s have enjoyed a long and successful relationship. Lisa McLaughlin, Director, of the firm's Alternative Legal Services business, with responsibility for UK, US & EMEA and for leading the firm's Belfast office, said, "Herbert Smith Freehills and Queen’s already work closely together in a number of ways, for example on the annual Queen’s Law School visit to London, recruitment roadshows and various student-led activities, such as sponsorship of the Queen’s Mooting Society. We also have a strong Queen’s alumni network in both the firm's Belfast and London offices. As a Queen’s alumna myself, I am very proud to be launching our new partnership and am excited about the opportunities it presents for the firm, the University and – most importantly – future generations of law students at Queen’s."

Further information on Queen’s School of Law is available online at www.law.qub.ac.uk

About Herbert Smith Freehills
Operating from over 26 offices across Asia Pacific, EMEA and North America, Herbert Smith Freehills is at the heart of the new global business landscape providing premium quality, full-service legal advice. We provide many of the world’s most important organisations with access to market-leading dispute resolution, projects and transactional legal advice, combined with expertise in a number of global industry sectors, including energy, natural resources, infrastructure, technology and financial services. www.herbertsmithfreehills.com
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About Alternative Legal Services
Alternative Legal Services was established in Belfast, in April 2011, with a team of 26. It was created in response to client demand for top quality legal products & services provided in the most efficient, technologically-advanced and cost-effective way. Since then, due to rapidly increasing client demand, it has expanded to incorporate offices in Australia and London - and now numbers well over 300 lawyers, technologists and legal technicians. The addition of these offices means that we now offer clients a global, seamless, 24/7 service.

We offer a highly-structured approach to managing document intensive and volume tasks. Our products and services include document review, retail bank/regulatory claims assessment, due diligence, verification, commercial contracts, funds' repapering/specialist work, client technology services and asset management for real estate clients.

The team also has experience of delivering bespoke projects for clients, including placing resource in-house or providing insourced legal teams.

About Queen's University Belfast
Queen’s University Belfast is ranked among the top one per cent of universities in the world (QS World University Rankings). It was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Colleges in Ireland and became an independent university in 1908. A member of the Russell Group of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities, it ranked 8th in the UK for research intensity in REF 2014, with 14 subject areas within the UK’s top 20 and 77% of research rated as either world leading or internationally excellent.  

The University believes the best education happens alongside the best research. As a result, students are taught by world-leading academics at the cutting edge of their disciplines, and 95% of Queen’s students are in employment or further study six months after graduating.

The redevelopment of the former Library Tower as a prestigious new home for the School of Law and a new social hub is a key element in the major investment of £350m in world-class facilities for staff and students planned over the next decade. It is also part of the Masterplan for the Main Site at Queen’s, which will enhance the University’s historic campus and the surrounding Conservation Area. School of Law staff and student facilities will be located on the upper floors, while the ground floor will offer a hub providing social and informal group study space and a café and is designed to be a vibrant destination for both students and staff. Queen’s School of Law admits c.430 students every year.