Norton Rose Fulbright - The Inside View

It’s no secret that attorneys spend a lot of time at work. And if we have any words of wisdom to impart from our research here at Chambers Associate, it’s that as the hours tick by, having genuine camaraderie with colleagues makes all the difference. But don’t just take it from us. It’s easy to see how “feeling like I fit in well, part of the puzzle, a piece of the team” during the summer program really sealed the deal for associates choosing to begin their careers at Norton Rose Fulbright. This is a shared sentiment from the top as well. “We’re very focused on taking a people first approach in everything we do. Every lens that we look through and how we build out our firm is all about our people, whether it’s our business services professionals, lawyers, or partners,” global and US managing partner Jeff Cody tells us.  

Naturally, this environment, coupled with the work, was a pull factor for our interviewees. A few cited the “strength of the projects practice and how active they are with renewable energy deals,” which certainly tracks given that on the national level the firm comes in the top band for projects: renewables & energy in Chambers USA. It even ranks in the highest tier for projects & energy in Chambers Global too. Indeed, the firm pulls in its fair share of worldwide rankings, including high praise for its bankruptcy/restructuring, e-discovery and information government, product liability & mass torts, privacy & data security, and public finance expertise. 

“It seemed like I would be able to do really substantive, interesting work while being in a smaller office.” 

NRF’s wide reach was a major selling point too: “It seemed like I would be able to do really substantive, interesting work while being in a smaller office.” The firm takes on sizeable cohorts of first-year associates in Houston, Dallas, New York and Washington, DC and smaller numbers in LA, San Antonio, Austin, St. Louis, Chicago and Denver. 

Norton Rose Fulbright is recognized as The Elite for Junior Satisfaction and The Elite for Mid to Senior Satisfaction in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey. Norton Rose Fulbright is also recognized as The Elite for Junior Satisfaction in New York and Texas specifically.

Strategy & Future 

Keeping to the right balance, “The demand for trial lawyers in the US and disputes and arbitration lawyers globally is at an all-time high, so we are enjoying that momentum while also enhancing our transactional practices,” says Cody, “It’s all seemingly coming together right now.”  

Cody keeps associates in the loop through monthly update calls where he lays out the firm’s stats. “I really enjoy those calls,” enthused one junior, “He gives us a high-level overview of everything.” There are similar meetings at the practice group level where major wins, matters and client development opportunities are discussed along with what the department can do to improve.

Norton Rose Fulbright is recognized as an Excellent Performer for AI Integration in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.  

Summer Program 

There are four streams of summer hiring: disputes, general business, projects, and intellectual property. Some teams will hire for a specific position in a specific office, but for the most part, it’s common for summers to arrive as general business or general litigation associates. The program lasts ten weeks; there’s a mid-summer review five weeks in and a final review at the end.  

“I felt like I was getting a good amount of real work that real first-year associates might do if I wasn’t there,” praised one associate. Summers choose assignments from an online portal, which means “everybody can see their workload, so they’re not too busy,” allowing time for socials to get to know their potential colleagues. Past activities have included attending basketball games, going to wineries, and cooking classes. There are also practice group breakfasts where partners from different departments talk about their specific practice and their career path, often from summer associate to partner at NRF. 

The Work 

Partners act as workflow coordinators to monitor the free-market system “to make sure it’s allocated fairly evenly,” insiders explained. Associates felt they had a fair amount of say on what they work on: “When people try to staff me on a deal, they’ll ask if I have time and what my workload is – it’s not like I’m automatically staffed; it’s a discussion.”  

Norton Rose Fulbright is recognized as The Elite for Work Allocation & Autonomy in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

The projects department mostly handles transactional work as well as some energy regulatory matters; here, clients are either sponsors, banks, or investors. “One thing I really like is that almost 100% of the time I can work on renewable energy deals,” a source highlighted, since the majority of matters concern renewables. Areas that juniors can pursue include liquefied natural gas (LNG), data centers, solar, wind, batteries, infrastructure, nuclear, and manufacturing. On transactional matters, associates carry out due diligence, draft, and negotiate documents, take client calls, and correspond with local counsel and specialists. The best part? “I like when I get the chance to think creatively and do things like draft smaller contracts or participate in meetings,” shared one interviewee. 

