View source for Ashurst LLP

{{short description|Multinational law firm}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox law firm
| name = Ashurst
| logo =[[File:Ashurstlogo.svg|frameless|Ashurst|alt=Ashurst Logo]]
{{Page image|Ashurstlogo.svg}}
| num_offices = 31
| num_lawyers= 1,600+
| num_employees  = 2,800+
| key_people= Karen Davies<br />(Chairman)<br />Paul Jenkins<br />(Global Chief Executive Officer)
| practice_areas= General practice
| revenue = {{increase}} £961 million<ref name="Ashurst press release">[https://www.ashurst.com/en/who-we-are/our-news-work-market-recognition/ashurst-revenues-reach-gbp-961m-in-eighth-year-of-consecutive-growth/ Ashurst press release]</ref>
| date_founded = 1822 (London)
| company_type = [[Limited liability partnership]]
| homepage = {{URL|http://www.ashurst.com|ashurst.com}}
}}
'''Ashurst''' is a British multinational [[law firm]] headquartered in [[London]]. It has 31 offices in 15 countries apart from the [[United Kingdom]], across [[Asia]], [[Australia]], [[Europe]], the [[Middle East]] and [[North America]], and employs around 1,600 legal advisers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ashurst.com/about-ashurst.aspx?id_Content=66|title=About Us|access-date=9 July 2015|archive-date=26 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826083159/https://www.ashurst.com/about-ashurst.aspx?id_Content=66|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ashurst is 55th in the [[list of 100 largest law firms]] in the world by revenue,<ref>{{Cite web |title=law.com |url=https://www.law.com/law-firm-profile/?id=17&name=Ashurst |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=www.law.com}}</ref> and 6th in the [[list of largest UK law firms]] by revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2023 Global 200 Ranked by Revenue |url=https://www.law.com/international-edition/2023/09/19/the-2023-global-200-ranked-by-revenue/ |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=Law.com International |language=en-us}}</ref>

Its principal business focus is [[mergers and acquisitions]], [[corporate]] and [[structured finance]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ashurst.com/expertise-all.aspx?id_Content=16 |title=Ashurst website |access-date=25 November 2010 |archive-date=26 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826082820/https://www.ashurst.com/expertise-all.aspx?id_Content=16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The firm also has practices in other areas including [[investment fund]]s, [[antitrust]], [[energy]], [[transport]] and [[infrastructure]], [[intellectual property]], [[Information technology|IT]], [[dispute resolution]], [[financial services]], [[tax]], [[real estate]], [[regulatory]], [[telecommunication]] and [[Labour law|employment]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Street |first=165 Fleet |last2=London |last3=Kingdom |first3=United |title=Ashurst - True Picture - Chambers Student Guide |url=https://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/ashurst/true-picture/15/1 |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=www.chambersstudent.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
=== Ashurst Morris Crisp ===

The firm was founded in 1822,<ref>[http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/SolicitorBonus.aspx?OrganisationId=15 'Ashurst's founders']</ref> at 6 Old Jewry in the City of London, under the name Ashurst Morris Crisp. The three initial founders were [[William Henry Ashurst (solicitor)|William H. Ashurst]], John Morris, and [[Frank Crisp|Sir Frank Crisp]].<ref>[http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/Law/WebExtras/15 Chambers Student – History of Ashurst LLP]</ref>

=== Growth and Financial Crisis ===
After rebranding as Ashurst LLP in 2003, the firm was faced with profits lagging its peer group and the risk of a contracting work force. One abortive initiative in 2004 that allowed the management to pay high performers additional bonuses was seen as symbolic of the defensiveness of the time.{{By whom|date=February 2020}}{{Vague|date=February 2020}} However, the team of veteran senior partner Geoffrey Green and managing partner Simon Bromwich were to begin having more success in managing the firm. Partly this involved a more actively managed partnership and a handful of discreetly handled exits. The firm was also able to make more progress in building up its core [[M&A]] practice, in particular improving its investment banking links, and dealing with quality problems in its foreign network. The firm was also aided by a continued strong performance from its finance practice. With partner profits rocketing in 2007 to take top earners past the £1m mark, placing the firm comfortably in the UK top 10 in profitability.<ref name="legalweek1">[http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/wiki/1170938/ashurst Legalweek – Ashurst]</ref>{{Better source needed|date=February 2020}}

