Ashurst is a British multinational law firm headquartered in London. It has 30 offices in 18 countries across Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.[1] Ashurst is 55th in the list of 100 largest law firms in the world by revenue,[2] and 6th in the list of largest UK law firms by revenue.[3]
Its principal business focus is mergers and acquisitions, corporate and structured finance.[4] The firm also has practices in other areas including investment funds, antitrust, energy, transport and infrastructure, intellectual property, IT, dispute resolution, financial services, tax, real estate, regulatory, telecommunication and employment.[5] In April 2026, the partners of Ashurst and Perkins Coie voted to merge the two law firms to form Ashurst Perkins Coie.
History
Ashurst Morris Crisp
The firm was founded by William H. Ashurst in 1822. John Morris, and Sir Frank Crisp were recruited to the firm in the 1860s.[6]
Growth and Financial Crisis
In November 2008, the firm voted in corporate partner Charlie Geffen to succeed Geoffrey Green as senior partner.[7]
Combination with Blake Dawson
On 1 March 2012, Ashurst merged its Asian business with that of Australian law firm Blake Dawson, a member of the Big Six, Blake Dawson being renamed as Ashurst across all offices. Ashurst also gained new offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Jakarta, Melbourne, Perth, Port Moresby, Shanghai and Sydney. This significantly increased Ashurst's resources in the energy & resources, infrastructure and financial services sectors.[8]
Combination forming Ashurst Perkins Coie
On 17 November 2025, Ashurst announced a merger with the Seattle-headquartered firm of Perkins Coie LLP, to form Ashurst Perkins Coie, with 3,000 attorneys.[9] The following April, the partners of both firms voted in support of the merger.[10]
External links
- Ashurst website
- Profiles in the Chambers Student Guide, and on RollOnFriday and the Cambridge University Law Society website.
- Ashurst – Blake Dawson Merger
References
- What we do Ashurst, retrieved 18 November 2025^
- law.com www.law.com, retrieved 2024-07-14^
- The 2023 Global 200 Ranked by Revenue Law.com International, retrieved 2024-07-14^
- Ashurst website retrieved 25 November 2010^
- 165 Fleet Street. Ashurst - True Picture - Chambers Student Guide www.chambersstudent.co.uk, retrieved 2024-07-14^
- Ashurst Non-billable, retrieved 18 November 2025^
- PE in Power Private Funds CFO, 1 November 2008, retrieved 18 November 2025^
- Ashurst and Blake Dawson announce Asia business combination and future merger plans Private Equity Wire, 29 September 2011, retrieved 18 November 2025^
- "Law firms Ashurst, Perkins Coie agree merger to create global top-20 outfit", Reuters. Retrieved November 17, 2025.^
- David Thomas. Perkins Coie, Ashurst partners approve law firm merger 13 April 2026, retrieved 16 April 2026^