We heard that the offices work closely together. Outside of Texas, most project attorneys are in DC, New York, and Los Angeles. There are some regulatory, tax, and real estate specialists sitting within the projects group and sometimes attorneys from other groups are brought onto matters to lend their relevant expertise. To sum up the experience of working on projects at NRF: “I like the people I work with, I like the nature of the projects, and I like the goal of the projects,” sources agreed.  

Projects clients: Shell Energy North America, Mitsubishi Power, Société Générale. Represented New York Power Authority in its first renewable energy acquisition of a large-scale energy generation project under its new renewable energy strategic plan. 

“Whether you’re on the domestic or international scale, this firm does a good job of making you feel connected to the other offices.” 

The corporate, M&A & securities group is the firm’s largest transactional group. “As a junior to mid-level, you get as much experience as you like in all three of those areas,” explained a source. Associates gradually begin to specialize in one area but still work across all three as a senior. There is also some cross-office work: “Whether you’re on the domestic or international scale, the firm does a good job of making you feel connected to the other offices.” The M&A element is “pretty quintessential in terms of what an M&A group would look like,” consisting of traditional, often mid-market deal work, with a bit of private equity on the side. There’s also the chance to get involved in corporate governance and outside counsel work, but insiders noted that “opportunities to do that are few and far between for junior associates because we don’t know what we don’t know.” On the securities side, juniors tend to help out with quarterly and annual filings.  

Corporate clients: BP, TD Securities, TotalEnergies. Represented Mercer, a global consulting firm, on its acquisition of SECOR Asset Management.  

Several practice areas fall under disputes, including construction, commercial & energy, financial institutions and disputes, regulatory & investigations and securities compliance (RISC). Since NRF is renowned for its commercial & energy work, we’ll hone in on that area for a second; here, the firm does a lot of work for oil & gas and other energy companies, but other areas include crypto, shipping, and ESG. The cases themselves are often related to breach of contract, commercial tort claims, fraud torts, interference, and commercial conversion claims. 

Across all disputes, the day-to-day work is “complex, but not too complex – in that sweet spot where I feel my brain is working every day,” an insider noted. Responsibilities include drafting letters, statements, dispositive motions, discovery responses, as well as client and case evaluations. They also carry out research, prepare for, and attend depositions. “I love the oral advocacy piece,” highlighted one junior, “Any time we get to be in court, and I get to be in front of a judge, that’s really fun.” It’s common to work with colleagues in other offices; whatever associates are working on, “it always feels like everything we’re doing is important in terms of getting us towards our goals.” 

Disputes clients: Republic of Kazakhstan, Office of the Attorney General of the State of Texas, Activision Blizzard. Represented General Mills in a class action where plaintiffs alleged Cocoa Puffs cereal and snack products contained harmful levels of lead. 

Career Development 

With the combination of training and mentorship on offer, juniors certainly felt the level of investment behind them. “If anything, the firm has too many resources on what to do next and trainings!” mused one associate. Our sources particularly praised the department-specific training programs. To illustrate, second year litigators have a trial academy in February: “that’s the capstone experience from the first year into the second year.” Projects have a training partner who provides sessions every week or two. That said, “most of what you learn is through being on deals with people,” associates agreed, highlighting the value of on-the-job experience. 

Mentoring relationships were another highlight. Juniors have a development partner as a mentor: “You feel like you’re going to get good advice that’s not just for the good of the firm but your good too.” On top of this, they told us it’s easy to develop informal mentoring relationships and mentors can be obtained through the affinity networks. 

“It feels like the path to partnership is realistic and possible if you’re willing to work hard.” 

Is it clear what associates need to do to make partner? “It’s the total opposite of opaque,” one associate reassured us, “It feels like the path to partnership is realistic and possible if you’re willing to work hard.” We heard that leadership does a good job of laying out the expectations and responsibilities that associates need to meet at each step of the way. “So many of our partners are homegrown and have had their entire careers here,” a junior added, “They start with the anticipation that you’ll be a partner.” And for those not sure that partnership is the right path for them, NRF helps associates get work experience that can be useful for moving in-house. 

