Herbert Smith Freehills to Open Second Sydney Office in 2018

Herbert Smith Freehills will open a new office in Sydney’s Macquarie Park in 2018, in a move signalling a new era of modern working in the Australian legal industry.

The firm will transition part of its Sydney workforce to the new innovative business hub in Talavera Road, enabling the business to modernise the way its people work, connect and collaborate – with each other and with clients. The move also means a much more sustainable occupancy cost for the firm in Australia.

The new purpose-designed office will be the primary workplace for the majority of the firm’s Sydney-based Business Services staff and its Sydney ALT team. Herbert Smith Freehills is the first law firm to take this contemporary step in Australia and to align with other world-class professional services businesses in doing so.

Macquarie Park is a progressive, modern business hub; it is Sydney’s second-largest business district and home to a number of ASX listed companies and global corporations – many of which are clients of the firm. The new premises will have a dedicated zone for practice groups and clients to work in together, as well as an innovation zone and multiple spaces designed to encourage true collaboration and give people more choice in how they prefer to work.

Herbert Smith Freehills’ Chief Executive Officer, Mark Rigotti, said this is an important strategic move for the firm.

“This initiative supports our vision to be the leading firm in the region and globally, in how we innovate and adapt to a changing world and how we deliver services to our clients.

“It also supports our commitment to creating a workplace – and a workforce - for the future, empowering our staff to work how they want to work,” Mr. Rigotti said.

He went on to say that about 230 staff currently situated at the Herbert Smith Freehills office at 161 Castlereagh Street will relocate to the Talavera Road premises in the first half of 2018. “This enables us to markedly reduce the amount of space we lease in 161 Castlereagh St. with a number of the floors we currently occupy being relinquished to the building’s owners for re-leasing.

“The per metre cost-saving is materially significant. The business case in making this move is unquestionable,” he continued.

Chief Operating Officer, Nicole Bamforth, who will be one of the business’s senior leaders relocating to the Talavera Road premises next year, said she is excited by the move and looking forward to being part of an initiative that will fundamentally change the way staff think about how they work.

“The way we work is changing – for us and for our clients, and we need to continue to stay ahead of the market and to adapt so we remain positioned for ongoing success. 

“This is more than just a new building; it’s a big step forward in modernising our business for the future,” she continued.