The firm has appointed three new solicitors: Niamh Dunford, who will work in the disputes team, Jenna Doherty in the commercial team specialising in employment and licensing law and Chris Fox who joins the property team specialising in domestic conveyancing.

In addition, McKees has appointed three new trainee solicitors who will undertake a two-year training contract. Grace Shaw, Sean Paul McKenna and Kate Cafferkey will develop a strong foundation of legal knowledge and gain experience in a range of teams including corporate and commercial, banking and financial services, property and dispute resolution.

Chris Ross, managing partner of McKees said: “McKees continues to grow and evolve. We have experienced a marked increase in our client base over the last 12 months and have introduced new specialisms, most recently seeing a rise in business within the hospitality sector. Our people are our best asset and we value the importance of supporting them at every level of their career. A key part of our growth strategy is investing in our people as this not only helps us retain the highly-experienced people we have, but also helps us attract enthusiastic new talent to join our team.

“We were delighted to appoint three new solicitors as well as helping to support the future talent of our industry with three new trainee solicitors joining our 2022 Trainee Solicitor Programme. Our new solicitors are joining very busy teams across our varied specialisms and I am confident that they will all make excellent additions and help to support our continued growth.”

He added: “Our three new trainees will have the best start to their career being supported by some of Northern Ireland’s best legal minds. We are very proud of our Trainee Programme and the role it plays in helping to shape and develop the talent of the future.”