Darwin Gray expands with new Gwent office

Leading South Wales commercial law firm Darwin Gray has opened a new office to cope with the increasing demand for its services in the Gwent area and beyond.

The firm’s client base in the area has grown significantly and it is also being increasingly engaged by clients further afield in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. With this in mind the firm has opened an office at Langstone Business Park, just off Junction 24 of the M4, from which they offer the full range of legal services covering every need that a business could have.

The firm was established in 2002 and has grown steadily since. In 2010 Darwin Gray was shortlisted for the prestigious UK Law Firm of the Year Award by The Lawyer magazine and both individuals and the firm itself have received numerous accolades within the legal profession.

Managing Partner Jason Smith, who lives near Abergavenny, said: “Over the last year or so we targeted Gwent and the surrounding area, having identified it as having excellent growth potential. We already had a large client base here and several of us live here and have strong connections with the area.

“Despite the economic climate, our workload in the area has grown and we’ve reached the point at which it made sense to have a permanent physical presence here.

“Our new offices are perfectly positioned for clients coming from Monmouthshire, Torfaen, Newport and further afield too – we’ve an increasing number of clients in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

“Our client base in the area is very diverse, ranging from major corporations such as Mitel to expanding local enterprises such as The Crown at Whitebrook. It’s much easier for any of them to visit us here than go to our other office in the centre of Cardiff.”

The Darwin Gray lawyers working from the Gwent office are all experienced partners in the firm. Steve Thompson specialises in commercial dispute resolution; former Pontypool and Newport rugby player Chris Crane handles a wide range of corporate commercial work; Alison Ivin, who began her career with Gwent County Council, specialises in commercial property law and still lives in the area; and employment lawyer Damian Phillips is the South Wales Representative of the Employment Lawyers Association.

Jason Smith said: “What ever commercial legal services businesses want, we can provide them all from our new office. The team is very experienced – each of them is a partner in Darwin Gray – and our rates are very competitive within the local market.

“It’s that combination of experience, expertise and affordability that has attracted clients and led to our success and we’re confident that we can continue in that vein.”