Mergers and Acquisitions at Herbert Smith Freehills | Career Guide

The M&A team at Herbert Smith Freehills is known for handling high-value, cross-jurisdictional transactions and for technical strength on regulatory, competition and financing aspects that commonly accompany deals. The firm's global footprint - strong in the UK, Asia-Pacific and Middle East - means the team regularly coordinates multi-office deals requiring careful project management and cultural sensitivity.

Strengths you should highlight in interviews or applications:

• Track record On cross-border and private equity transactions that require simultaneous legal work across multiple jurisdictions.

• Sector expertise In sectors such as energy and infrastructure, technology and telecommunications, real estate and financial services, where transactional complexity is high.

• Integrated offering Ability to marry M&A advice with competition/antitrust, employment, pensions and tax advice from specialist teams.

How to evidence fit:

• Use Deal Research. Read HSF deal summaries on the firm website and databases such as Chambers and Legal 500. Note the specific legal difficulties in deals and how the team resolved them.

• Show Sector Insight. If you are targeting a sector (for example, energy transition or TMT), gather recent industry news and propose legal issues that often arise in M&A in that sector.

As a trainee or junior in HSF's M&A team you will be exposed to a mixture of workstreams depending on the deal stage and client instructions. Common matters include:

• Pre-deal due diligence That includes managing data room access, coordinating diligence requests, summarising diligence findings, and flagging unusual items (litigation, real estate title issues, regulatory consents).

• Drafting and negotiating transaction documents Such as share purchase agreements (SPAs), disclosure letters, warranties and indemnities, and ancillary agreements (escrow, transitional service agreements).

• Regulatory and competition input Preparing merger notifications, liaising with competition teams and advising on remedies and risk allocation.

• Private equity buyouts Working on leveraged buyouts, sponsor-side documentation and fund-related issues.

• Project management Coordinating multiple advisers, managing closing deliverables and producing consolidated closing checklists.

Practical example of junior tasks:

• Draft a standard disclosure schedule paragraph and circulate for partner review.

• Prepare a short note for the partner on whether a foreign investment screening regime applies to a target based on its industry and transaction value.

• Compile diligence summaries on IP and employment matters for the client's management team.

To prepare, practise drafting short clauses and reading SPAs from publicly available transaction filings (e.g. Companies House filings, regulatory announcements) to understand structure and common warranty/topic allocation.

HSF's corporate practice offers structured development and exposure to high-value transactional work. Key elements to expect:

• Training contract seats The firm typically rotates trainees through corporate seats, which may include M&A, corporate advisory or private equity. Expect supervised drafting, client calls and attendance at negotiation meetings.

• Secondments Many corporate trainees and associates undertake secondments to private equity clients, in-house teams or other offices of HSF. International secondments are available given HSF's network; these are valuable for learning cross-border project coordination and local regulatory considerations.

• Mentoring and feedback The firm provides partner mentorship and formal review points. Use these reviews to set concrete development goals (for example, become a lead drafter for disclosure schedules within 12 months).

• Technical training HSF runs internal training on negotiating SPAs, antitrust issues and deal process management. Supplement this with Practical Law materials and YourLegalLadder's SQE resources and M&A guides for structured learning.

Progression pathway:

• Immediate focus Build technical drafting skills, commercial judgement and client handling in the first two years.

• Mid-term goal Lead smaller transactions and manage elements of large deals (due diligence stream, vendor due diligence reporting).

• Long-term path Become a partner by demonstrating business development capability, deal origination and technical excellence.

M&A at HSF requires a mix of technical skill, commercial awareness and soft skills. Focus on developing the following:

• Drafting precision Learn to draft clear, risk-calibrated clauses. Practice by redlining SPAs and composing concise disclosure language. Use example clauses from Practical Law and dissect them.

• Commercial judgement Train yourself to answer "why" questions: why is the buyer seeking a long warranty survival period? Why might a seller prioritise limitation of liability? Prepare one-paragraph answers that consider risk allocation, client priorities and market norms.

• Project management Build checklists and a deal timeline template you can reuse. Use tools such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook and project boards; many firms use iManage for document management.

• Communication skills Develop concise email and client-note writing. When asked a question, give the bottom line first (BLUF - bottom line up front), then supporting detail.

• Teamwork In larger transactions you will be coordinating with tax, employment and antitrust teams. Practice clear handovers and maintain an issues tracker.

Practical exercises:

• Draft a short SPA warranty and a corresponding disclosure paragraph, then seek feedback from a mentor.

• Run a mock due diligence exercise with peers: agree document requests, review sample documents and produce a one-page diligence summary.

• Read recent acquisition announcements in the Financial Times and prepare a five-minute verbal briefing on the commercial drivers and potential legal issues.

Competition for M&A roles at HSF is strong. Targeted preparation will make your application stand out.

CV and cover letter tips:

• Emphasise transaction-related experience If you have internships, paralegal roles or pro bono work that involved due diligence, drafting or negotiation, put these at the top.

• Quantify impact Where possible, state the size of deals, number of documents reviewed or time saved by a process improvement.

• Demonstrate commercial interest Use short examples showing sector knowledge (for example, a note on private equity trends in TMT).

Assessment centre and interviews:

• Competency questions Prepare STAR answers for teamwork, dealing with competing priorities, client service and resilience.

• Technical questions Be ready to explain SPA basics (warranties, indemnities, completion mechanics), the difference between asset and share purchases, and the purpose of disclosure letters.

• Group exercises Show leadership by organising the group's approach and summarising outcomes. Be collaborative rather than dominant.

Practical example answers:

• If asked about a time you handled conflicting priorities, describe the situation, the prioritisation framework you applied (client urgency, legal risk, deadline), the action taken and the positive result.

Resources for preparation:

• YourLegalLadder For firm profiles, TC tracker tools, mentoring and SQE prep materials.

• Chambers Student, Legal 500 and LawCareers.Net For market intelligence and role expectations.

• Financial Times and Companies House For current deal research and primary filings.

Final tips:

• Tailor each application to HSF by referencing recent HSF transactions or sector work you can discuss intelligently.

• Practice technical explanations aloud; partners assess concise, accurate communication as much as legal knowledge.

• Use mock interviews and feedback from mentors (including those available via platforms like YourLegalLadder) to refine delivery and substance.