In 2008, the firm voted in corporate partner Charlie Geffen to succeed Green as senior partner after an election against veteran litigator Ed Sparrow. The credit turmoil that gripped financial markets in the summer of 2007, which became a full-blown banking crisis and recession the following year, had a substantial impact on Ashurst's core practice lines. Profits fell and revenue suffered a dip. But the firm quickly steered itself out of trouble, and figures began to rise again.<ref name="legalweek1"/>{{Better source needed|date=February 2020}}

=== Combination with Blake Dawson ===
{{See also|Ashurst Australia}}
Ashurst announced strong 2011 results,<ref>[http://www.ashurst.com/media-item.aspx?id_Content=6169 Ashurst 2011 results]</ref>{{Better source needed|date=February 2020}} with profit per partner rising 5% to £723,000 and total revenue growing 3.5% to £303 million. As of the summer of 2011, Ashurst had over 900 [[lawyer]]s, including over 200 [[Partner (business rank)|partners]], in 12 countries.

On 1 March 2012, Ashurst merged its Asian business with that of Australian law firm Blake Dawson, a member of the [[Big Six law firms (Australia)|Big Six]], Blake Dawson being renamed as Ashurst across all offices.<ref>[http://www.ashurst.com/media-item.aspx?id_Content=6266 Ashurst and Blake Dawson announce Asia business combination and future merger plans] Blake Dawson Retrieved 1 March 2012.</ref>

Blake Dawson had its origins in [[Melbourne]] in 1841 when [[James Hunter Ross]] emigrated from [[Scotland]] and set up practice in a tent on the corner of [[Bourke Street|Bourke]] and [[William Street, Melbourne|William Street]]s in Melbourne. In 1874, he adopted the name of Blake & Riggall, which remained unchanged for 114 years. In 1881, George Charles King Waldron commenced practice in [[Pitt Street]] in [[Sydney]] under the name of Dawson Waldron.

From the early years, these two firms played a significant part in the legal system in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[New South Wales]], with a substantial commercial, litigation and property practice. The firm's client base included large corporations, banks, mining and pastoral companies.

Blake Dawson Waldron was formed in 1988 through a merger of Blake & Riggall (Melbourne, [[Brisbane]]), Dawson Waldron (Sydney, [[Canberra]] and [[Singapore]]), Collison Hunt & Richardson ([[Perth]]) and McCubbery Train Love and Thomas ([[Port Moresby]]). This merger brought together lawyers from all of the major commercial centres in Australia as well as important centres in the Asia and Pacific regions. Three further Asian offices were established, in [[Jakarta]] in 1988, [[Shanghai]] in 1995 and [[Singapore]] in 2009.

As a result of the combination, Ashurst now has 1,600 lawyers and 2,820 staff working across 24 offices, with worldwide revenue exceeding £550 million. Ashurst has also gained new offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Jakarta, Melbourne, Perth, Port Moresby, Shanghai and Sydney. This significantly increases Ashurst's resources and its stronghold in the [[energy]] & [[resources]], [[infrastructure]] and [[financial services]] sectors.<ref name="Ashurst press release"/>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.ashurst.com/ Ashurst website]
* Profiles in the [http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/Law/FirmFeature/15 ''Chambers Student Guide''], and on [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311092505/http://www.rollonfriday.com/load.asp?page=3.htm RollOnFriday] and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311000849/http://www.camlawsoc.org/profile_ashursts.php Cambridge University Law Society] website.
* [http://www.ashurst.com/media-item.aspx?id_Content=7384&expandOfficeList=true&id_queryContent=&showDeals=true/ Ashurst – Blake Dawson Merger]

{{Law firms of the United Kingdom}}

[[Category:Law firms based in London]]
[[Category:Law firms established in 1822]]
[[Category:1822 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Foreign law firms with offices in Japan]]
[[Category:British companies established in 1822]]
[[Category:Foreign law firms with offices in Hong Kong]]