Herbies and Freehills announce merger to conquer Asia Pacific market

International firms Herbert Smith and Freehills have announced that they will merge to become the leading firm in the Asia Pacific region, one of the world's fastest growing legal markets. The launch of the newly-merged Herbert Smith Freehills is set for 1 October 2012.

The new firm will be the eighth largest in the world based on the number of lawyers it will employ (2,800 including 460 partners) and will be the largest fully integrated firm in the Asia Pacific market. Both Herbert Smith and Freehills boast similar client bases, with Herbert Smith strong in Asia, Europe and the Middle East and Freehills one of the top firms in Australia and New Zealand. The new firm will be run by joint chief executives David Willis and Gavin Bell, the respective managing partners of Herbert Smith and Freehills.

Herbert Smith managing partner David Willis said: "We are excited about bringing together two pre-eminent law firms to create a new and distinctive global law firm. We share with Freehills a strong belief that over the next few years the market for premium legal services will become increasingly dominated by a small number of truly global firms. This merger will therefore put us in a strong position to provide clients with the single global offering they increasingly demand."