 In February 2012, Herbert Smith entered merger discussion with the Australian law firm Freehills.Partners at both firms voted in favour of the merger in June 2012.After specialising in company flotations and advising mining companies in the early part of the 20th century, by the time of its merger with Freehills, Herbert Smith's practice was dominated by litigation and corporate work (M&A and equity capital markets in particular), with other practices including finance, real estate, energy, and competition.