SOUTH Wales-based law firm Morgan Cole has recruited a 10-strong team of specialist lawyers from a rival firm.

The team of fee-earners, headed by partner Mark Bailey and leading injury lawyer Graham Morris, has joined Morgan Cole from Gloucester-based solicitors Tayntons.

The team will be split between Morgan Cole's Cardiff and Bristol offices.

Neil McLaughlin, head of Morgan Cole's insurance practice, said, "This is a team with a national reputation, particularly in advising on catastrophic injury claims, which is an area of our practice that we have been keen to expand.

"The decision by Mark, Graham and their colleagues is a great demonstration of confidence in Morgan Cole's insurance practice."

Cardiff-based Morgan Cole employs 450 staff in offices in Cardiff, Swansea, Reading, Oxford and Bristol.

Moreover, Swansea-based law firm John Collins and Partners has taken on new staff to cope with the boom in conveyancing work the company is undertaking. The firm has seen a huge rise in business in its conveyancing department and, over the past few months, has taken on 12 staff, five of whom are fully qualified solicitors. Office hours have been extended to 8am to 8pm to enable the firm to cope with the new instructions from clients. The increased activity in the department is due to a number of factors, according to the firm, including developers offering deals on new builds, competitive market mortgage rates and a boost in interest in rural properties in Wales.

Chris Davies, partner and head of commercial property at John Collins and Partners, said, "The conveyancing department has been booming of late, the new staff we have taken on are essential to cope with all the new business coming in.

"It shows the speculation the market is set to crash could be false. I don't believe it's all doom and gloom for the housing market in Wales, but investors and buyers should tread carefully and make sure the area they are looking at is showing good potential."