Norton Rose Fulbright was hit by a personal injury lawsuit by one of its own London associates earlier this year, The Lawyer can reveal.
A real estate litigation associate filed a claim at the High Court, listing Norton Rose Fulbright LLP and then London head of real estate disputes Charlotte Biljani as defendants.
Just prior to the claim being lodged, Norton Rose relocated Biljani from London to its Dubai office. She left the firm just one month later, joining Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla – the global firm’s Dubai base.
It is not yet clear if Norton Rose settled the claim or if the associate withdrew her claim, but a firm spokesperson told The Lawyer “there are no existing proceedings against us by a London associate”.
The associate joined the firm in 2011. Meanwhile Biljani joined in 2010 as a partner from Herbert Smith Freehills.
At the time of the relocations, Norton Rose head of Middle East Patrick Bourke said: “We are delighted that Charlotte will be joining us in Dubai and building on our existing strong disputes platform. Charlotte’s role in the Middle East will enable us to further capitalise on the increasing trend and appetite we are seeing for dispute resolution expertise in the region.”
Norton Rose Fulbright revealed today it will open in Monaco early next year to provide shipping and finance advice.
