The global chief of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer says the firm has exceeded its first-year expectations as a transatlantic combination, with revenue hitting £1.8bn. The first set of unaudited financial results since Herbert Smith Freehills and US firm Kramer Levin merged last year also shows that the firm made a profit of £633.9m. Profit per equity partner was £1.5m.

The reporting period covers 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2026. This includes the first 12 months of legacy Herbert Smith Freehills and 11 months of legacy Kramer Levin. The firm said legacy financials were not comparable due to different financial years and Kramer Levin's basis for reporting prior to the union.

Global CEO Justin D’Agostino said: ‘We were always confident that the transformational combination of Herbert Smith Freehills and Kramer Levin was a strong fit, but the success of the integration has exceeded those expectations. We surpassed our FY26 financial goals, achieving synergy revenues that were more than double the target set at the time of the combination.’

D’Agostino said revenue had grown across all regions, despite economic volatility in several markets, and the UK had ‘another very strong year, with longstanding clients trusting us with their landmark investments and disputes’.

Looking ahead, D’Agostino said the firm has an ‘ambitious’ growth strategy. Key focus areas for the next 12 months will include global growth in the energy sector, private capital and defending class actions. After appointing its first chief AI officer, the firm will accelerate AI adoption.