Allens Arthur Robinson (AAR) has fought off competition from a host of other Australian firms to act as official law firm for the Rugby World Cup 2003.
Rugby World Cup Lim-ited managing director Mike Miller said: “This is the first time that Rugby World Cup has formally selected and appointed an official law firm for a Rugby World Cup tournament.”
Jonathan Cocke, senior international vice-president for IMG, the events company managing the tournament, confirmed that the tender for legal services was essentially a local tender, adding that there had been significant interest not just from firms across Australia.
AAR will provide legal advice on matters across the board, with a particular emphasis expected on intellectual property (IP), sports law, broadcasting and commercial issues.
AAR has considerable experience in the sports law arena, having previously advised on the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the Aus-tralian Formula One Grand Prix and Motorcycle Grand Prix. It has also been advising the Australian Cricket Board for the past 20 years.
The team will be led by TMT/IP partners Richard Alcock and Jim Dwyer.