Norton Rose Fulbright is recognized as The Elite for Career Development in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.  

Hours & Compensation 

Billable hours: 1,900 target 

To be considered in good standing, associates are expected to meet the firm's billing requirements, with 1,800 needed to move up and 1,900 to be eligible for the bonus. “It’s helpful to have that guidance,” reckoned one insider, “It’s a little more transparent from the firm.” 50 of the 1,900 hours can be firm investment time (FIT), pro bono, training, and recruiting. First years can bill an additional 50 hours of shadow time where they attend a hearing, deposition, or meeting. If associates are a buddy to a first-year, time spent on that can also count towards targets. 

As for base compensation, “market pay overpays, so I’m happy,” summed up how our interviewees felt. Regional offices have also recently made the move to match the Cravath scale. “It’ll be nice to be on the same level as the other offices,” one regional associate told us.  

How’s the work/life balance? While associates did have time to take a break and spend time with friends and family, “I never take for granted how well we’re compensated in this line of work and that does come with sometimes needing to be available” outside of standard working hours. That said, overall, “it’s far from the doom stories you might see on social media,” they reassured. For example, if associates bill over a certain threshold over three months, they receive a stipend to take some time off and relax. It’s also worth noting that the firm’s hybrid policy requires associates to be in the office at least three days a week. 

Norton Rose Fulbright is recognized as The Elite for Benefits & Quality of Life in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Culture 

“Folks have lives outside of work. Whether that’s family or certain hobbies like to travel or workout – you get a real holistic type of person who works here.” 

Respecting work/life balance turned out to be a bit of a theme in our interviews. “Folks have lives outside of work,” said one associate, “Whether that’s family or certain hobbies like to travel or work out – you get a real holistic type of person who works here.” Being mindful of the firm’s Texas roots, “you don’t want to use that cliché of southern hospitality, but it does hold true in terms of people treating each other well.” Sources agreed: “They don’t want to just burn you out and pile on you as much as they possibly can.” In fact, “whenever I go on vacation, people are willing to cover my active deals. I do the same for other people; we support each other in taking time off,” an insider attested.

Norton Rose Fulbright is recognized as The Elite for Culture in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Pro Bono 

NRF’s pro bono platform was highlighted for connecting attorneys to local and national organizations. The pro bono team sends out regular emails, so “I’m just an email away from getting as much pro bono as I could ask for!” a junior enthused. The only thing our sources would change about the pro bono offering would be to increase the number of pro bono hours that could count towards their billable target.  

Opportunities include asylum, prisoner’s rights, housing, and non-profit corporate governance matters. Some associates also take on practice group-specific pro bono that comes into departments. When taking on an unfamiliar type of pro bono, one attorney praised, “I have felt supported throughout the process,” especially with dedicated pro bono consultants on hand, and a dedicated partner leading pro bono efforts.

Pro bono hours: 

• For all US attorneys: 12,849 
• Average per US attorney: 15 

Norton Rose Fulbright is recognized as a Strong Performer for Pro Bono in our 2026 associate satisfaction survey.

Inclusion 

NRF has a variety of initiatives designed to support its attorneys. Recently, the firm held a workout month where staff were encouraged to participate and log those sessions in a tracker. The department that came out on top with the most were celebrated with a prize! Looking elsewhere, there is “lots of support for parents” including 18 weeks paternity leave as well as coaches available for support during ramp up periods.  

“I definitely feel like the firm is trying as hard as they can to promote inclusion at all levels,” said one attorney, citing the affinity groups as one example. These groups include the likes of pride, parents, veterans, women, first-gen and multicultural. The women’s network hosts “fireside chats” where senior women in the firm talk about their career. Every few weeks, there’s a firmwide presentation for all groups, such as a veteran giving a talk on Veterans’ Day. 

Get Hired

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus  

OCI applicants interviewed:  135  

Number of interviews outside OCI and callbacks: undisclosed  

Norton Rose Fulbright continues to increase its class sizes year-over-year. This year saw less emphasis on the OCI and a greater reliance on direct applications, lawyer referrals and direct outreach to students through the firm’s Campus Ambassador program and other on-campus events. The firm remains active in the 2L market in most offices but have also increased the use of jumbo offers in select markets to secure talent earlier. US hiring partner Beau Cox adds that “in addition to law student outreach, we actively recruit judicial clerks, including former summer associates and clerks transitioning from government service or the judiciary into private practice.” 

