Twenty-four-year-old Belew Averitt LLP, a Dallas, Texas CPA firm, has merged its practice with BDO Seidman. Belew Averitt was a member of Horwath International.

"In twenty-five years of practice, it is not often you find a firm with which you share such a uniquely compatible practice philosophy," said Jim Belew, formerly Managing Partner of Belew Averitt. "Combining with BDO Seidman is a natural fit and will allow us to offer our clients a wider array of services, including financial planning and investment management, business valuations, SEC and IPO representation, and expanded litigation support. Our clients will also benefit from the expanded geographic coverage and additional resources BDO Seidman provides."

"The addition of the professionals and staff from Belew Averitt will increase and enhance BDO Seidman's existing presence and technical skills in the important Dallas market," said Denis Field, BDO Seidman Chairman and CEO. "These partners and staff were attracted by the opportunity to access the resources of one of the largest global networks in the profession while continuing to practice in a highly entrepreneurial culture. These same factors have allowed us to grow the membership of the BDO Seidman Alliance by over 50 percent, to 60 firms in almost 90 locations, during the current year."

The new partners' strong client base in manufacturing and distribution, real estate and hospitality complements BDO Seidman's existing industry strengths. The new BDO office will total approximately 125 partners and staff.