The “Mallesons” part of our name comes from one of the Melbourne founding partners - Alfred Brooks Malleson. Malleson was born at “Richmond Hill, on the Surrey side of the Thames” in 1831. As a 25 year old London solicitor, Malleson borrowed £10 from his uncle to go to Melbourne, in 1856.
Malleson was a leading practitioner. His obituary in The Argus in 1892 recorded that his expertise was especially “in company law and in the banking business. Several of the associated banks entrusted their legal affairs to the firm, as well as a large number of leading insurance and other companies, so that Mr Malleson had always as much as he could do”.
In 1858, the firm (then called “Muttlebury Malleson and Coster”) handled the legal work to establish “The National Bank of Australasia”. Today National Australia Bank remains one of our key clients.