TEES Valley law firm Tilly Bailey & Irvine Solicitors has been honoured at The Tees Valley Law Society Annual General Meeting.

Helen Lyne was sworn in as the Society's youngest ever president, while Martin Levinson was awarded for his 40 years’ service to the legal profession.

Mrs Lyne said: “Being appointed as president is such a tremendous honour for me. I am very excited for the year ahead and I look forward to working with my colleagues at the society, promoting the work that it does across Teesside.”

She replaces Helen Scourfield in the role.

Mrs Lyne, who qualified as a solicitor in 2012, was the Senior Vice-President of the Tees Valley Law Society for the last year and is also a member of the Education and Training Committee. She is a solicitor in the firm’s commercial litigation team which recently won the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Team of the Year Award at the Northern Law Awards.

Mr Levinson said: “Receiving this award is a real privilege and the last 40 years as a solicitor, the last 25 spent as a Partner at Tilly Bailey & Irvine Solicitors, have flown by.

“I have enjoyed being part of the local business community, even during the recent very testing times which are hopefully now behind us.”

Mr Levinson, who is a partner at the firm, specialises in Commercial Property transactions and is known for his friendly and approachable style.

John Hall, Managing Partner at Tilly Bailey & Irvine Solicitors added: “For both Helen and Martin to be honoured in this way stands testament to their contribution and dedication to the legal profession.”