“I joined Norton Rose in 1989, proud holder of the title ‘Articled Clerk’. Strangely, I was interviewed by Peter Martyr, who is now our Chief Executive. I had studied law at Bristol University, gained vacation experience working at two different law firms and spent a week shadowing a barrister. I looked at one or two non-law career options too, but ultimately corporate law was always my preference. Norton Rose stood out as the firm to join because of its international network. Granted, the firm only had 4 offices back then – London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bahrain – not the 40 we have today, but I could see the firm’s global aspirations.
I qualified in March 1991 and moved to our Litigation Department in London. I quickly discovered this was my niche and after progressing throughout the department I was promoted to partner in 1999. In 2008, I established our Business Ethics and Anti-Corruption Group. My practice has increasingly focused on work relating to anti-corruption. On the one hand, this builds on our experience of fraud and investigative work and Antitrust, but it nevertheless represents a significant new practice for the firm. I think that my 22 years at the firm have shown that if you are dedicated and determined – and know what you are doing, of course – you can really progress at Norton Rose.”