In 1931, James Hopper was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He studied at Edinburgh University and by the mid 1950s he was spying on the Soviets from Germany in his role with the British 101 Wireless Division.

James returned to Edinburgh to train as a lawyer in a small, family-run, law business. There he married Margaret and a short time later they moved to Australia. By 1960 James was working with Henderson Ball in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Kew.

In 1963 James joined the business of Leslie Ross & Associates in the nearby suburb of Balwyn, but shortly afterwards Leslie decided to become a barrister. James took ownership of the firm which then, of course, became known as James Hopper & Associates, and James became a legend.

In 1976 James was the president of the Balwyn Rotary Club when he used his casting vote to establish the now famous Rotary Camberwell Market - making the Balwyn Rotary Club the second most financial Rotary Club in the world (a club in Texas found oil).

For over twenty years, starting after their children had finished primary school, Margaret worked with James in the business as a law clerk and administrative manager. James would emphasise the important role that Margaret played in the business.

In 2003 James and Margaret sold the business to another Balwyn legend, John Wallis, and retired from the law a couple of years later.

Eastern Bridge was established in 2009 by brothers Paul and Simon Nunan. Simon had a particular expertise in NSW property litigation and the firm was established with a view to providing property and commercial law services to clients on both sides of the Murray River.

Initially the firm was based at 380 St Kilda Road, under sub-lease from the Belgravia Group - which supported the young firm with good work. 380 St Kilda Road was also the home of the Commonwealth Bank's Royal Domain branch - which was important in those not-so-long-ago days when easy access to bank cheques was necessary. After a couple of years in St Kilda Road, the firm leased premises above the Commonwealth Bank in Balwyn and relocated. The neighbouring firm in Balwyn was James Hopper & Associates.

In 2016, Eastern Bridge took over management of James Hopper & Associates from John Wallis.

In the period since 2020, Eastern Bridge has joined forces with the operators of some other great practices: Ferdinand Zito, with over 50 years' experience in legal practice in Brunswick and Ivanhoe; Anne Oppy, with 30 years' experience delivering friendly personal conveyancing services to her large group of clients; and Kathy Wilson, a director of the Law Institute of Victoria and a major contributor to the legal profession, particularly in the practice of estate planning and estate administration.

Ferdinand, Anne and Kathy all remain on the team today.

In 2023 Eastern Bridge became the custodian of the practice of David Were upon his retirement. David is the author of the Probate Practice Manual, and for over 20 years David contributed enormously to the legal profession as the head of the Leo Cussen Institute.

In 2025 Eastern Bridge became the custodian of Geoff Dunstan's practice, Swan Hill Legal, upon Geoff's move into the role of Senior Solicitor at the Mallee Family Care Community Legal Centre. Geoff was determined to ensure that his clients would continue to have affordable quality legal services in Swan Hill. In 2026 Eastern Bridge opened premises in Swan Hill, continuing that legacy.

Today the Eastern Bridge team proudly continues to serve the clients of those businesses:

• James Hopper & Associates
• Ferdinand Zito & Associates
• In House Property (Anne Oppy)
• D.M.R. Were (David Were)
• Kathy Wilson Legal
• Swan Hill Legal