Birmingham legal firm Buller Jeffries is set to expand with the incorporation of smaller rival Dawkins & Grey.

The deal goes through next Monday - the six-strong D&G team will move from their base in the Jewellery Quarter to Buller Jeffries' Bennetts Hill offices.

It will be a major boost for BJ's commercial property and private client arm.

Judy Bonegal and Roger Williams both join as partners from Dawkins & Grey.

Ms Bonegal's experience includes property work for charities and housing associations as well as residential conveyancing, wills and probate, whilst Mr Williams specialises in commercial property, trusts and probate and general property work. He is also the Consul for the Netherlands.

The shake-up also sees the promotion to partner of BJ's Clive Vernon.

He has been head of the commercial property and private client department since he joined Buller Jeffries from Eversheds in early 2005.

He has over 20 years' experience in commercial property and will head up the newly enlarged team of 13.

With Dawkins and Grey on board, Buller Jeffries has 11 partners, six associates and more than 60 staff based at its Birmingham and Coventry offices.

Both firms have close connections with Birmingham Law Society. Ms Bonegal is a council member and editor of Bulletin, the Society's regional magazine, and partner Caroline Coates is current deputy vice-president.

Roger Coates, senior partner at Buller Jeffries, and father of Caroline, said: "Whilst Buller Jeffries has a national reputation for our specialist insurance litigation work, our commercial property and private client practice has also grown substantially over the past 12 months under Clive's leadership.

"The inclusion of Dawkins & Grey provides the ideal platform for future growth. Judy, Roger and their team have a great deal of experience and a loyal and expanding client base.

"This, combined with the shared ethos and values of our two firms, gives Buller Jeffries a strong proposition going forward."

Ms Bonegal added: "We are delighted to be joining such a like-minded firm as Buller. Both firms have strong, established roots in the Midlands and the commercial property and private client practice is flourishing."

Buller Jeffries was established in 1870 whilst Dawkins & Grey was formed as a partnership shortly after the end of the Second World War.