Herbert Smith Freehills has received three prestigious accolades at the 20th annual Australian Law Awards, with the firm being named Employer of Choice, Innovator of the Year (Company), as well as the Energy and Resources Team of the Year.
The Awards, run by Lawyers Weekly magazine, recognise the best law firms, in-house counsel and individual legal practitioners across Australia. They were presented at a special online event attended by the who’s who of the legal industry on 7 August.
Andrew Pike, Herbert Smith Freehills Executive Partner, East said: “It is a real honour to receive these awards, and in particular to be recognised for our focus on innovation and people and culture.
“As a firm, we are committed to delivering exceptional service to our clients while fostering a supportive, diverse and inclusive culture for our people.
“In the last few years we have invested heavily in creating new and innovative legal services for our clients and new initiatives to help our people develop. Our global Alternative Legal Services business continues to go from strength to strength, and our Digital Law Group has achieved impressive outcomes for clients while giving our people the unique opportunity to play a part in transforming the business of law.
“While we’ve accomplished a lot, we're not complacent. Innovation is more important than ever, with the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating the digital transformation of the legal sector and putting a sharper focus on the need for greater efficiencies.
Mr Pike went on to explain that the awards were the result of the hard work of dedicated professionals across the firm.
He said, "I’d like to thank everyone at Herbert Smith Freehills for their efforts and also to thank our clients who have given us the great privilege of advising them not only on their most important matters and transactions but also on many of their business transformation projects.”
Alissa Anderson, HR Director, Australia said: “We are extremely proud to be named the Employer of Choice. We work hard to create an environment where our people can do high-quality work and progress their careers. We take great pride in developing talent and in supporting our people to explore their professional aspirations, whatever they may be.”
Mr Pike added: “Thanks to the global strength of our brand and the support of our clients, our people have the opportunity to work on complex and, in many cases, career-defining matters alongside the best legal minds in the country. This on-the-job training is one of the key ways that we develop our talented lawyers throughout their careers.”
Herbert Smith Freehills’ investment in innovation was also recently recognised by the Financial Times, which named the firm the Most Innovative Law Firm in Asia-Pacific.