Wescott Law marks 90 years of service to community

Wescott Law celebrates its 90th anniversary at the Bowman Street office.  In front, from left, are Allison Ambrose, Paul Fitzgerald and Kathrine Lacey.  In back are Brett Allard, Edmund Hibbard, Rod Dyer and Sarah Young.  Not pictured are Dorcas Gordon and Robert Hemeon.  (Karen Bobotas/for The Laconia Daily Sun)

By LEAH WILLINGHAM, LACONIA DAILY SUN

In the past 90 years, Wescott Law firm has grown and changed.

When Harold Wescott opened the practice in 1927, it was a small, two-lawyer business. Now, it’s one of the largest law firms in northern New Hampshire.

But one aspect of the firm has always stayed the same: commitment to public service.

“Lawyers in this firm have been involved in just about any community activity that you can think of,” said the firm’s most senior member, Rod Dyer.

Attorneys and alumni of the firm include former mayors, such as Dyer, state senators, chairman of the the Laconia Savings Bank and town selectmen. Wescott himself served as Laconia city solicitor and Belknap county attorney in his career, before being appointed to the Superior Court bench as a judge in 1947.

Dedication to public service is a hallmark of the firm, which is based in Laconia, with satellite locations in Meredith, Portsmouth and Bristol.

“It’s not just about making money or being the top legal eagles - it’s about serving the community,” said Dorcas Gordon, an attorney at the firm since 2003. “People come to you for guidance on some of the most important issues of their lives; you want to be somebody they trust and somebody that’s fair.”

Judge Wescott retired in 1975, but his predecessors and colleagues have found ways to keep his legacy alive. Wescott’s firm, which has held various titles throughout history, was officially dubbed Wescott Law, PA in 2014.

As a business, Wescott Law has ties with the Salvation Army, where the lawyers and staff work as a team to prepare and serve lunch to up to 60 people at least once a month. The firm is also a member of the Laconia Rotary Club, which brings together business and professional leaders to benefit communities through service work.

Attorney Allison Ambrose has worked in the Circle Program, which provides female mentors for elementary school-age girls in central New Hampshire, with her mentee since 2010. Ambrose’s student will be graduating from high school this year. Through the years, Ambrose has taken an active role in her mentee’s life – the student currently works at Wescott Law part-time, helping with organization and filing.

“That’s been one of the most valuable experiences for me,” said Ambrose, who is also a current board member and former president of the Belknap Mill Society.

This kind of role model position is one that is important in the community, she said – especially for young girls.

Wescott Law alumni have included pioneers such as Sue Carbon, who was the first female member of the state bar association, and is now a judge. Last year, Wescott Law had gender parity between female and male lawyers for the first time.

Dorcas Gordon said she was inspired to become a lawyer when she saw the work her father, Edward “Ned” Gordon, did. Ned Gordon also served as a state senator and later became a district court judge in 2005.

“I saw my father go through law school and through the bar exam and I said, ‘Well, I can do that,’” she said.

Ned Gordon started studying law later in life – after a 17-year career working for AT&T. Dorcas was 13 when her father graduated from law school.

Dorcas remembers spending time in her youth at Wescott’s office on Bowman Street, which was formerly one of five elementary schools that served the city of Laconia. It was renovated in the 1980s to become the new office of Wescott Law when the firm needed to expand to accommodate its growing number of attorneys and clients. The building was originally built in 1854, and features exposed brick walls, massive windows and eleven-foot ceilings.

“It’s a special place – I remember being quite struck by it then,” Gordon said.

But Gordon said her connection with her father is not the only thing that has made Wescott Law feel like home for her.

“Our culture really is that of a family and a team,” Gordon said.

This is something the lawyers try to foster by working together on cases, Dyer said.

“We’re not a collection of lawyers separately representing clients,” Dyer said. “If we take on a client, the firm takes on that client.”

The firm has lawyers specializing in an array of practice areas, from criminal law to real estate. That makes them adept at serving clients with diverse needs, Dyer said.

Brett Allard, 27, is the youngest attorney at the firm. After he started working there full time in May of 2016, working on cases in real estate businesses and land use, he was struck by the community feel of the organization.

“Everyone is strongly connected to the community and wants to do everything they can to make it the best place possible,” Allard said.

Attorney Rod Dyer joined the firm in 1964. He played a major role in real estate and condominium development in Central New Hampshire. He also served two terms as mayor of Laconia. (Courtesy photo)