Blake Dawson

Blake Dawson is one of Australia's leading commercial law firms, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Canberra, Brisbane, Port Moresby, Shanghai and an associated office in Jakarta [ [http://www.chambersandpartners.com/global/FirmProfile.aspx?fid=3593&solbar=1&pid=&cid= Chambers and Partners : Chambers Global Guide Profile ] ] . Blake Dawson was previously known as Blake Dawson Waldron or BDW, however, the firm shortened its name to Blake Dawson in November 2007.http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/articles/Blake-Dawson-changes-its-stripes_z136778.htm]

History

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 and William Streets 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. Blake & Riggall and Dawson Waldron mergered in 1988. From the early years, Blake Dawson played a significant part in the legal system in 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 major commercial centres in Australia as well as important centres in the Asia and Pacific regions. Two further Asian offices were established, Jakarta in 1988 and Shanghai in 1995. In 2007 the firm underwent re-branding, and as part of this project, shortened its name to Blake Dawson .

Awards

*8th consecutive citation as Employer of Choice for Women, 2008 (EOWA) [http://www.eowa.gov.au/Information_Centres/Media_Centre/Media_Releases/2008_EOCFW.asp Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace]

*Best West Australian Firm, [http://www.brw.com.au/awards/aboutcca.aspx "BRW Client Choice Awards,2008"]

*Law Firm of the Year, Australia and Oceania, [http://whichlawyer.practicallaw.com/which/whichlawyer.do "PLC Which lawyer? Law Firm Awards, 2008"]

Community work

Blake Dawson is one of only two Australian law firms to employ a full time pro bono partner. The firm has a strong tradition of pro bono work and since 1999 it has maintained a formal, national pro bono program. In 2007 Blake Dawson committed 22,000 hours of pro bono legal services acting for 407 people and organisations. Also, in 2007 Blake Dawson became a foundation signatory to the [http://www.nationalprobono.org.au/home.asp National Pro Bono Resource Centre] target, undertaking to perform an average of at least 35 hours pro bono work per lawyer per year.

References