Our History

By 1982, the year that Brisbane hosted the Commonwealth Games in the newly built QEII stadium, our firm was steadily building confidence in the market place, much like the city itself. The developments of Sanctuary Cove and Raby Bay in 1984, and the Gateway Bridge in 1986, proved that Brisbane had started to move forward.  These developments, combined with the Stock Market crash of '87, meant that over the following years money was being taken out of stocks and being invested in property.  "They were heady days, the air was filled with energy," current Managing Partner, Chris Ward recalls.  "Those were the days of Christopher Skase and Alan Bond. Australia won the America's Cup and Australia hosted World Expo 88".  From our 24^th floor offices in what was then the MLC building, we watched over the Brisbane River as South Brisbane became a hive of activity during Expo 88.  As Australia worked hard to present itself on the world stage, Cooper Grace and Ward continued to work hard at building a strong and reliable name for ourselves.  

 

In 1990, we made the move to our current office, the top tier riverside location Central Plaza 2 but just as it seemed as though things could only get better, Australia's economy hit hard times with the recession of the early 90s. Chris Ward remembers the time as "really tough" but admits it provided an opportunity for the firm to learn a lot of valuable lessons about our structure and direction as a business.

 

 

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During the mid 90s, as the economy began to grow stronger so did the firm, and in 1996, the year that John Howard became Prime Minister, in a decision that was described by Chris Ward as "consolidation, growth and moving forward with a kindred connection", we merged with another commercial firm, Thompson King Connolly. By 1998, the dynamics of the firm had matured. We understood our capabilities and where we stood in the marketplace, and consequently the firm grew consistently over the following years.

 

In the year 2000, Brisbane was fast growing as an alternative for business from Sydney and Melbourne as major international companies such as Virgin Airlines, Boeing Australia, Mincom and Billabong set up their head offices in Queensland. The growth in Brisbane over these years as a thriving business district meant that Queensland rapidly became Australia's fastest growing economy.

 

This exceptional growth in Brisbane is just one reason that underpinned our strategic decision to move forward from March 2006 as an independent Queensland based firm that services local, national and international clients, under the name of Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers. Chris Ward explains: "If you look at the phenomenal growth that's happening here in Queensland at the moment, we want to take advantage of that. By being independent we have a much stronger chance of doing so." This change has met with great support from our clients and our team. It enables us to best meet the future needs of our local, national and international clients and the aspirations of our people.

 

In Early 2008, Cooper Grace Ward announced they will be expanding into a planned five star green building at 400 George Street, Brisbane in September 2009.

Chris Ward, Managing Partner said that the move is driven by the need for more space to accommodate the continuing growth of the firm.

With the firm seeing growth in team members by 15%, and revenue 18% for the year ended December 2007, Cooper Grace Ward is well positioned to continue to benefit from the dynamic Queensland market place, particularly in the commercial and property sectors.

In the new premises, covering 4,300m2 over three floors, the firm will offer all team members a state of the art working environment compared to the current 2,900m2 occupied in Central Plaza 2.

A major deciding factor in the new location was the “available facilities for team members, including a gym and child care centre in the building, close proximity to a range of public transport as well as an exclusive rooftop entertainment area which overlooks the CBD.” said Ward.

The new A-Grade commercial building, situated in the Northern Quarter Precinct, will also provide easy access to green spaces, shopping, cultural and entertainment venues in both the CBD and South Bank via the proposed Tank St Foot Bridge.

In addition, 400 George Street will be within the heart of the Supreme Court Precinct announced in June 2007.

“It is no secret that over the past 18 months we have placed significant focus on our culture, our team and their development and the offerings of 400 George Street fit very comfortably within our focus,” said Ward.

“The lead up to September 2009 when 400 George Street will be completed will be an exciting time for all team members at Cooper Grace Ward”.

 

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