Norton Rose Fulbright closes deal with NY firm

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Norton Rose Fulbright said Friday that it completed its merger with Chadbourne & Parke, a New York based firm with about 300 lawyers. The firm will continue to be called Norton Rose Fulbright.

With the merger, Norton Rose Fulbright's largest office will shift from Houston to New York. The firm, which got its start nearly a century ago in Houston, will have about 200 lawyers in Houston and about 300 lawyers in New York.

Peter Martyr, Norton Rose Fulbright's global chief executive who lives in London, said Chadbourne & Parke brings strong expertise in project finance, white collar crime and regulatory affairs. That fits well with Norton Rose Fulbright's strength in energy and project management, he said.

"It was just about a perfect match," he said.

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Fulbright & Jaworski was founded in 1919 in Houston and grew to become a local legal powerhouse. For decades, the firm was among Houston's most prominent along with Vinson & Elkins and Baker Botts.

London-based firm Norton Rose merged with Fulbright & Jaworski in 2013, a move that gave Norton Rose an opportunity to enter the U.S. market. At that time, Fulbright & Jaworski was the second largest law firm in Houston and had offices in New York and Washington, D.C.

Like many firms, Norton Rose Fulbright says it does not have a headquarters. The firm's global chief executive Peter Martyr is based in London. U.S. managing partner Daryl Lansdale works out of the firm's offices in San Antonio and Houston.

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Norton Rose Fulbright has 4,000 lawyers in 59 offices and 33 countries. The firm added offices in Mexico City, São Paulo and Istanbul by merging with Chadbourne & Parke.