Sophie O'Connor > Norton Rose Fulbright > London, England > Lawyer Profile

The ‘very diligent and hard working’ team at Norton Rose Fulbright is increasingly focused on venture capital work as an offshoot of its corporate finance and private equity practices. Leveraging the firm’s strong regulatory offering, the team has developed a particular niche advising on fintech-related matters, including as it relates to blockchain and crypto-currency. The ‘very pragmatic and forward thinking’ Victoria Birch  has been central to the firm’s success in the space, which has been built on repeat instructions for both investors and investees, as well as very effective use of legal technology to streamline the investor experience (including the firm’s nascent strategic minority investment product, which has proved very popular among the venture arms of financial institutions and corporates). Sophie O’Connor  also handles a significant volume of venture mandates, and alongside Birch was instrumental to the development of the aforementioned product.

With significant international resources at its disposal, the team at Norton Rose Fulbright – noted for its work in the insurance sector – handles a mix of in-bound investments, acquisitions, and sell-side processes for a range of sponsor clients, particularly in emerging markets. The practice is jointly chaired by Bayo Odubeko, a seasoned PE and VC partner whose recent engagements include fundraising transactions in West Africa, and Sophie O’Connor, who – along with Nicholas Berry – anchors the team’s capabilities in the financial services and insurance sectors. Berry focuses exclusively on insurance transactions, heading up the London office’s InsurTech practice in addition to handling various cross-border deals. Matthew Eccles is noted for his focus on emerging markets.