Norton Rose Fulbright - True Picture

Norton Rose Fulbright training contract review 2025

The Firm

When it comes to navigating the sea of training contracts on offer, hopeful trainees can often find themselves wading through the choppy waters of the legal-scape. In this case, however, Norton Rose Fulbright’s clear industry focuses made the decision much clearer for insiders, with leading energy practices and top-of-the-line shipping and aviation finance groups giving the firm a well-anchored identity. The firm’s good reputation is consistently highlighted by our sister guide Chambers Global, which marks NRF as global market leaders in shipping finance, and places them top of the pile for their projects & energy expertise in mining & minerals and power. Domestically, NRF holds a litany of top Chambers UK rankings too, including asset finance shipping and asset finance aviation; commodities; energy & natural resources; and non-contentious insurance.

“You can determine if you want to make your experience all about energy banking or energy corporate.”

Even with the firm’s undeniable focus, it is anything but restrictive in its practice. “You can determine if you want to make your experience all about energy banking or energy corporate,” one trainee told us, but also, “you can do as much litigation or transactional work as possible!” On top of this, NRF’s more than 50 offices internationally give trainees who are set for the horizon an open port; around one quarter of second-years on our list had done an international secondment, and several of those had done multiple stints abroad.

The Seats

Trainees at NRF typically take on two compulsory London-based seats in banking and in corporate as half of their four six-month seats. Outside of this, newbies are able to submit preferences for the remaining two seats in each round of seat allocation. Of course, with around 60 trainees at the firm, it comes as no surprise that newbies can’t be guaranteed their first choice each round. Secondments are also readily available; trainees can undergo a stint with one of the firm’s clients, while international secondments are on offer to destinations like Dubai, Frankfurt, Athens, Hong Kong, Brisbane, Paris and Singapore. To secure one of these, applicants must submit their CV and a cover letter. “There are no language requirements,” sources noted, “though the firm does offer language lessons before you go!”

“…global deals across multiple jurisdictions.”

NRF’s banking practice is as busy as it is significant at the firm, with trainees explaining that hours in this seat typically spanned 9am to 8pm, with the odd all-nighter sprinkled in. The seat is split into asset-backed lending, real estate, leveraged finance, trade and restructuring teams which trainees can work across, drafting legal opinions, completing company search checklists and keeping on top of administrative tasks like CP checklists. Interviewees gave the impression that the practice expects dedication befitting the high-status nature of their clients: “You’re working on global deals across multiple jurisdictions,” said insiders. The department is also split into asset finance, projects, general banking & restructuring and capital markets, where trainees can work across drafting legal opinions, completing company search checklists and keeping on top of administrative tasks like CP checklists.

NRF’s extensive client base in this arena extends to its capital markets practice, where trainees also dabble in “massive” transactions, covering the property, technology and emerging markets sectors (and many more). Like the banking practice, this department too is split into various subgroups, including derivatives, debt capital markets, securitisations and corporate trustees.

Asset finance is a core practice for NRF as it holds most of its aviation, rail and – most importantly – shipping finance work, which includes driving leasing deals, complex restructurings and ship sales and acquisitions. A team with plenty of overlap with asset finance is the project finance department, which is “renowned for being a very busy team!” (more on that later). Split into the finance and construction sides, on the latter trainees can find themselves proofreading, drafting schedules and director agreements and carrying out due diligence reports, while on the finance side, it’s the typical CP checklists, as well as liaising with local counsel and writing up first drafts of legal opinions and ancillary documents.

NRF’s corporate department encompasses the expected breadth of transactional teams, including M&A, financial institutions, insurance and regulatory work. As to be expected, clients here consist of a number of big names in the banking world, though the firm also serves those across the energy, infrastructure, mining & commodities, transport, technology, consumer markets, life sciences and healthcare industries too. As is the case with a number of matters handled by the firm, this deal spanned a number of jurisdictions, including the UK, Ireland, North America and Poland. Here, trainees lend a helping hand through getting involved in tasks like reviewing Companies House documents and proofreading share purchase investor agreements. “The documents you engage with are typically the kind of thing you do on the LPC,” one interviewee summarised.

Like the firm’s transactional practices, litigation teams at NRF service very big clients on equally big deals. “It’s a massive department, with lots of sub-teams,” an insider made clear. Transport litigation also falls within this realm, covering the litigious side of the firm’s large shipping practice which includes major casualties, marine insurance claims and criminal prosecutions. Stints here can be “very busy,” sources warned, “because you’re trying to stick to lots of filing deadlines.”

Trainee Life

“I couldn’t be happier with the working culture,” a number of trainees divulged, “because the people are so lovely! Everyone has time to speak to you and answer your questions.” This is helped in part by trainees sharing an office with their partner supervisor, “so you feel comfortable swivelling round and asking them a question which makes a huge difference to approachability – it’s really good to have access to your seniors in that way.” In addition to supervisors, newbies also get a partner mentor – “who isn’t someone who’s ever supervised me” – and an associate buddy on every team.

With regard to the social culture, “it really varies by team how liberally they want to spend their allocated budgets,” but teams usually put on an annual Christmas party alongside the firm Christmas party. “There’s also a trainee budget enough for two good events a year,” one trainee told us. We did hear that NRF’s DEI efforts could also play a role in people’s social lives as “the BAME network is really active, it keeps a lot of people engaged!” The group puts on things like book clubs and events that include “people at all stages of their career, so that contributes to quite a healthy culture.” Examples of events include the screening of Joyland for Pride, and an Eid event “which was a collaboration between Origins and the Compass network where people gave speeches and were doing Henna – and it was a client event so they came through too!”

