Freshfields reviews

The culture is beyond toxic. The firm demands high quality legal work and client asks tend to mean that your working day runs late into the evening; that is the norm not the exception. What I find baffling is the violence, bullying and aggression that I have witnessed at all levels. I have also been the victim of that behaviour and I still think about those moments even now. I still don't understand the connection between this behaviour and high quality legal work. I know of a number of individuals who have signed NDAs; that is how the firm proactively deals with bad press. I would add that a majority of this toxic behaviour is in the firm's disputes practice. Thankfully, I did not qualify there. I would plead that those who are reading this and still at the firm think about a move. I made that leap of faith and couldn't be happier or more successful in my current position.

However, the managers who are responsible for implementing these policies suffer from affinity biases. For example, if you speak up (Whistleblowing and Speaking Up policy), you will be victimised leaving you without allies.