The relationship between Rio Tinto and Allens antecedent firm Arthur Robinson & Co dates back to the formative years of the global mining giant.
Sir Arthur Robinson began providing legal advice to the Zinc Corporation from the formation of the company. He arranged the incorporation in 1905 and the following year managed its listing on the Melbourne Stock Exchange. Within 12 months he had undertaken more than 30 matters for the Zinc Corporation.
The Zinc Corporation's early years were challenging.
Things began to look more promising when, in April 1914, the company signed a contract with German company Aron Hirsch & Sohn for the sale of between 300,000 and 400,000 tonnes of crude zinc.
The cause for optimism, however, was short-lived. Britain’s declaration of war against Germany in 1914 had a catastrophic impact on the company. With the loss of its primary customers and no way for the company to smelt the zinc itself, cashflow quickly dried up.
In April 1915, Sir Arthur lodged an application with the Supreme Court of Victoria to recover the money owed by Aron Hirsch & Sohn for the completed deliveries. The claim succeeded through the Supreme Court, the High Court of Australia and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and was finally settled by the Anglo-German Mixed Arbitral Tribunal in February 1922, with Aron Hirsch & Sohn agreeing to make a payment of £25,000.
For more than 100 years Allens has advised Rio Tinto and its antecedent companies on transactions that have shaped the global resources sector. Today, Rio Tinto processes aluminium, copper, diamonds, gold, industrial minerals, iron ore and uranium, with operations across six continents and 35 countries. Allens has assisted Rio Tinto to establish mines, develop rail and port infrastructure and sell resources across the world. Allens advised Rio Tinto when it first shipped iron ore from Western Australia to Japan in 1966. Today iron ore is Australia’s largest export.