A TEES Valley solicitor has been named one of the 50 most influential lawyers in Europe by the UK's leading legal magazine.

Claire Vaughan, 43, from Eaglescliffe, is a non-executive director of TTE Management and Technical Training and the European legal director for Smith & Nephew.

The magazine Legal Business has named Europe's 50 most influential general counsel in its survey Masters of Your Universe.

The report about Mrs Vaughan states: "Claire combines shrewd management of external law firms with an enjoyment of getting involved in a hands-on way in particularly strategic or difficult matters."

It adds: "Vaughan wins plaudits in the market for transforming Smith & Nephew's UK legal function into an effective team that handles a large volume of work internally, as well as effectively managing the company's external advisers."

Mrs Vaughan attended Grangefield Grammar School in Stockton and Stockton Sixth Form College. She started her legal career at Merritts in Yarm and went on to become a lawyer at Tioxide and ICI. She still lives in Eaglescliffe with her husband and two daughters, and commutes to Smith & Nephew near York.

Mrs Vaughan was flattered to receive such compliments. "It demonstrates that not all of Europe's senior lawyers are based in London or other capital cities," she said.

"There is a thriving profession here in the North of England and we are well placed to make a significant contribution to the way European law is interpreted and applied in international businesses."

Mrs Vaughan said that, in a legal environment in which the lawmakers were increasingly focusing on regulatory and compliance issues, following financial scandals such as Enron, more and more large UK firms need effective and well informed in-house legal support.

"At Smith & Nephew, and on the board at TTE, advice is needed for a wide range of decisions," she said. "Businesses need the advice to be accurate and timely to ensure they are in the best possible competitive position to earn profits and secure employment."