Kester Cunningham John chief executive Simon Smith and Ashton Graham managing partner Alan Brown will be merging their companies.

TWO East Anglian law firms have signed on the dotted line to become one.

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THE merger of two East Anglian law firms has been completed.

Ashton KCJ began trading at the weekend, with the merger of Ashton Graham and Kester Cunningham John (KCJ), which together employ 285 people around the region.

The merged business becomes one of the largest law firms in East Anglia, with geographic coverage in all the main commercial centres along the A14 and A11 corridors.

The firm will be targeting three core markets – services for businesses, for individuals, and injury-related cases.

Simon Smith, currently chief executive of KCJ and who will fill the same role within the newly-merged firm, said: “The merger is a key step which provides us with the scale, expertise and resources needed to offer high quality services in a progressive way, and in tune with the changing legal market place.

“Ashton KCJ will have even greater specialist capability and the opportunity to lead the market with innovation in the way in which services are provided.

“Ashton KCJ’s brand development process included asking clients how they viewed the two firms. A consistent theme emerged: the firms’ lawyers are perceived as having ‘cool heads and warm hearts’.

“Building on this, our aim now is to deliver exceptional client service, every time,” he added.