Crutes Law Firm has appointed ROSEMARY WATSON as assistant solicitor and Sharon Dunston as legal executive.

Ms Watson, a wills and probate expert, will work with partners Charles Attenborough and Stuart Hamilton. She will be dealing with wills, trusts, probates and powers of attorney, with a particular focus on tax-efficient estate planning and safeguarding assets for the next generation.

She previously worked at Wilsons Solicitors, in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and moved north, with her husband and young children to be closer to her family.

Ms Dunston joins as a legal executive in the residential domestic conveyancing department and has six years experience. She qualified as a legal executive last June and is studying to become a solicitor.

Crutes has offices in Teesside, Newcastle and Carlisle. It employs more than 200 staff and has 23 partners.