Name: Peter Scott
Organisation: Norton Rose Fulbright
Role: Managing partner, Europe, Middle East and Asia
Based: London
Trained at: Norton Rose Fulbright
Year qualified: 1999
What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee?
My final seat as a trainee was with Deirdre Walker in our commercial litigation team. Deirdre was a newly promoted partner and it seemed like non-stop trips to court for freezing injunctions, summary judgment applications and to challenge the jurisdiction.
My most vivid memories, though, were learning how to navigate life in the City and moving in different circles. I remember confessing to a Japanese client over lunch that I’d never tasted sushi before (sushi hadn’t reached Tesco in Lincoln by the time I left for London in 1997!) and being presented with a massive platter of the finest sushi (fortunately delicious).
What is the thing in your professional career that has terrified you or taken you out of your comfort zone the most?
What is the wisest thing anyone ever said to you (and who said it)?
Martin Coleman was the head of our antitrust and competition group until he retired to join the Board of the CMA. He asked me to join the competition team and told me I’d not regret it – which turned out to be very true!
More generally, Martin was full of sage advice. He had the knack of getting to the nub of the issue and of keeping you grounded and balanced. I remember him talking to the team about “work life balance” in the context of an NQ earning about three times the national average salary for a level of commitment that is not so different from a nurse.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get to where you are/do the job you do?
What’s your best friend from law school doing now?
Andrew Blair returned home to Middlesbrough after university and law school to work for a local firm. Andy is super sharp and very funny; he’s a partner at Smith & Graham in its probate group. When we opened our office in Newcastle in 2016, I knew that the lure of the North East was a strong one for many and that we’d have no trouble recruiting great people. Our Newcastle office is now the largest in our Europe, Middle East and Asia network outside London.
