THE law firm that acted for Newcastle United Football Club in the controversial Save Our Seats court case has merged with one of its competitors.

Winskell and Winskell successfully defended the club against legal action taken by fans angered that they were to lose their favourite seats in St James's Park.

Fellow law firm Blackett, Hart and Pratt (BHP) has merged with Winskells to strengthen its presence in Newcastle and the wider Tyneside area.

BHP is itself no stranger to high-profile work. It received national recognition for the part it played in a multi-party action against the National Blood Authority.

A total of 114 people won compensation from the authority after they contracted the Hepatitis C virus from blood transfusions, blood products and organ transplants during routine operations.

All Winskells staff, including partners Robin and Michael Winskell, will move to BHP's offices in Eldon Chambers, on Newcastle's Quayside, and will operate under the Blackett, Hart and Pratt title.

As part of the merger, Robin Winskell becomes a partner in BHP and his brother becomes a practising consultant.

The merger brings the total number of staff at Blackett Hart and Pratt's offices in Newcastle, Durham and Darlington to almost 130.

John Pratt, managing partner of BHP, said: "The merger with Winskell and Winskell now means we are able to offer our clients in the Newcastle area the same complete range of specialised legal services already enjoyed by clients served by our Durham and Darlington offices."

Robin Winskell said: "The merged firm will create one of the strongest litigation teams in the North-East. Independently, the firms have handled two of the region's most high-profile cases in recent years."