The UK’s regional legal and professional services business, Knights, has hired a team of South Wales-based property lawyers as the business prepares to open a permanent office space in Cardiff.

Six commercial and residential property specialists join from Le Gros Solicitors as Knights completes a deal to buy the law firm, which has built an excellent reputation in Cardiff since 2011.

Former Managing Partner Claudia Le Gros and a team of five other professionals, including Partner Bethan Sadler, bring a wealth of knowledge and experience of the market in Cardiff and South Wales to Knights – complementing the expertise of its unrivalled nationwide network of 1,350 professionals across 32 locations.

The news is the latest step in Knights’ preparations to open an office in the Welsh capital in the coming months. It builds on the arrival of dispute resolution specialist Will Baird, corporate lawyer Stewart Knights, tax and succession planning specialist Shaun Thomas and commercial property expert Scott Keddle who were recently announced as the first wave of hires for the business’ Cardiff team.

A permanent office in the Welsh capital will be Knights’ first outside of England, reinforcing the business’ focus on providing access to the best legal experts in the country everywhere in the UK.

It comes amid a period of rapid growth for Knights – with recent acquisitions across the South East of England and Thames Valley bolstering Knights’ established presence in the South West.

David Beech, CEO of Knights, said:

"Claudia and the team bring an excellent reputation and lots of complementary expertise to Knights – and strengthen the team of specialists with experience in South Wales that we’re building.

“They are well known for great service and putting people first in their work, so they will be an excellent fit for our nationwide property team. We are confident that they will complement our existing teams in the South West and right across the country.

“We are the business that people to for legal and professional services everywhere in the UK, and this news makes that a reality in South Wales.”

For Le Gros Solicitors’ clients, joining Knights will offer access to specialists across the UK’s regional professional services business – helping them to tackle any challenge or opportunity.