Ashurst

But she shrank back, till her passionate little face and loose dark hair were caught among the pink clusters of the apple blossom.

Ashurst raised one of her imprisoned hands and put his lips to it.

He felt how chivalrous he was, and superior to that clod Joe, just brushing that small rough hand with his mouth.

Her shrinking ceased suddenly.

She seemed to tremble towards him.

A sweet warmth overtook Ashurst from top to toe.

This slim maiden, so simple and fine and pretty, was pleased then at the touch of his lips.

And, yielding to a swift impulse, he put his arms round her, pressed her to him, and kissed her forehead.

it's not a good time at the bar.

So I did, I worked at what was then Blake Dawson Waldron, now Ashurst, had a really interesting couple of years working there, fascinated to learn about the practice of the law, being a solicitor.

And I was about to go to the bar and I saw that the job was advertised in academia at ANU.

And I thought, well, maybe I'll do that.

Is that right?

They did their own investigation, and then they got Ashurst to review their investigation, and then they also called in Allens to do another investigation.

And then after the claims, it wasn't just about the locker, but after a series of claims were aired by Senator Deb O'Neill, they got Allens in again, and Allens did several more investigations.

Initially found nothing, and then eventually did find that most of the allegations were accurate.

... that, uh, well, I'll let, uh, I'll, I'll answer that this way.

I'll say, so I went into the job at Mallesons thinking, and I had done an internship at Blake & Riggel, I think it was, it was then, uh, now Ashurst.

And I'd done an internship at, or summer clerkship at, uh, Mallesons and, uh, and I loved that experience.

So I knew that I would enjoy it and I thought it'd be fantastic training.

On the point of being a leading national independent firm, there's obviously been a movement in recent years for some of the biggest players in Australia to merge with global firms.

Obviously, in the last year or so, Ashurst and Freehills merged with big US firms, and Allens did it with Linklaters a number of years back.

At the other end of the spectrum, there's been, I would say, quite a growth in the number of boutiques and, you know, sole practitioners popping up.

And notwithstanding, of course, that Mallison's recently demerged from its global entity.

I probably could name it.

Ashurst.

And I was there for... 12 years or something.

Yeah.