A NORTH Yorkshire legal firm has expanded its North-East presence.

Hodgsons and Mortimer Solicitors, which has offices in Darlington and Richmond, has been rebranded as Newtons Solicitors.

The name change means Newtons Solicitors Group has seven offices, including sites in Harrogate, York and Ripon.

The company has also made an appointment at its Darlington base, with commercial property lawyer Gareth Jones joining as an LLP partner.

Mr Jones previously worked at DWF's Stockton office and York-based Denison Till.

He has experience of development work as well as advising developers, investors, social housing providers, NHS Trusts and banks.

Chris Newton, who founded Newtons Solicitors with wife Sarah in 2009, said: “Gareth is a heavyweight commercial property lawyer and is a great addition to our growing corporate team.”

Hodgsons and Mortimer was founded by brothers Nick and Richard Hodgson in 1995. Despite changing its name to Newtons Solicitors, it remains a separate business entity to the rest of the group.

The Newtons Solicitors Group has a £2.5m turnover and operates across commercial and private law legal disciplines.