Mr Sproule joins the firm from Danske Bank, where he spent four years as its in-house legal counsel.

His main areas of expertise include mergers and acquisitions, finance and banking, and commercial contracts. Dual-qualified, he has worked for leading commercial firms in both London and Belfast.

Paul McBride, head of corporate & commercial at Cleaver Fulton Rankin, said: “The development and expansion of our corporate & commercial team has been an exciting chapter.

“We are delighted to welcome our most recent appointment, director, Stuart Sproule, who has already added a wealth of expertise and experience across a variety of sectors. We are now in a position of strength, bringing in fresh talent and a new depth of expertise to develop our corporate offering.”