Harrison Drury recruits from Napthens

Lancashire law firm Harrison Drury has hired Simon England from local rival Napthens as associate solicitor and in the commercial property team.

Owen McKenna, head of the property team at Harrison Drury, said: "Simon is an excellent addition to our firm. Our property client portfolio has grown during the past two years and it was important to find an experienced lawyer that can help our clients across complex problems."

There are now seven fee-earners in commercial property at Harrison Drury. England will advise on site acquisitions and disposals of real estate and other assets, land development, secured lending, leases and other landlord and tenant matters. He said: "Harrison Drury is clearly an ambitious firm that has built a strong reputation for its quality of work, values and investment in people. We all have some exciting opportunities ahead of us."

Harrison Drury reported 20% turnover growth this year compared to 2012, opened a new Kendal office and was accepted onto the national GrowthAccelerator scheme.

John Chesworth, managing partner of Harrison Drury, added: "We're seeing great success in sticking to our values of helping business owners and directors prevent and solve problems. Current clients are using us more and we are attracting new clients through recommendations.

"It is important we keep developing as a firm. Our training budget has increased five-fold in the past year and we have attracted a number of new specialists. Changes in the legal sector continue to unfold and our strategy is to keep one step ahead of them."

Harrison Drury employs 40 people across offices in Preston, Garstang and Kendal.