Norton Rose Fulbright

It’s a track record that speaks for itself, and one NRF has been building consistently since the merger of London’s Norton Rose and US firm Fulbright & Jaworski over a decade ago. That union created the transatlantic powerhouse it is today, and the firm has consistently scored highly in Legal Cheek‘s Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey ever since.

In London, where the global powerhouse retains its headquarters, around fifty trainees are awarded TCs each year. NRF’s City base is renowned for its work in energy, high end insurance and transport asset finance, and trainees have to do at least one seat in corporate and banking. Big ticket deals coming out of its London hub include advising PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna on the €3 billion (£2.61 billion) financing of the Baltica 2 offshore wind farm off the Polish coast, and Bain Capital on the regulatory aspects of Ageas’ £1.3 billion acquisition of home and car insurer esure.

But beyond this, there’s scope to get involved in all sorts of areas, from IP to real estate to tax and all the way to employment and labour. Trainees sitting in some of NRF’s primary practice areas such as asset finance tell Legal Cheek that “the value of the deals I am working in is eye-watering and the complexity of the documentation means that you are thrown in the deep end straight away, but it is so exciting to be a part of it.”

Elsewhere, there is “less stimulating work that needs to be done (e.g. Docusign, filing forms etc.)” but rookies recognise that even in these more admin-y tasks there is “still always a great learning opportunity”, and generally it’s felt that “once you have shown your ability to be effective to others, you will often be given very good pieces of work such as first drafts of memorandums of advice, drafting clauses in key agreements, and other engaging tasks.”

“Excellent training” from “expert knowledge lawyers” is what you can expect at an international firm like Norton Rose. Trainees speak highly of the “vast wealth of materials, resources and manpower dedicated to training, in addition to a fantastic culture that is conducive to education”. In depth mandated training for specialist seats such as banking and aviation asset finance is bolstered by “learning on the job with different tasks and feedback from associates and partners”, our sources tell us.

“NRF is so invested in our training,” one insider tells LC, “the flip side of that is you are expected to know how to do things pretty quickly in your seat, as they have spent time on your training. They constantly ask for feedback and how they should adapt the training to make it most useful for us. They also ask partners and associates what they want us to know so they can direct the training.”

While there remain grumbles that some departments “could update their approach to make their sessions less lecture like”, seats like real estate and asset finance come highly acclaimed for their “engaging and interactive” training sessions. All the recruits we spoke to were also full of praise for their supervising associates and partners, who are “very generous with their time when it comes to explaining tasks or concepts.”

It’s no surprise then that our insiders scored their NRF superiors high marks for approachability and all round friendliness. “There’s a very open and honest culture in my team, making it very supportive and approachable,” beamed one happy trainee. Some partners are said to be more approachable than others, but new recruits find them all to be “pretty much friendly”, even if “they are sometimes hard to pin down because they are so busy!” One junior lawyer had this to say: “Unlike some firms, we are supervised directly by partners, and I’ve found them extremely approachable. I’m able to regularly talk to them about non-work aspects and socialise with them at parties and dinners.”

When it comes to fellow initiates, our LC spies speak equally highly of their cohort. “Great bunch, very friendly, and the firm really looks like they hire with sociability and friendliness in mind,” summarised one. The current trainees have a group chat for asking questions and organising socials, and generally the people at NRF are said to be “very good at taking on work if someone else is too busy.” We’re told to expect some competitiveness, but the overall vibe is that NRF fosters a supportive and non hierarchical environment, and a special shout out goes to the cyber team for “taking time to explain things even when they’re busy.” Team socials are also the norm, whether that’s a few drinks at the bar beneath the office, a quick game of tag rugby, or a “real standout” Eid event. There’s said to be plenty on offer for trainees when it comes to social life at the firm.

One area that doesn’t receive so much hype is the legal tech on offer. Despite NRF having a formalised Artificial Intelligence team and a legal tech department, ‘Transform’, some trainees grumbled that basic IT, such as software and laptops, was not up to scratch. “Not ideal, especially during closings and around important deadlines,” scolds one. That being said, recruits did appreciate the provision of new monitors and laptops, and the firm is said to be slowly rolling out an upgraded company phone, so at least there’s some improvement in this space.

