History of the Firm - A Tradition of Excellence

The firm that has become Hicksons was founded by Mr W Hill late in the nineteenth century. Hill's firm became W H Hill and Weir which in 1952 had partners named Allen Lakeman and Bruce Holcombe.

On 1 April 1952 the firm joined with Raymond Hickson, a sole practitioner. From that date the firm was known for many years as Hickson Lakeman & Holcombe, carrying the names of three highly regarded lawyers:

• Raymond John Lazarus Hickson, partner from April 1952 to 30 June 1957
• Allen Roger Lakeman, partner from April 1952 to 27 August 1973, and
• Bruce Andrew Holcombe, partner from April 1952 to 21 May 1975.

The firm thrived from Sydney premises in Castlereagh Street, then Hunter Street followed by Elizabeth Street and, until August 2000, Market Street. Hicksons now occupies two floors at 2 Park Street, Sydney, and has offices in Newcastle and Canberra.

Hickson Lakeman & Holcombe changed its name to Hickson Wisewoulds on 1 August 1997 when it became part of the Wisewoulds Group. On 1 August 2001 the firm changed its name to Hicksons and withdrew from the Wisewoulds Group.

Alumni

During the period under the name Hickson Lakeman & Holcombe, many lawyers made the firm a foundation of their legal careers.

Yvonne Paterson (now deceased) was one of the first women in New South Wales to become a partner of a law firm. She was a partner of the firm from 1 July 1962 to 1 January 1967.

Several former partners have become Judges.

The Honourable Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG, who was a justice of the High Court of Australia, was a partner of the firm from July 1963 to July 1967. For a copy of his speech 'Memories of Hicksons' delivered in April 2008, please contact Hicksons Marketing and Business Development Manager on +61 2 9293 5435. 

Michael's brother, the Honourable Justice David Kirby, who is a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, was a partner for two periods, initially from July 1967 to August 1969 and then from February 1972 to March 1973.

John Bagnall, who served as Acting Judge of the Compensation Court of New South Wales, was one of the longest serving partners of the firm.  John was a partner for almost 26 years between March 1970 and December 1995.

Other prominent persons have passed through the ranks of the firm's professional staff, including:

• the Hon Justice Alan Boulton AO, formerly of the Federal Industrial Court of Australia and currently a Senior Deputy President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission and a Senior Deputy President of Fair Work Australia
• the Hon Justice Rod Howie of the Supreme Court of New South Wales 
• Her Honour Judge Jennifer English of the District Court of New South Wales, and
• senior members of the Bar, including James Poulos QC (a partner from March 1970 to February 1972), John Sackar QC and Bruce Odling.

The former NSW Attorney General, the Rt Hon. Bob Debus, was once a member of the firm's professional staff. Bob Debus also served as the Federal Minister for Home Affairs until 2009.

The firm is renowned for long service, in particular: 

• Alan Osburg, who has worked at the firm for 43 years, 31.5 years as a partner, and
• Alan Blanch, who has been with the firm for 42 years, 36 years as a partner and continuing.

For a listing of the firm's partners since April 1952, click here.

Stay In Touch

If you are an alumnus of the firm and you would like to stay in touch, please email your contact information and details of when you worked at Hicksons to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or post them to: 

Kim Knox-Thurn
Human Resources Manager
Hicksons 
Level 32, 2 Park Street 
Sydney NSW 2000