Norton Rose Fulbright sponsors and participates in more than 150 events each year, placing an emphasis on staying engaged with students to build relationships through collaboration with law schools and affinity groups. “Students often meet with alumni of their law school, as well as a mix of junior associates, senior lawyers and even firm leaders,” Cox outlines, to ensure that candidates are given “a well-rounded perspective on our culture and the breadth of career paths at the firm.”  

Interviewers look to keep initial meetings “conversational and aimed at understanding a candidate’s interest in Norton Rose Fulbright and the practice of law,” exploring their practice areas of interest. Of course, a “strong academic performance” is expected, Cox tells us, but the firm also actively looks for “leadership skills, intellectual curiosity, and a desire to grow within a collaborative, client-focused environment. We also tend to pursue candidates who show a strong commitment to their own careers.” 

Top tips for this stage:   

“Know about the firm, including offices and practice areas. Be prepared to explain why Norton Rose Fulbright is right for you. Come prepared to tell your story—why you chose law, what you're passionate about and what you’re looking for in a law firm. We appreciate candidates who have taken the time to research our firm, understand our practices and are curious about our people and the work we do.” – Hiring Partner, Beau Cox 

Callbacks  

Number of applicants invited to callbacks: undisclosed  

The candidate’s location and office preference determine whether a candidate’s callback interviews will be in person or virtual. These take the format of a number of one-on-one conversations with three to six lawyers from different positions in the firm—from first year associates to senior partners. Throughout the callback process, interviewers look to understand what motivates candidates – both professionally and personally. “We want to learn about their passions, interests outside of law and how they see themselves contributing to culture,” Cox explains. “This stage is about mutual fit: we want candidates who are both excited about the work and who will thrive in our environment.” 

Top tips for this stage: “Be authentic and thoughtful. It’s important to come prepared—know who you're meeting, have questions and connect your prior conversations with what you’ve learned about the firm. Referencing what sparked your interest in Norton Rose Fulbright during your callback interviews can demonstrate genuine enthusiasm and reflection. We want to hear how your story, experience and goals align with our firm.” - Hiring Partner, Beau Cox 

Summer program   

Offers: undisclosed  

Acceptances: 111  

The aim of the summer program is “to provide a realistic preview of life as a junior associate while also allowing the firm to get to know you,” Cox tells us. Summer associates are assigned mentors to provide feedback and work that matches their interests, though they are also encouraged to explore multiple practice areas through the firm’s designated assignment coordinators. Professional development is prioritized, so legal skills training, conversations with firm leadership and networking events are all a part of the process. “We emphasize early exposure to clients,” Cox adds. “Many summers attend meetings, depositions, trials and hearings throughout their time with us.” 

Top tips for this stage: “Treat the summer as a long-form interview—but also as a learning experience. Be curious, proactive and open to feedback. We’re not expecting you to arrive with deep substantive knowledge, but we do expect a strong work ethic, attention to detail and a sincere interest in the practice of law. Engage with the people around you, take initiative, be nice to people and get to know the firm from the inside out.”- Hiring Partner, Beau Cox 

Final words of wisdom from Beau Cox: “We want to see your talent, drive and personality. Show us that you’re excited about the practice of law and about joining a global platform where collaboration and innovation matter. We’re looking for candidates who are academically accomplished, engaging and team-oriented—people who will bring value to our clients and thrive in our culture. Let your enthusiasm and curiosity come through in every conversation. And, of course, be kind to everyone you work with during the summer—from partners, to associates, to our incredible business services professionals and to the other summers in your class.”  

A note on lateral hiring at Norton Rose Fulbright: “We anticipate continued strategic growth in core practice areas—especially litigation, business transactions, projects and IP—based on client needs and evolving market trends. We are always looking for talented laterals whose skills align with our practice and culture and who are excited about joining a firm with a global platform.”

Lateral hiring is a significant part of Norton Rose Fulbright’s overall strategy: In 2025, 72 lawyers joined the firm as lateral associates.