W H Carson founded the firm in 1852, a distant time in which Queen Victoria was a young woman of twenty two and it would be thirty six more years before Belfast would become a City.Sir Alexander McDowell completed the founding members of the firm.He dominated the legal fraternity in the early years of the twentieth century.From the senior firm, Carson & McDowell, evolved a junior firm which became Carson Baillie Johnston & Thom.In the dark days of the depression in the 1930’s the senior firm declined while the junior firm prospered.Ultimately Carson Baillie Johnston & Thom acquired Carson & McDowell.The two practices were carried on in parallel at 41 to 51 Royal Avenue, Belfast.In the late 1960’s the decision was taken to merge the junior firm name in the venerable senior firm name and to continue practising as Carson & McDowell.
We can date the modern era of Carson McDowell to the day in March 1974 when a terrorist blast bomb destroyed the Royal Avenue offices.
That necessitated our relocation, somewhat hesitantly, at Murray House, Murray Street, which was then a few steps more from the High Court building than the accepted norm.Very quickly, however, the backwards glances stopped and we became very attached to our outlook over the lawns of RBAI, an outlook unrivalled in Belfast.When in 1999 we had the opportunity to relocate, with very little difficulty we committed to remaining in Murray House expanding on to three floors, redesigned as modern work spaces to enable us to strike out enthusiastically into the twenty first century.
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