Porter Dodson, a UK Top 200 law firm, has today merged with the highly regarded local solicitors, Austen Whetham & Guest of South Street, Bridport.

AWG has an excellent reputation, an expert team and a long list of loyal clients having been established for many years in Bridport. Porter Dodson will integrate the office with its own network across Dorset and Somerset, and AWG clients will continue to benefit from working with the people with whom they have excellent working relationships: Scott Bowley, Elizabeth West, Lorraine Burkey, and Neil Crew.

Their clients will also have access to a greater depth of expertise and breadth of knowledge of a larger, regional law firm, with Porter Dodson able to offer a wide portfolio of corporate and commercial legal advice.

Robert Fox, Managing Partner, said: “We are delighted to welcome the AWG team to the Porter Dodson family and we are very excited about the mutual benefits we can offer to clients old and new. This is the next phase of a programme of growth that sees Porter Dodson go from strength to strength by putting its clients first alongside its own people and being local to both.”

Scott Bowley, Partner (formerly AWG), said: “From the outset in the discussions with Porter Dodson we wanted to put our clients and staff first. It was obvious that Porter Dodson shared these values and has a clear vision to bring about excellent client care, building long standing relationships with those clients and not just focusing on a single transaction. We very much look forward to the future as part of the larger firm.”