Based in Liverpool city centre, Morecrofts has hired seven new paralegals and trainee legal executives to work in its family law team across Merseyside. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool law firm Morecrofts Solicitors has recruited seven new members to its award-winning family law team.

All seven paralegals and trainee legal executives will be based across the firm’s network of Merseyside offices. The practice is seeing a growth in family law instructions despite the COVID-19 crisis.

They are Rebecca De Stefano, Abbie Gilfoyle and Roisin Egan, all based in Liverpool city centre, Hannah Beardmore, Kirsty Holland and Lauren Deeley Risk, working out of the firm’s Wirral office, and Josh Bourke, supporting the family law team in Allerton.

All interview and induction processes have been undertaken via video calls and online assessments, allowing Morecrofts to recruit candidates from across the region and beyond and also structure the process more flexibly. Morecrofts was named Family Law Team of the Year at the latest Liverpool Law Society Awards in 2019.

The new appointments also coincide with the awarding of three training contracts to Kathy McQuillan, Millie Gordon and Erin Spadafora, bringing the total number of trainees at Morecrofts to 11. Trainee solicitor Alex Parkington has also recently qualified and will join the commercial and litigation department.

Alison Lobb, managing partner at Morecrofts, said: “The pandemic has raised enormous personal and professional challenges for all of us and our focus as firm has been on ensuring the best possible service to our clients and protecting the wellbeing of our staff.

“Part of that commitment involves continuing to find innovative ways to attract and hire the brightest and best young talent to constantly drive our service levels forward and support the needs of our existing teams, who have all adapted so well and embraced the opportunities around virtual working.

“Virtual recruitment works well for everyone, as candidates don’t need to travel and we can arrange interviews in a more flexible way to fit with people’s diaries. The seven new recruits performed magnificently well to rise to that challenge and were able to give a great account of themselves.”