Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has unveiled a rebranding, changing its legal name to just “Freshfields”. 

The Magic Circle firm’s rebranding, which it will roll out from October, includes a new black-and-white logo featuring its shortened name (pictured above). 

Freshfields said the rebranding was intended to “reflect the firm today and its ambitions for the future”.

The firm is the oldest among the Magic Circle, with origins dating back to 1743. Its current name was adopted in 2000, when the UK firm merged with German firm Deringer Tessin Herrmann & Sedemund and German-Austrian firm Bruckhaus Westrick Heller Löber. 

Commenting on the launch, Freshfields senior partner, Georgia Dawson, said: “Our refreshed brand is dynamic and bold, reflecting the entrepreneurial spirit of Freshfields today and our momentum as a firm. With our 280-year history, we continue to operate at the forefront of law, setting new standards, giving our clients the edge in achieving their objectives, and attracting the best talent across the world.

“We want our brand to reflect who we are wherever people encounter us and bring our strategy to life as we continue our next chapter of growth. One reflection of that is our shortened name that embraces the reality of what people call us in the market and how we refer to ourselves.”

The firm will undergo a formal name change, with a phased implementation of the new brand to happen globally over the coming months, Freshfields said. 

The rebranding comes as the firm focuses its international growth efforts in the US, where it has made a series of eye-catching hires in recent years and opened an office in Silicon Valley in 2020 to add to its bases in New York and Washington DC. 

US growth fuelled an 8% rise in the firm’s global turnover in the year to 30 April 2023 to £1.84bn, as profit per equity partner rose slightly to £2.09m.