Training & Personal Development at Herbert Smith Freehills

A lot of informal training has come from the care seniors have shown in keeping me on board with the life cycle of a task or document. Additionally, there have been both Disputes and more broadly Grad/Junior focussed learning initiatives.

Each team in the firm has a dedicated training programs that provide the new graduates who have just begun their rotation in the team with the knowledge they require to perform well in their role. In addition, my team has an ongoing training program run fortnightly which has been a useful source of technical knowledge and advice. Insights and experiences are often shared in team meetings.

As a graduate in finance, we had weekly sessions on the basics and foundational skills relating to Finance. For the wider cohort, we had general skills like time management, IT, how to record time and Business Development.

There's an extensive induction program, and for graduates there are plenty of practice group-based training sessions. There are also regular training sessions for all lawyers throughout the firm, and opportunities to learn from practitioners across not only various practice teams but from around the world. Because the concepts, and any work tend to be quite complex most of the training is done on the job.

Formal training across the firm capabilities, team specific and graduate role specific learning opportunities. Plenty of informal training among mentors, coaches and on-the-go.

The training and development at HSF is unmatched. Hands-on in a challenging environment where you have every opportunity to learn and grow.

The training has been the highlight of the graduate program for me. It's amazing to reflect on where I am now as compared to where I started. In addition to 'on the job training', which is my preferred learning method, there is also an abundance of technical legal training sessions which graduates are invited to attend.

Expect first rate training from a variety of different teams and individuals. The skills I have developed across the board already in the graduate program have been beyond what I'd expected and include not only technical skills but also legal research and advice writing skills which are transferable irrespective of team.

Very satisfied with the training I have been provided - both formal and informal.

Fantastic, in particular my research and writing communication skills have improved so much through training and day-to-day work.

Very thorough and well presented. There is ongoing training for all lawyers, not just grads.

There is a lot of it

Very good training across the board. The best training is always on the job in my view, and there is lots of good on the job training. The firm is very willing to allow juniors to push themselves and have a go at things 'beyond their level', which presents great learning opportunities.

Good on-the-job training - you learn from seeing mark-ups and compares of your work from when they've been further augmented by a senior lawyer, so you can see how you can continue to add more value. Structured training programs for each level of your career, as well as continuous legal education programs which you can 'opt in' for.

There are regular training programs for each rotation team so that no grad is left unaware of what to do.

Lots of training when you start at the firm then once you start within your practice group there is a lot more training so there is pretty of opportunity to learn and explore the areas of law you may be interested in. You can register for additional training programs or workshops both in Perth and nationally in Australia.

The formal training at HSF is excellent. In each practice group that I rotated through, the first month or so would involve attending multiple training sessions introducing us to the basics of that area of law. We are also exposed to lots of different types of matters. Juniors are encouraged to get involved in all types of work. Informally, I think the firm tries hard. We have a buddy and a 'coach'. We also have 'career conversations' with our partners. I think that the informal feedback could be given in a slightly more structured way. Often I am merely comparing the finished product with the one I submitted to determine where I can improve. That said, the senior leaders are always very approachable and if I want more specific feedback, then all I need to do is ask.

Each sector has a graduate training program that runs for 6 months. This includes CLE's and other CPD sessions.