Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright announced today the election of Gerry Pecht as Global Chief Executive of Norton Rose Fulbright, effective January 1, 2021. Gerry Pecht will succeed Peter Martyr, who has led Norton Rose and then Norton Rose Fulbright since 2002.
Currently Norton Rose Fulbright’s Global Head of Dispute Resolution and Litigation, Gerry Pecht commented:
“I am proud and honored to be elected Norton Rose Fulbright’s Global Chief Executive. Over the past ten years, we have built a global platform with exceptional lawyers serving valued clients in virtually every major business center. The quality of our people around the world enables us to collaborate on a truly global level. I look forward to building on our platform and taking our firm to the next phase of its evolution. As Global Chief Executive, I will promote our firm’s unity and strategic alignment, emphasize our client service focus, utilize our technological and innovative advantages and optimize our financial performance.”
“I will also place a priority on social engagement. Lawyers play a special role in society, and our firm must use its influence to fight racism, sexism and social injustice. Diversity and inclusion is a key focus for our firm and a cause I will continue to champion.”
“On behalf of the global business, I would like to thank Peter Martyr for the outstanding contribution he has made to the firm as its first Global Chief Executive, and I am committed to continuing to build on the foundations laid by Peter.”
Peter Martyr, Norton Rose Fulbright’s Global Chief Executive, added:
“Gerry is a highly experienced business leader, with whom I have worked closely over the past eight years. Gerry is a US lawyer with a global personal and professional background, making him well equipped to drive the firm’s global business transformation strategy. The firm is in good hands, and I am certain it will flourish under his leadership.”
Gerry has been a member of the firm’s Global Executive Committee since 2013 and has served as Global Head of Dispute Resolution and Litigation since 2014. He joined our Houston office in 1980 and was named a partner in 1987.
Regularly representing publicly traded companies located both within and outside the US and their officers and directors, Gerry built a commercial litigation practice focused on securities litigation and enforcement, energy litigation, internal corporate investigations, international litigation and arbitration. Both Chambers USA and The Legal 500 United States have recognized Gerry for his work in securities litigation.
More News from LawFuel
- Clooneys Team Up with Legal Heavyweight Quinn Emanuel To Don the Cape for Global Justice
In a world where celebrity philanthropy often feels like a scripted sequel, the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) – that noble venture launched in 2016 by Amal Clooney, the hard-wired international barrister from Doughty Street Chambers, and her silver-screen spouse George – has rolled out its Justice Champion Program with all the flair of a premiere. Snagging litigation titan Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan as the inaugural partner, this initiative promises a pro bono powerhouse to shield at-risk women from discrimination and violence, while springing journalists from unjust detention for daring to ink the truth. - Meet Scott Barshay – Paul Weiss’s New Chairman and Wall Street’s Most Prolific M&A Lawyer
From Cravath Star to Paul Weiss Chair Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing writer In one of the most dramatic leadership transitions in… Read more: Meet Scott Barshay – Paul Weiss’s New Chairman and Wall Street’s Most Prolific M&A Lawyer - Brad Karp’s Paul Weiss Exit – When ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Evenings Come Back to Haunt You
Brad Karp’s 18-year reign atop Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison ended Wednesday night not with a bang, but with a carefully worded statement about “distractions.” Translation: the Justice Department’s release of millions of Epstein-related documents last week made his position untenable faster than you can say “conflict of interest.” The emails paint a picture that’s more uncomfortable than a BigLaw associate’s billable hours target. In July 2015, Karp thanked Epstein for “an evening I’ll never forget,” describing it as “truly ‘once in a lifetime’ in every way, though I hope to be invited again.” Epstein’s response? A promise of “many many nights of unique talents” and assurances Karp would “be invited often.” Spoiler alert: those invitations are now exhibit A in why being Chair of a white-shoe law firm and socialising with convicted sex offenders don’t mix well. - Anthropic’s Legal AI Plugin Triggers ‘SaaSpocalypse’ — $50B Wiped from Legal Tech Stocks
Anthropic’s Legal AI Plugin Exposes the Vulnerability of the Legal Tech Emperor’s Wardrobe The legal software establishment just experienced its worst… Read more: Anthropic’s Legal AI Plugin Triggers ‘SaaSpocalypse’ — $50B Wiped from Legal Tech Stocks - Legal AI’s First Reality Check: What the Claude Shock Means for Law Firms
AI-driven software stocks have slumped as investors suddenly re-price the risks and disruption posed by legal-focused models like Anthropic’s Claude. But for law firms, this is a reset, not a retreat, in the legal AI market. The money is shifting from “AI at any price” to “AI that can survive the coming copyright and compliance storm”—and that is clearly where serious firms should now be focusing. What Actually Happened in Markets The numbers are staggering. On 3 February 2026, a Goldman Sachs basket of US software stocks sank 6% in a single session—its biggest one-day decline since April’s tariff-fueled selloff. A parallel index of financial services firms tumbled almost 7%. The Nasdaq 100 Index fell as much as 2.4%. The trigger? Anthropic released new AI automation capabilities targeting legal, sales, marketing, and data analytics—sectors previously thought insulated from AI disruption. The carnage was immediate and global:
