The firm known today as Allens Arthur Robinson has foundations stretching back to the 1820s and is the result of various mergers between Australian firms Arthur Robinson & Co, Hedderwick Fookes & Alston, Allen Allen & Hemsley and Feez Ruthning.

On 11 May 1914, just before the outbreak of World War I, Arthur Robinson & Co began trading in Melbourne. Its two founding partners were Arthur Robinson and George Forrest Davies.

The firm traded under that name until 1984 when, in response to a legal profession that was evolving by virtue of a growing number of mergers, it merged with Hedderwick Fookes & Alston - a firm with a history dating back to 1852 - and became Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks.

In July 1987, Arthur Robinson Hedderwick, Allen Allen & Hemsley, Feez Ruthning and Adelaide firm Finlaysons formed The Australian Legal Group. The Group was established to promote closer cooperation between these Australian firms without merging. There was no contract; the relationship was a commitment to refer clients and use the same publicity resources and letterhead. In 1994, the Australian Legal Group formally became the Allens Arthur Robinson Group, again in response to a series of mergers and changes among members of the Australian Legal Group.

On 1 July 2001, the firms Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks and Allen Allen & Hemsley merged to create Allens Arthur Robinson, thus becoming one of the largest law firms in the Asia Pacific region.

The firm now 850 legal staff working in offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, as well as in10 offices spread throughout the Asia Pacific, including Hong Kong, Shanghai and Port Moresby.

Total staff: 850 lawyers

Locations: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Bangkok, Beijing, Beijing IP, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Shanghai, Singapore, Port Moresby.

Click on the covers to explore the story of how each of these now national firms expanded across the continent: