b'Onward and upwardThat Allen Allen & Hemsley survived the Powles affair isin Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. At the peak of the Asian testament not only to the firms resilience, but also to theexpansion, the Allens Arthur Robinson Group had more high regard in which the firm and its people were held.points of contact in the Asia-Pacific region than any other Despite all the challenges, the firms clients largely remainedfirm, with offices in Beijing, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Jakarta, loyal. Our clients were very supportive, recalled Jamieson.Melbourne, Perth, Phnom Penh, Port Moresby, Shanghai, Theyd ring up and say, dont worry about all that.Singapore and Sydney, and associations in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo.During the 1990s the firm advised on many of Australias biggest corporate transactions, including the formationWhile Allen Allen & Hemsley and Arthur Robinson & of Foxtel, a joint venture between News Corporation andHedderwicks were expanding on the international stage Telstra which brought subscription television to Australia,together, they were also growing independently in Australia. and advising RTZ Corporation plc on the creation of the firstIn 1996 Allen Allen & Hemsley opened an office in Canberra. Australian/UK dual listed companies structure. This workIn the same year the firm merged with Feez Ruthning in was often done in conjunction with the other members ofBrisbane. It was a logical development after 150 years of the Allens Arthur Robinson Group (asthe Australian Legalclose association and the long, shared history made for an Group became known in 1994), who were among themosteasy integration.sought-after firms in Australia, and increasingly in theAsia-Pacific region. Together they opened new offices in Meanwhile Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks headed west, Port Moresby and Shanghai. following the mining boom. In 1997 it opened an office in Pertha decision which upset Allens Arthur Robinson When the Shanghai office was opened in 1994, the AllensGroup associates Parker & Parker. Arthur Robinson Group was one of only two Australian law firms with an office in China. The office advised clientsAt the turn of the century Allen Allen & Hemsley was still on every stage of their China-based activities, includingregarded as one of the top law firms in the country and was preparation and negotiation of bilingual documentation financially back on track, with annual revenue at an all-time and dispute resolution. An office was subsequently high. Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks was similarly leading opened in Beijing in 2005.the way in Melbourne. The Powles affair and the difficulties that followed were not forgotten, but they had been overcome.Further expansion in Asia over the coming years included an office in Phnom Penh and partnerships established At the turn of the century Allen Allen & Hemsley was still regarded as one of the top law firms in the country The Powles affair and the difficulties that followed were not forgotten, but they had been overcome.202'