Freshfields reviews

The hours can be long but that is to be expected, so ought not to be a surprise, and you are paid accordingly. There is a hierarchical feel throughout the firm, and promotional decisions were as much political as they were meritocratic. The firm has initiatives aimed at "diversity", including womens' groups and leadership courses. However, behaviour I witnessed in practice and information I gleaned from colleagues with children suggested that the goals were not being achieved.

- Very long and unpredictable working hours with little to no upper-level support and holidays regularly cancelled - A number of partners (particularly from the older generation) were known to be extremely misogynistic, with a boys' club culture and heavy drinking/visits to strip clubs with clients not uncommon (although technically not officially encouraged). - HR had a policy of covering up sexual harassment by certain senior partners and associates, which, based on the accounts of a number of women I worked with, had created a particularly toxic environment for junior associates within certain practice groups. .