Involvement in pro bono is compulsory for trainees, with its own dedicated seat, and is a commitment that is typically undertaken through the Southwest London Croydon Clinic. “We usually do it once every two months,” one insider outlined, “and it’s usually housing or rental-related; we have an interview with them and write attendance notes and a note of advice.” For other CSR interests, trainees have access to a platform called Vantage that lists volunteering initiatives available.

It is generally expected that trainees will be in the office at least twice a week, but “that varies entirely by supervisor – sometimes it’s five days, while others have a more relaxed approach.” There’s also a lot of variety when it comes to hours. In project finance, for example, sources reported average finishes of 9 to 10pm, while those in banking clocked off at around 7.30pm. “Towards closings, there were a few midnight finishes,” insiders recalled, “but those were exceptions.” With clients dotted across the globe, trainees noted having to adjust their hours too; for example, “we have a number of clients based in the Middle East, so that meant working different hours and days to align with their working week,” one interviewee explained. The extra effort isn’t something that goes unnoticed; trainees can be nominated by a manager for a one-off payment of £100, £250 or £500 as a 'thanks' from the firm via a scheme called Simply Thanks.

“We work long hours, but it’s what you sign up for – and the downtime makes up for that.”

Speaking of compensation, though it was noted salaries were slightly below market, our sources had “no complaints! It’s a great salary to be getting fresh out of uni.” Pay currently sits at £50k for first-years, moving up to £55k for seconds, before making the welcome leap to £140k for NQs. “We work long hours, but it’s what you sign up for – and the downtime makes up for that,” an interviewee summarised.

Turning to matters of qualification, we heard the process was very transparent, with third-years invited to sit in on fourth-year briefings. A few months before the process begins, the firm sends round a document listing which departments are hiring. Applicants are then asked to list the three or four departments they have their eye on and explain why they want to work with that particular team. In 2024, NRF did not disclose their retention statistics.

How to get a Norton Rose Fulbright training contract

• Training contract deadline: 16 March 2025
• Winter vacation scheme deadline: 29 September 2025
• Summer vacation scheme deadline: 5 January 2025
• Business Legal Operation Graduate Scheme deadline: 2 December 2024
• Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme (London) deadline: 23 February 2025
• Paralegal Apprenticeship Programme (Newcastle) deadline: 23 February 2025

Trainee profile

Norton Rose Fulbright requires prospective trainees to have obtained a minimum AAB at A-level and a 2:1 degree, though like many firms it takes extenuating circumstances into consideration, and also utilises a contextualised recruitment tool. Early Careers Manager Philippa Wilson tells us that a global mindset is highly valued: “We really want people who would like to work for a global law firm and make the most of the opportunities it brings, such as completing a secondment, either internationally or at one of our clients – a flexible approach is important.”

The firm targets a range of UK universities each year: while typically the firm works closely with university careers services and societies on targeting careers events, they will continue to attend more generic virtual law fairs, ensuring they are reaching a wide demographic of students. They will also be hosting a range of more bespoke events. 

The vacation scheme

The firm runs three vacation schemes each year: a two-week programme in winter and two programmes in the summer. There are up to 60 places available across the three schemes, and candidates are paid £450 per week. Around 2,000 people apply for the vacation scheme every year. We're told 80% of the most recent trainee intake have completed the scheme.

Applications for the vacation scheme begin with an online form that allows applicants to fill in their work experience and academics, accompanied by a covering letter. “We're looking at the skills and qualities which an individual can bring to the practice, along with a genuine interest in and awareness of commercial issues,” our trainee recruitment sources say. “Accurate spelling and grammar are essential too.”

After an initial screen, candidates who impress will be invited to complete an online psychometric test, and if they pass this they will then be invited to a telephone interview, all prior to the assessment day.

Vac schemers spend their visit in one department, sharing an office with an associate or a partner. They're also assigned a trainee buddy. In the past, attendees have completed drafting assignments, attended meetings, sat in on conference calls and undertaken research tasks. “Get to know as many people as you can here – the partners in particular,” advised one of the firm's current trainees.

The training contract application process

Around 1,000 people apply directly for Norton Rose Fulbright's training contract each year. The form is exactly the same as the one for the vacation scheme. Applications for the training contract are open for students in their final years and graduates of all subjects.

“We expect to see some legal work experience from our training contract applicants,” says Wilson. “You don't have to have completed our vacation scheme or one at another firm, but you do need to show commercial experience.” She goes on to explain: “We're client-facing and place a huge emphasis on teamwork, so if you've taken part in something like sport, drama or volunteering, we want to hear about that too.”

The firm invites the strongest applicants to an assessment day that involves an interview with two partners, an individual case study, and a group negotiation exercise. The interview aims to test an applicant's motivations for joining Norton Rose Fulbright, their commitment to the law and their commercial knowledge. Meanwhile, the assessment and exercise aim to measure critical thinking, commercial awareness, and how well someone works as part of a team.  There is no way to prepare for these exercises, so it’s a great way to test how you think on your feet and interpret the information in front of you.

Assessment centres continue to be virtual, but they are still very thorough. “It is quite a full-on day, but we've deliberately designed it to be like that,” our sources tell us. “We want to give people a real impression of what we're like as a business, and we want to see how they respond to that.”