Where the firm does excel is the quality of work. “We’re working on niche areas of law that require thinking, not just re-drafting the same docs with updated dates and parties,” one rookie revealed to LC. Trainees can still expect “a lot of admin work, but some teams do try to minimise this and give out more substantive work, first drafts of various things, rather than just project tracking, redlines and folder management.” We’re told that litigious seats offer greater drafting and thinking responsibilities, whilst banking receives a bit of a bad rep for the more repetitive stuff. Another insider reports: “The more contentious or regulatory teams have a lot of interesting research tasks, so the work trainees do will go on to form the backbone of the advice being given to clients, and transactional seats are involved in a plethora of international transactions to sink your teeth into.” And don’t be surprised to receive “associate level work” or “client contact” if you’ve established that you’re up to the task.

Whilst junior lawyers spend a fair chunk of their time at the office, according to our findings, the consensus is that trainees feel relatively lucky compared to peers. “Better than other City firms,” said one, while another noted that “compared to stories from Magic Circle firms, NRF seems to have very good work-life balance.” Hours really seem to fluctuate depending on the department and the time of year, with finishes said to be “sometimes at half five and sometimes at 2am.”

Another respondent offered this personal experience: “Where I have not been busy, I have definitely enjoyed a good work/life balance, and there is no expectation that you have to stay for the sake of it where there is no work. However, when things have been busy, I have had to cancel evening plans, and I do feel there is an unspoken rule to be available in the evenings where the team has been busy, as things may need to be done urgently. I have also had to work one or two weekends, but generally these have been protected, and seniors do make an effort to avoid unrealistic deadlines.”

At least the view from the office helps to smooth things over. The firm’s London hub, which sits pretty on the South Bank of the Thames, is widely heralded as “the best office in London” by trainees. “Literally cannot think of a better location in terms of view, layout or transport links. Ironically, the view of the City of London is nicer than the view from the City of London. Plus, the river and laid back vibes of the area beats the vibe of our north bank colleagues,” gloats one smug rookie. Another enthuses: “When you look up from your desk, you have incredible views of the Thames, the Shard, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, all directly out of your window. Walking into work makes you feel like it’s all worth it, like you are in an episode of Suits.” And if that wasn’t enough, insider sources tell us that all of the office chairs were upgraded to top of the range Herman Miller designs (ooh la la!). Rookies also praise the renovated office floors, which boast “very modern” interiors.

There is also a subsidised canteen on site offering “cheap prices and good food”, though at least one hungry recruit tells us that “you are probably better off getting lunch from outside if you want it to see you through to the evening without snacking.” Another rated their in house dining experience a little better, adding: “Food is incredible, and the dinner ladies get to know you pretty quickly. As soon as they see me in the line, they get the allergy person to check what food I can have by the time I reach them. Absolute legends.”

The £240 annual WFH budget probably won’t stretch to provide you with a Herman Miller at home, but trainees are generally pleased with the “reasonable” allowance, even if some feel that the grant should’ve increased since it was first provided during the pandemic. Rookies can work from home two days a week, though this policy seems to vary depending on the team, with some saying they’re encouraged to be in five days a week and others saying their department doesn’t care as long as the work is getting done.

Perks are a bit of a sore point for most, with many mentioning that whilst the health insurance is useful, “the ‘subsidised’ gym still costs over £150 per month, making it largely inaccessible to trainees.” However, in the words of one sage trainee: “We may not have an office swimming pool, gym, or onsite doctor, but that’s because the firm doesn’t expect you to spend your life here. We have a great WFH budget, free taxi after a certain time, private healthcare, a free GP, and plenty of discounts on other items.” Adding to that, last year NRF launched a ‘client relationship programme’ which sees associates handed £500 for business development with clients: drinks on them!

If being eco-conscious ranks high on your priorities, rookies also have ample praise for the firm here: “Our firm is very environmentally friendly and eco-conscious! Caroline May, a partner and Head of Sustainability, does a lot to keep the firm updated on methods to become greener. There are also regular initiatives and charity events.”