THE man who helped a teenager win her dispute with Warner Bros over Harry Potter has joined a North-East law firm.

Matthew Rippon has joined Watson Burton as a senior solicitor, specialising in intellectual property and information technology.

In his last appointment, with law firm Prettys, in Ipswich, he represented 15-year-old Claire Field, owner of the website www.harrypotterguide.co.uk

Warner Bros had threatened legal action if Claire did not transfer her domain name to them, claiming it infringed a trademark. Mr Rippon, 33, succeeded in persuading the multi-billion pound corporation to back down.

"This work gives me the chance to be involved in the rapidly changing technology industry, which I find fascinating," he said.

"There are so many developments going on all the time, and many of them present new challenges in applying the law."

The appointment comes as turnover at Watson Burton soared by 28 per cent in the past year - a record increase.

Andrew Hoyle, senior partner, said: "We have a talented partnership who understand the importance of building strong relationships with clients.

"The personal approach hallmarks our work, whether we are working with a start-up business or a multinational organisation.

"We see ourselves achieving substantial further growth in the next year. At a senior level, we will be recruiting new partners from across the country."