DWF to merge with niche London practice

LAW firm DWF, which has a large Birmingham operation, has signed terms to merge with niche legal practice Watmores.

Watmores specialises in providing specialist services to a client base dominated by insurance firms, the transport sector and local authorities.

The merger, which is expected to complete in May, will support the One Snowhill-based firm’s planned national and international growth strategies by strengthening DWF’s insurance, rail and local authority sector capabilities, deepening relations with the firms’ shared insurance clients and growing its client base of rail operators and local authorities.

DWF is hoping that that through its merger with Watmores, it will become one of the UK’s largest law firms for local authority work.

The news follows a period of strategic growth for DWF, as it has expanded from a two-office North West firm in 2006 into one of the UK’s top 20 legal businesses.

DWF now employs more than 2,500 people operating across 13 locations in the UK, Ireland and Dubai.

Led by partners Simon Johnson and Ron Mullins, Watmores is a circa £2.5m turnover limited company with a strong reputation for delivering dispute resolution and litigation insurance services to a long-standing insurer client base which includes many of the UK’s major insurers, as well as a significant number of local authorities and rail operators.

Based on Chancery Lane in London, the firm employs 26 people including five partners and directors, all of whom will move into DWF’s London office in the landmark Walkie Talkie building.

DWF’s public sector capability will also be enhanced through the merger with Watmores, which acts for 13 of the 32 local authorities based in London.

Caroline Coates, executive partner for DWF’s Birmingham office, said: “This is fantastic news for the business. DWF has a strong presence in the insurance market and today’s merger will further enhance our national practice, whilst strengthening our sector expertise across the business.”