© 2013 The Texas Lawbook.
By Mark Curriden
Senior Writer for The Texas Lawbook
(June 2) – Fulbright & Jaworski, Texas’ largest law firm, officially completed its union Sunday evening with London-based Norton Rose.
The new law firm, Norton Rose Fulbright, boasts 3,800 lawyers in more than 50 offices around the globe with about $2 billion in annual revenue.
The deal to combine the two huge legal practices – Fulbright had about 850 lawyers, including more than 475 in Texas, prior to the joint venture – was announced in November.
The joining of the two law firms was necessary, according to Ken Stewart, a Dallas corporate lawyer who is leading Norton Rose Fulbright’s operations in the U.S., to make the firm more competitive in an increasingly global business marketplace.
Stewart, who points out that there have been very few bumps or obstacles in the combination process, says the new firm has no intention of reducing its lawyer ranks in the U.S. or Texas.
“We believe that there are still growth opportunities in Texas for us,” he says. “Lawyer headcount in Texas will be higher for us over the next five years.”
One word that is noticeably absent from the firm’s press releases and never uttered during interviews is “merger.” Instead, it is referred to as a “combination” or a “joining of forces.” In truth, it is legally structured like a joint operating agreement. That’s because Norton Rose Fulbright will be operated as a Swiss Verein, a unique business model that allows each of its geographic offices to operate financially independent of each other, much like the international accounting firms do now.
Norton Rose Fulbright is the global umbrella structure but it has five financial centers located in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Australia and, as of Sunday at 6 p.m., the United States.
The one sad note is the elimination of Leon Jaworski, one of the greatest lawyers of the past century, from the firm’s name. Jaworski was the youngest person ever admitted to practice law in Texas at age 20. After a short stint representing bootleggers and moonshiners during Prohibition, he went to work with railroad lawyer R.C. Fulbright in 1931.
Jaworski left the firm in 1944 to investigate and prosecute war criminals, including those involved in the Dachau atrocities. Jaworski refused to be involved in the prosecution of the Nuremburg Trials because he believed the specific laws being enforced were being improperly used retroactively.
In 1952, Jaworski was named managing partner of Fulbright’s law firm – a position he held until 1973 when he was again called into public service.
Less than two weeks after President Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox, Jaworski was offered the job. The Texas litigator led the team that successfully subpoenaed confidential Oval Office recordings showing that the Watergate break-in was masterminded at the White House, which led to the resignation of Nixon – a man Jaworski supported twice for president.
In 1974, Jaworski returned to his old law firm, which promptly changed its name to Fulbright & Jaworski. Leon Jaworski died in 1982.
While Jaworski’s name will no longer be on the law firm’s marquis or on the firm’s marketing materials or business cards, it will remain for a while on the business’ incorporation documents. Stewart says the law firm will be legally registered as Norton Rose Fulbright and Jaworski in the U.S.
“Colonel Jaworski is a part of the fabric of this law firm and that will never go away,” says Stewart. “But our brand in the U.S. has been just Fulbright for a few years.”
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