History
Established in 1885, Maddocks dates from the boom years of the late 19th century when gold brought prosperity and architectural grandeur to Melbourne.
Joe Maddock and Arthur Johnson founded the firm on 1 August 1885 at the height of Melbourne’s land boom as a small legal partnership servicing clients from an office on the corner of Collins and Queen Streets.
For much of the twentieth century it was dominated by two families – the Lonies and Chisholms – and was known as Maddock Lonie & Chisholm from 1940. Lyston Chisholm's son Don Chisholm OAM still works at the firm in the Private Clients practice.
The firm survived the depression of the 1930s and the mergers of the 1980s to reposition itself in the 1990s as a modern and sophisticated law practice which, in 2002, expanded to Sydney and by then numbered 200 people.
In its 126th year, Maddocks is ranked as one of Australia's top twenty law firms and is made up by 63 partners and a total of more than 450 people - over 300 people in Melbourne and over 100 in Sydney.
Our strategy has been to expand our practice and extend our services while maintaining the client focus that is a cornerstone of the firm. Today we provide all the services required to meet the local, national and international legal needs of the global business community.
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