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Ashurst Australia

Logo: Ashurst, PD, via Wikipedia3

Australian branch of international law firm Ashurst LLP

Ashurst Australia is the Australian branch of Ashurst LLP, an international commercial law firm. The Australian headquarters of Ashurst are in Sydney. Prior to its acquisition by Ashurst, the Australian firm was named Blake Dawson, one of the Big Six leading Australian law firms.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1822Founded1

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Ashurst Australia is the Australian branch of Ashurst LLP, an international commercial law firm. The Australian headquarters of Ashurst are in Sydney.2

The story

Australian predecessor

Blake Dawson was founded in 1841. Its founder, James Hunter Ross, emigrated from Scotland to set up practice in Melbourne on the corner of Bourke and William Streets. In 1865 its founder died, and the firm was renamed to Blake & Riggall in 1874. In 1881 a firm later to be known as Waldron & Dawson was founded on Pitt Street in Sydney.

In 2007 the firm was rebranded to Blake Dawson.

Acquisition

In September 2011, it was announced that the firm would combine its Asian business with that of British law firm Ashurst and be re-branded as Ashurst across all offices on 1 March 2012, followed by a full financial merger of the two firms on 1 November 2013. The table below summarises the merger of the two firms.

From Wikipedia’s article on Ashurst Australia, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. 1822Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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