International opportunities
You will have the opportunity to apply for a six-month rotation in one of our overseas offices. This is a great opportunity to broaden your experience and learn about different working cultures. In recent years we have had graduates join our London, Paris, Singapore, Dubai, Tokyo, and Hong Kong offices for an international rotation.
A global network: insight into an international secondment at Norton Rose Fulbright
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Jasmine Shepard
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During my first year as a graduate in the Melbourne office, I was granted the opportunity to work with the Perth disputes team on Western Australian-based matters, with the Singapore office on pro bono advice and assisted clients throughout the process of expanding their Australian brand internationally. My third rotation cemented my view of Norton Rose Fulbright as a truly global firm, as I spent an incredible six-months in the London office in the infrastructure and energy disputes team.
As my first experience working overseas, I couldn’t have asked for a better learning and networking environment. I was fortunate to work broadly across a range of matters with my direct team and the general disputes team, witness two in person trials and commute over the iconic Tower Bridge each morning to the office! My team were exceptionally welcoming and involved me in both commercial disputes and transactional construction work, including proceedings before the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice, ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL arbitrations, dispute adjudication board (DAB) proceedings and various ad hoc disputes.
The global nature of Norton Rose Fulbright’s work was confirmed to me through my involvement in a London seated arbitration to settle a contractual dispute. Having been brought onto this matter during my first week, I was involved in a raft of pre-hearing work, including chronology and bundle preparation, weekly calls with the client and witness familiarisation sessions with the expert and fact witnesses. Following the two-day hearing, which required witnesses to be flown in from Nigeria, I assisted in the preparation and completion of the written closing and cost submissions.
The connectivity of the firm’s offices was very apparent to me in every matter I worked on. In another arbitration relating to a joint venture in Central Asia, we worked closely with the Hong Kong and Houston disputes teams. To prepare the statement of defence in an arbitration and DAB proceeding relating to the construction of an iron ore processing plant in the Far East, the Dubai office worked alongside our London team to prepare various translations of witness statements and file the defence.
Due to the number of matters I worked on during my rotation, I forged strong working relationships with all five of the Partners in the infrastructure and energy disputes team as well as a Partner in the general disputes team. Articles I co-authored with my team were published on the firm’s website and the Construction Law Journal and I met a range of London-based barristers and disputes solicitors based in other firms while volunteering in Norton Rose Fulbright’s ‘Disputes Week’ events. The London trainees welcomed Sydney-based international secondee Jack Brown and I with open arms, through mixer events, the touch rugby team and social badminton nights.
Of course, I didn’t miss the opportunity to experience all of London’s best Sunday roasts, beautiful parks and music scene. I also enjoyed weekend travel with friends and other trainees, with the highlights being Morrocco, Greece, the Paris Olympics and New York.
Having returned to the Melbourne office, we received the exciting news that the tribunal dismissed the contractual, bad faith and conspiracy claims against our client in relation to an investment agreement dispute. I was fortunate to attend two days of the four-day hearing during my secondment, together with teams from the London, Sydney and Brisbane offices, counsel from Thailand and experts from Norway. It was incredible to be a part of and witness the teams working seamlessly together across time zones to deliver an outstanding result for the client.
All aspiring lawyers should consider the wealth of opportunities available to them at Norton Rose Fulbright. From the graduate program to Partner level, there are so many chances to work on international, cross-jurisdictional matters and forge professional (and personal) relationships with our international colleagues.
For more information, please contact australian.graduates@nortonrosefulbright.com.
As my first experience working overseas, I couldn’t have asked for a better learning and networking environment. I was fortunate to work broadly across a range of matters with my direct team and the general disputes team, witness two in person trials and commute over the iconic Tower Bridge each morning to the office! My team were exceptionally welcoming and involved me in both commercial disputes and transactional construction work, including proceedings before the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice, ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL arbitrations, dispute adjudication board (DAB) proceedings and various ad hoc disputes.
The global nature of Norton Rose Fulbright’s work was confirmed to me through my involvement in a London seated arbitration to settle a contractual dispute. Having been brought onto this matter during my first week, I was involved in a raft of pre-hearing work, including chronology and bundle preparation, weekly calls with the client and witness familiarisation sessions with the expert and fact witnesses. Following the two-day hearing, which required witnesses to be flown in from Nigeria, I assisted in the preparation and completion of the written closing and cost submissions.
The connectivity of the firm’s offices was very apparent to me in every matter I worked on. In another arbitration relating to a joint venture in Central Asia, we worked closely with the Hong Kong and Houston disputes teams. To prepare the statement of defence in an arbitration and DAB proceeding relating to the construction of an iron ore processing plant in the Far East, the Dubai office worked alongside our London team to prepare various translations of witness statements and file the defence.
Due to the number of matters I worked on during my rotation, I forged strong working relationships with all five of the Partners in the infrastructure and energy disputes team as well as a Partner in the general disputes team. Articles I co-authored with my team were published on the firm’s website and the Construction Law Journal and I met a range of London-based barristers and disputes solicitors based in other firms while volunteering in Norton Rose Fulbright’s ‘Disputes Week’ events. The London trainees welcomed Sydney-based international secondee Jack Brown and I with open arms, through mixer events, the touch rugby team and social badminton nights.
Of course, I didn’t miss the opportunity to experience all of London’s best Sunday roasts, beautiful parks and music scene. I also enjoyed weekend travel with friends and other trainees, with the highlights being Morrocco, Greece, the Paris Olympics and New York.
Having returned to the Melbourne office, we received the exciting news that the tribunal dismissed the contractual, bad faith and conspiracy claims against our client in relation to an investment agreement dispute. I was fortunate to attend two days of the four-day hearing during my secondment, together with teams from the London, Sydney and Brisbane offices, counsel from Thailand and experts from Norway. It was incredible to be a part of and witness the teams working seamlessly together across time zones to deliver an outstanding result for the client.
All aspiring lawyers should consider the wealth of opportunities available to them at Norton Rose Fulbright. From the graduate program to Partner level, there are so many chances to work on international, cross-jurisdictional matters and forge professional (and personal) relationships with our international colleagues.
For more information, please contact australian.graduates@nortonrosefulbright.com.
