Raj Karia > Norton Rose Fulbright > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Norton Rose Fulbright  is well known in the market for its top-tier financing expertise and offers clients ‘very deep project finance experience for metals and mining development in Africa‘. The practice has recently been handling matters relating to the energy transition, including the mining of copper, cobalt, nickel, magnesium and lithium for use in electric vehicles and the clean energy sector. Martin McCann heads the team and is recommended for financing and restructuring work, while Raj Karia handles corporate matters for mining companies, investment banks and private equity investors. Daniel Metcalfe is another name for cross-border transactions with a focus on emerging markets. Senior associate Felicity Brown is another key practitioner.

Norton Rose Fulbright’s sweet spot is mid-market deals, particularly those related to emerging markets and the pharmaceuticals, REIT and real estate sectors. Other specialisms for the firm include energy, infrastructure, technology and financial services industry deals. Advising on the issuer and bank side, the practice is also recommended as ‘excellent at solving problems, combined with a real focus on the client and collaborating with other advisers’. Raj Karia leads the practice and can call on the expertise of Thomas Vita, whose strength is advising on international securities transactions and London ECM work.

Steered by EMEA head Raj Karia, Norton Rose Fulbright‘s ‘outstanding’ team is well regarded for the depth of its international network and capabilities in big-ticket transactions – most notably in the energy space. Global banking head Alan Bainbridge works with a number of financial institutions on strategic deals, with noteworthy recent engagements related to the aviation and infrastructure sectors. Paul Whitelock – who co-chairs the public M&A group – and the ‘brilliant’ Kit McCarthy are recommended for their expertise in LSE Main Market and AIM takeovers, while the ‘fantastic’ Jon Perry’s capabilities are concentrated in food, commodities, and mining. A host of issuers and investment banks regularly turn to Fiona Millington for assistance in cross-border sponsor transactions, whereas Bayo Odubeko is a key port of call for high-value emerging market deals across the worlds of oil and gas, financial services, and telecoms.

Mid-market specialist Norton Rose Fulbright advises on the issuer and bank side of deals, with particular experience in the latter. The firm has an extensive global network and expertise across a range of sectors, notably the pharmaceuticals, REIT and real estate industries. The practice’s advice runs the gamut of equity and equity-related transactions, including FTSE 100, AIM and listed fund matters. Richard Sheen is a go-to name in the area and focuses on equity capital markets and investment funds work. Expert in IPOs, equity fund raisings and sponsor transactions Fiona Millington is recommended as ‘a safe pair of hands‘, and Clementine Hogarth is also active in the space – her fortes being ECM and corporate advisory work for public companies and investment banks. Raj Karia leads the group.