“I have watched Norton Rose Fulbright's transformation over recent years into a leading global law firm. I’m looking forward to working with old and new colleagues and bringing to my clients the benefit of services from an established global player in the Australian market,” Ms Morris said.

Ms Morris has successfully defended several large clients involved in high-profile health and safety prosecutions. She has strong experience across a range of industries, including construction, property, road, rail, energy and resources.

Norton Rose Fulbright managing partner in Australia, Wayne Spanner, said Ms Morris’ appointment represented a significant investment in the firm's national employment and labour offering.

“Katherine has an enviable track record defending major workplace health and safety matters for an impressive list of clients across several of our industry focus areas, such as construction, property and energy,” Mr Spanner said.

“Although she is well known in the Sydney market, we expect she will make a big contribution to our national occupational health and safety team. It’s also a strong endorsement of our culture that, having worked here some years ago, she is eager to return to further her career.”

Norton Rose Fulbright appointed another employment and labour partner, Samantha Maddern, to its Perth office in July.