Management at Herbert Smith Freehills

Everyone is particular and each person has a different need or vibe. While the firm does a pretty good job of marrying up juniors with senior coaches or buddies, there is a natural shift and you'll align with seniors who naturally provide you with really helpful feedback.

During our rotations, we get 3 formal feedback sessions at the start, middle, and end of the rotation. I was able to collect feedback (that was collated from all members of the team) and identify strengths and weaknesses. The partners were encouraging and were more than happy to listen to my long-term goals and provide tips on how to achieve them. This was not limited to just my supervising partner, but to other partners that I reached out to.

Great mentors that prioritise making time for you.

Great mentors who are genuinely interested in junior development to retain talent and grow their practices with genuine, dedicated people. The focus is on building a team.

As mentioned in a previous answer, everyone is incredibly helpful and always approachable. Praise is always given when deserved and performance conversations are arranged regularly to make sure that graduates are getting feedback and getting the experience they are after.

My managers are very good. I tend to seek out more informal mentors - people that I like to learn from / get along with well, I will gravitate towards and seek out their advice.

All managers are different, but you can learn something from all of them and take something from the way they communicate in emails or face to face with clients, how they draft agreements and think about the issues that arise or anticipating them.

Great mentors and great people (at least the ones who I have previously worked with / interacted with so far).

Very accessible and put a lot of time in. Willing to give their own experiences and advice. Make time and give thought to career conversations, and are good professional and personal mentors.

Depends on your particular partners/supervisors, but they are generally great.

It depends on the person - most are super friendly and approachable - whereas others are not

The people that I work with are really committed to the personal growth of the team. They are approachable and take an interest in our professional and personal growth. You get the sense that the partners aren't just focused on being great lawyers to their clients, they are focused on being great managers to their people.

The partners, like all people, are a diverse bunch. However, I was fortunate to be working under a really good partner who gave very focused and useful advise on how to improve.

Great mentors where you can talk them at any time of the day or night. I could talk to my managers on the street if I saw them.

I am pleased with the partner I am currently working under. His mentorship generally looks like working on various matters with him. He is very approachable, is willing to explain things where I need. His feedback has been insightful and kind.

Very accessible. Feedback is available on request.

It varies enormously between partners/senior associates. They have very distinct approaches, quirks, positives and negatives.