ONE of East Lancashire’s leading insolvency law firms has appointed a new specialist to its business recovery team as part of a planned expansion.

Matthew Martin will be joining Blackburn firm Napthens after completing his training contract in Cheshire and developing specialist skills and knowledge in insolvency law.

Mr Martin, a University of Sheffield graduate, will be joining Natasha Hitchin and Grahame Love in acting for insolvency practitioners, companies and creditors on a range of corporate and personal insolvency matters.

Mr Love said: “While we are expecting the business landscape to remain unpredictable for some time to come, demand for quality business recovery advice remains high.

“Matthew’s appointment is a planned expansion to extend this dedicated service to existing insolvency practitioner clients while offering added value to the firm’s wider commercial client base.”

Napthens provides legal services to businesses and individuals across the North West, employing around 240 staff with offices in Blackburn, Preston, Blackpool and the Fylde along with Kendal, Southport and Liverpool.

Mr Martin joining the firm comes hot on the heels of an expansion in earlier this month which saw seven new trainees join the firm.

Napthens CEO Shru Morris said: “Even with the ongoing pandemic, we remain committed to supporting our clients through a time of change and meeting demand for our specialist skills. Growing our own talent is crucial to both our own and our clients’ future success.”

Meanwhile the firm has also been announced as a finalist in the Independent Law Firm of the year category at this year’s Lawyer Awards.

Mr Martin will now take his place amongst new and established staff members at an exciting time for the firm.

He said: “The business recovery team is well placed to meet both the demands of our insolvency practitioner clients and the general commercial clients of the firm during these challenging times.”