International giant understood to be in advanced talks with US firm
Reports suggest Norton Rose Fulbright is close to putting pen to paper on a deal that will see it join forces with US law firm Chadbourne & Parke.
Legal Cheek understands that discussions are in their “advanced stages”, with partners on both sides keen to push the merger through as soon as possible.
Norton Rose Fulbright is the larger of the two outfits. According to Legal Cheek’s Most List the international giant — which offers around 50 training contracts annually — has over 3,000 lawyers spread across 54 locations. Boasting a global revenue of £1.16 billion, Norton Rose Fulbright scored well in our Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey, bagging A*s for office environment and international secondment opportunities.
Across the Atlantic, New York-headquartered Chadbourne & Parke has just 400 lawyers across 12 offices. Posting a 2016 global revenue of £163 million, the firm — which is perhaps best known for its project finance work — already has a small City outpost.
Confirming that talks between the two firms are ongoing, a spokesperson for Norton Rose Fulbright said:
We believe that the combination would provide an even stronger global platform for our clients, who would also benefit from our compatibility in both practice and industry focus. We will make no further comment on this matter until discussions with our partnership have concluded.
Earlier this week the transatlantic tie-up between Eversheds and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan went live. Creating a new firm called Eversheds Sutherland, the combination — which was confirmed back in December following a successful partner vote — has 2,300 lawyers across 61 offices in 29 countries.
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