Pros
Access to prestigious clients. Excellent career opportunities once you leave. Market-leading M&A, Competition and Arbitration teams.
Cons
90% of the people here are broken and wish they hadn't become lawyers. People are extremely pedantic and rack up huge client costs by being very inefficient or hyper risk-averse, in a way that is very un-commercial. Very hierarchical and the firm 'owns' you. Partners will not hesitate to give you work all night if needed, even when the work product is already immaculate. No sense of perspective among associates - everyone is terrified of risk, even non-existent risk. It's horrible to see so many people trapped inside themselves. Moreover, the firm underpaid its staff for a long time relative to US firms despite requiring almost the same hours in certain teams. That said, if you do want to be a depressed lawyer, it's probably the best brand among all UK firms. And if you want to work in M&A, Competition or Arbitration, you will not find a better team anywhere than the ones at Freshfields, as of 2016 when this review is being written. It's also probably the most successful UK firm at developing a real reputation in the US.