Lex 100 - Norton Rose LLP

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Norton Rose LLP

3 More London Riverside London SE1 2AQ

Favoured by 10 users (Register to add this entry to your favourites)

The trainee verdict

The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'Friendliness of the firm, six-seat system'; 'I preferred to avoid the Magic Circle firms as I thought I'd receive better-quality training at NR'; 'good atmosphere at work'; 'winter vacation scheme'; 'international dimension, expertise in Islamic and project finance'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'A lot of client contact, more opportunity for client secondments and international seats'; 'a similar experience although less variety in the types of law we can practise - most seats are in banking and corporate departments'; 'I think other firms are better at allocating seat choices'; 'I would say that there is perhaps a better work/life balance here'

Best thing about the firm? 'Very approachable culture - friendly, including at partner level'; 'people are generally willing to give you the time'; 'diversity'; 'nice office'; 'the extra-curricular activities'; 'the down-to-earth, personable people who work here'

Worst thing about the firm? 'HR appear not to take any notice of your seat choices, even when you have specific reasons for wanting to sit in one seat'; 'some teams are too big to get to know everyone'; 'lack of budget for social occasions'; 'a friendly, people-focused firm now seems to be more interested in expanding rapidly'

Best moment? 'Client events, constant feedback and encouragement from superiors'; 'closing a refinancing deal with a senior associate and partner who were happy to let me organise things and be fully involved but were also on hand to provide support and leadership'; 'spending four months in Tokyo'; 'four-month seat in Singapore'; 'dispute resolution'

Worst moment? 'Sitting with a supervisor who took great delight in belittling me at every opportunity'; 'being given menial tasks that could have been done by our overnight secretaries'; 'proof reading for hours on end'; 'staying late and doing bibling for the whole week'; 'working on Sunday'; 'billing a 90-hour week'

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

From its impressive offices overlooking Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, Norton Rose's strategic focus remains on five core areas: transport; financial services; technology; energy (the firm has market-leading green energy capability) and corporate finance. It has strength in asset and Islamic finance, with an office in Saudi Arabia and a licence to work in Abu Dhabi.

The star performers

Asset finance and leasing; Aviation; Commercial litigation; Corporate tax; Electricity, nuclear and renewables; Financial services; flotations; insurance; Islamic finance; Investment funds; Mergers and acquisitions; Planning; Private Finance Initiative (PFI); Project finance; Rail; Trade finance.

The deals

Advised on the English-law aspects of BA's merger with Iberia; represented the lenders on the $160m Islamic financing of a Boeing 777-200CR aircraft for Qatar Airways; advised on the restructuring of Ascendos Rail Leasing; advised Standard Bank on several multimillion-dollar facilities made available to MTN Nigeria; acted for Tullow Oil plc on a $650m revolving credit facility.

The clients

BMW; BP; Sonangol; The Chicago Mercantile Exchange; the African Development Bank; the government of Ras Al Khaimah; TriOptima; US Trustees of Lehman Brothers Inc.

The money

(from Legal Business magazine)

Turnover in 2010: £307m (-2% from 2009) Profits per equity partner: £485,000 (-17%)

The winners

Legal Business Awards 2011

Winner Insurance team of the year, Energy and Natural Resources team of the year, highly commended Law firm of the year.

The Verdict

With a strong reputation and a loyal following among current trainees, those looking to avoid the Magic Circle firms but work in a top-flight City firm should already be considering Norton Rose. With a hefty global footprint plus market-leader status in areas such as the energy and insurance sectors, the firm offers a six-seat rotational system where you are fully encouraged to get as involved as possible in the 'good' teams. Combining 'quality of work' with a 'generally good work/life balance', Norton Rose has a wide range of expertise in departments such as Islamic and project finance and there are plenty of opportunities to travel abroad either for a deal or on secondment. For a firm of its size there is a 'friendly atmosphere' with partners being approachable and giving 'constant feedback and encouragement'. The 'genuine' open-door policy also means that people are more 'down-to-earth' and 'personable'. Current trainees sometimes feel that their seat choices aren't really acknowledged. Be prepared also to be working as a part of a large team where you might not get the chance to know everybody. However, 'spending four months in Tokyo' or going on secondment to Singapore as well as working in a firm with a great international reputation, high-end clients and pleasant offices make Norton Rose a front runner for those hoping to pursue a career in high-end commercial law.