Freshfields Strengthens Top Tier Recognitions in Legal 500 U.S. 2026

Freshfields received cross-practice recognition in the 2026 Legal 500 United States rankings, including 28 practice area rankings and 35 individual rankings. Highlights include Tier 1 rankings for Dispute Resolution – International Arbitration, for which the firm has been continuously ranked Tier 1 for the past 17 years; Dispute Resolution – International Litigation; Dispute Resolution – Securities Litigation: Defense; M&A/Corporate and Commercial – Corporate Governance; along with numerous improved practice area and individual rankings.  

Additional recognitions include: 

• Antitrust – Civil litigation/class actions: defense 

• Antitrust – Merger control 

• Dispute Resolution – Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense: Advice to corporates 

• Dispute Resolution – General commercial disputes: premium ($500m+) 

• Dispute Resolution – M&A litigation: defense 

• Finance – Capital markets: debt offerings – Advice to issuers 

• Finance – Capital markets: debt offerings – Advice to underwriters 

• Finance – Capital markets: equity offerings – Advice to issuers 

• Finance – Capital markets: equity offerings – Advice to managers 

• Finance – Commercial lending: Advice to borrowers 

• Finance – Commercial lending: Advice to direct lenders/private credit 

• Finance – Financial services regulation – banking  

• Healthcare – Life sciences 

• International Trade and National Security – CFIUS 

• International Trade and National Security – Customs, export controls and economic sanctions 

• Investment Fund Formation and Management – Private equity funds (including venture capital) 

• Labor and Employment – Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional 

• M&A/Corporate and Commercial – Shareholder activism – Advice to boards 

• M&A/Corporate and Commercial – M&A: large deals ($1bn+) 

• M&A/Corporate and Commercial – Private equity buyouts: middle-market (up to $500m) 

• Media, Technology and Telecoms – Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection) 

• Media, Technology and Telecoms – Technology transactions 

• Tax – International tax 

• Tax – U.S. taxes: non-contentious 

 Freshfields’ lawyers received 35 individual rankings, in addition to recognition for dozens of other U.S. lawyers across the firm’s corporate, dispute resolution and regulatory practices: 

• Elizabeth K. Bieber (Next Generation Partners), Corporate governance; (Next Generation Partners: Advice to boards), Shareholder activism 

• Nigel Blackaby KC (Hall of Fame), International arbitration 

• Marin Boney (Leading Partners), Merger control 

• Stephanie Brown Cripps (Next Generation Partners), Customs, export controls and economic sanctions 

• Colin Costello (Leading Associates), CFIUS 

• Agnès Dunogué (Leading Partners), Securities litigation: defense 

• Mary Eaton (Leading Partners), M&A litigation: defense and Securities litigation: defense 

• Boris Feldman (Hall of Fame), Securities litigation: defense 

• Nicole F. Foster (Leading Partners) Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional 

• Elliot Friedman (Leading Partners), International arbitration 

• Timothy Harkness (Leading Partners), International litigation 

• Jenny Hochenberg (Leading Partners), M&A: large deals ($1bn+) 

• Ethan Klingsberg (Hall of Fame), M&A: large deals ($1bn+) 

• Meredith Kotler (Hall of Fame), M&A litigation: defense; (Leading partners), Securities litigation: defense 

• David Livshiz (Leading Partners), International litigation 

• Rebecca Lockert (Leading Associates), M&A litigation: defense 

• Pamela Marcogliese (Hall of Fame), Corporate governance; (Next Generation Partners), Capital markets: debt offerings 

• Noiana Marigo (Leading Partners), International arbitration 

• Steven J. Matays (Leading Partners), International tax 

• Aimen Mir (Leading Partners), CFIUS 

• Caroline Richard (Leading Partners), International arbitration 

• Lee Rovinescu (Leading Partners), International arbitration 

• Jordan Salzman (Leading Associates) Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional 

• Sarah K. Solum (Leading Partners), Capital markets: equity offerings 

• Claude Stansbury (Leading Partners), International tax 

• Paige von Mehren (Next Generation Partners), International litigation 

• Thomas W. Walsh (Leading Partners), International arbitration  

• Nabeel Yousef (Leading Partners), Customs, export controls and economic sanctions 

• Marissa Yu (Next Generation Partners), Technology transactions 

• Damien Zoubek (Leading Partners), M&A: large deals ($1bn+) 

• Taryn Zucker (Next Generation Partners), Capital markets: equity offerings