FURTHER expansion at Hempsons solicitors in Harrogate has been triggered by five new appointments.

Senior corporate lawyer Ross Clark has been recruited to create a new Northern corporate team.

The firm is expanding its commercial, property and employment teams with the recruitment of assistants Andrew Thomas (commercial), Michael Lacey (commercial property) and Paul Spencer and Angela Gorton (employment).

Mr Clark is well known in the North of England, having been involved in mergers and acquisitions within the region for more than 12 years.

He was formerly a partner at Irwin Mitchell and has worked in Leeds, Sheffield and Hull.

He plans to concentrate on corporate transactions of up to £20million in Yorkshire and Lancashire and will also operate from Hempsons' office in Manchester.

He has hit the ground running by overseeing a management buy-out of JSC International of Harrogate from its US owners, and acting for a French group with a turnover of more than £200 million in its acquisition of a Lancashire group of companies.

Mr Thomas joins Hempsons from construction and infrastructure company Jarvis plc.

Mr Lacey was head of the Co-operative group's property legal team for six years. Angela Gorton joins from Hammonds as an experienced employment lawyer, whose former major client was the Royal Mail.

Mr Spencer, who has ten years' employment law experience, joins from Laytons.

Updated: 11:37 Thursday, February 03, 2005