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  • June 20, 2013 |

    A&O and Norton Rose Fulbright lead as Centrica enters UK shale gas market

    Allen & Overy (A&O) and Norton Rose Fulbright have won leading roles on a £160m deal that has seen Centrica make its entrance into the closely watched UK shale gas market. Centrica, which owns British Gas, has taken a 25% stake in the Bowland shale gas exploration licence in Lancashire after negotiations with UK shale gas explorer Cuadrilla Resources and Australian engineering group AJ Lucas, which previously held 75% and 25% stakes respectively in the fracking fields. A&O won a first-time mandate for Cuadrilla on the deal following a competitive process. The magic circle firm's London-based team was led by corporate partner John Geraghty, with support from tax partner Lydia Challen.

    1 minute read

  • June 20, 2013 |

    Daring to be different – Travers' Chris Carroll on preserving the boutique model

    A lot has changed in the world in the 35 years since Travers Smith's outgoing senior partner Chris Carroll joined the firm in 1978. But as globalisation has driven many of the firm's most comparable City rivals through a series of international office launches and mergers, Travers has remained resolutely independent. Granted, with just over 60 partners and 250 lawyers, it is much bigger than it was when Carroll joined, when it numbered just 13 partners and employed just one female lawyer. Beyond these shifts in size, diversity and – of course – technology, much at Travers has remained the same. Even the firm's Snow Hill headquarters in Farringdon has moved just four doors down the road.

    1 minute read

  • June 19, 2013 |

    CC turns to Norton Rose Fulbright for corporate insurance partner hire

    Clifford Chance (CC) has sealed the hire of corporate insurance partner Ashley Prebble from Norton Rose Fulbright's City arm. Prebble joined legacy Norton Rose in 2003 from Dechert's London office, before making partner at the top 10 firm in 2006. His start date at the magic circle firm is not yet known.

    1 minute read

  • June 13, 2013 |

    Norton Rose Fulbright faces US name change conundrum

    Norton Rose Fulbright will temporarily retain its legacy Fulbright & Jaworski name in the US for regulatory reasons, it has emerged, as the firm seeks the approval of local state bars to formally change its legal identity to reflect the transatlantic merger. The newly merged firm, which was formed last week under the global brand of Norton Rose Fulbright, is still legally registered as Fulbright & Jaworski in the US. The firm explained that as legacy Fulbright practises in 50 states across the US, it now faces a complex and potentially lengthy process to comply with local bar rules on name changes. It confirmed that it plans to change its US legal entity name as soon as it is able to do so.

    1 minute read

  • June 13, 2013 |

    Norton Rose Fulbright wins role on $1.2bn Nigeria telecoms finance deal

    Norton Rose Fulbright's London arm has acted for telecoms operator Etisalat Nigeria on a $1.2bn (£772m) loan facility arranged with 13 banks. The newly merged firm won the role to advise Etisalat Nigeria after a competitive tender process. The facility, which was made available by 13 Nigerian banks including Zenith Bank and the United Bank for Africa, will be used to finance network upgrades and expansion.

    1 minute read

  • June 10, 2013 |

    Norton Rose Fulbright set for Dubai departures as Baker Botts eyes team

    Norton Rose Fulbright is expected to see the post-merger departure of a number of lawyers in Dubai, with a team from legacy Fulbright & Jaworski understood to be on the verge of a move. The bulk of legacy Fulbright's operation in Dubai's Festival City, which comprises eight partners, is understood to be considering a move to another firm in the emirate, with US firm Baker Botts understood to be in talks to take on a team.

    1 minute read

  • June 7, 2013 |

    Digging deep - an in-depth look at the fast-moving global energy sector

    Legal Week Intelligence's latest benchmarker report, in association with Norton Rose Fulbright, takes a look at the fast-moving and complex global enegy sector.

    1 minute read

  • June 6, 2013 |

    Norton Rose Fulbright sets sights on key Africa markets and US west coast

    Norton Rose Fulbright is eyeing expansion into new markets in Africa and the west coast of the US, as the newly merged firm's transatlantic tie-up gets off the ground. The $2bn (£1.3bn) firm, which went live at the start of this week through the combination of Norton Rose and Texas firm Fulbright & Jaworski, is already considering further geographies into which it could expand. In Africa – where the firm currently has bases in South Africa, Morocco and Tanzania – Nigeria, Egypt, Mozambique and Angola have all been identified as potential destinations for office launches, while a move into northern California is also under discussion.

    1 minute read

  • June 6, 2013 |

    Sharia-compliant insurance underwriting has potential for growth in Western market

    In May, Cobalt Insurance Holdings launched the world's first sharia-compliant managing general agent, Cobalt Underwriting Services. The London-based entity will, among other things, underwrite a variety of global risks on behalf of major insurance companies interested in offering sharia-compliant insurance and reinsurance through the London market. Sharia-compliant (or Islamic) insurance – widely known as takaful – has existed in one form or another for more than 1,000 years. However, it is only in the past four decades that it has experienced real momentum. The catalyst for the growth of the industry was the ruling in 1985 by the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Saudi Arabia that conventional insurance policies were haram (forbidden) according to sharia law, but that an alternative policy conforming to the principles of Islamic dealings founded on the basis of charity and co-operation was permissible.

    1 minute read

  • June 2, 2013 | International Edition

    Norton Rose Fulbright sets out top team as $2bn mega-merger goes live

    Norton Rose Fulbright has confirmed its full management line-up, as the transatlantic merger between the two firms goes live, creating a global top 10 giant with combined revenues of around $2bn (£1.3bn). The union between legacy UK firm Norton Rose and Texas firm Fulbright & Jaworski, announced in November last year, has formed a firm with close to 3,800 lawyers, more than 750 of which are in the US.

    1 minute read