Does Freshfields pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Freshfields employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Freshfields. This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Freshfields?

69% of Freshfields employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Freshfields 3.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.3 for culture and values and 3.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Freshfields?

Associate (86) , Paralegal (38) , Legal Solutions Specialist (21) , Trainee Solicitor (20) , Intern (17) , Lawyer (16) , Executive Assistant (14) , Business Analyst (11) , Senior Associate (11) , Legal Secretary (9) , Personal Assistant (9) , Transaction Lawyer (9) , Internship (8) , Document Specialist (7) , Documentation Specialist (7)

What are the pros of working at Freshfields according to real employee reviews?

"great people to work with" ((in 80 reviews)); "and good benefits" ((in 58 reviews)); "The pay is good (I can't comment on what others are paid) as I negotiated when I joined the firm." ((in 30 reviews)); "Great team and engaging work." ((in 30 reviews)); "Great culture and lots of responsibility" ((in 30 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Freshfields according to real employee reviews?

"Long hours and difficult to plan days ahead." ((in 73 reviews)); "Poor management and communication Skills" ((in 27 reviews)); "Work life balance / long hours" ((in 25 reviews)); "No career progression for 99% of support staff" ((in 14 reviews)); "Lack of diversity" ((in 8 reviews))

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Freshfields

Freshfields reviews

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3.7

69% would recommend to a friend

(641 total reviews)

Edward Braham and Stephan Eilers

50% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Diversity & inclusion

3.3

Culture & values

3.2

Work/Life balance

3.1

Career opportunities

2.8

Senior management

Freshfields has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 641 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Freshfields employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Legal industry (3.8 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

641 reviews

3.0

Jan 22, 2019

Trainee and then corporate associate

Associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great deals, good brand name, allowed to take on a lot of responsibility from a junior level and comprehensive training

Cons

Management decided to offer all PAs redundancy about 18 months ago as part of a cost cutting exercise and relocate the whole support staff to Manchester. Many of the PAs who had been there for years left, as did support staff, so the culture which had been very good when I started, was mostly lost. Associates felt they had no proper support and were just being beasted on hours constantly, with no down time. The firm became too cost focused and made staff feel undervalued. The firm is also feeling the strain from competitive US firms, who are poaching the best partners.

3.0

Aug 10, 2017

Great social vibe but expect top heavy management and under resourcing at lower levels

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Some great people to work with. Centre started with a very positive start up vibe. Big calendar social events for Christmas and summer are really well done and monthly breakfasts and drinks. Mostly because you need all that free alcohol just to get through another week. The new office is fabulous despite off centre location. Great catering in the cafe and benefits system is very good especially medical. Good internal courses offered regularly by L&D team. Having a major corporate law firm on your CV will look good. Salary is good for the North if you negotiate well.

Cons

Absolutely no transparency or communication on any decisions made, ability to develop upwards especially salary bands or bonus decision. Management is very top heavy while expecting very junior staff to do tasks that are beyond their job description/title, what they are remunerated for or with consideration to the general resource level of the team.

1.0

May 13, 2015

avoid.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

salary is the only pro I can think of

Cons

terrible hostile political culture bullying management do it for as long as you can bear for the money but leave before you get burnt out

Viewing 31 - 33 of 641 Reviews

Jobs at Freshfields

Executive Assistant - Marketing and Business Development

Risk and Compliance Lawyer