BLJ Solicitors Welcomes New Recruit Following 50% Growth Of Criminal Department

Bell Lamb and Joynson Solicitors are set to welcome a new addition to its criminal law department following 50% growth over recent years.

The North West legal firm has appointed solicitor Jim Smith, who will join the Liverpool branch in April.

With over 20 years-worth of criminal law experience, Jim is a duty solicitor and higher court advocate and in his most recent role, he headed up the criminal law department at Whitfields Solicitors in Formby.

Managing Partner at BLJ Solicitors, Mike Leeman said: “We are pleased to welcome our colleague and friend Jim Smith into our expanding team here at BLJ Solicitors within a department that has experienced significant growth over the last three years. Our team of criminal solicitors work on approximately 1,000 cases annually, including a number of high-profile hearings across the North West and further afield within the UK. With this in mind, we felt that the time was right to continue our investment into staffing to support increasing demand.

“Jim will bring with him decades of criminal law experience, having built up a reputation as a fierce, determined and loyal advocate for his clients in Formby, Southport, Liverpool and beyond, making him a real asset to our business. At his previous role at Whitfields Solicitors he supervised all aspects of criminal work from serious cases involving offences such as murder to the likes of shoplifting and fraud.”

Established in 1821, BLJ Solicitors operates from a trio of locations in Liverpool, Runcorn and Warrington, dealing with over 4,000 matter each year in areas such as criminal law, family law, conveyancing, wills and probate and personal injury to name a few.

Criminal Solicitor, Jim Smith: “I am excited to embark on this next chapter of my career at BLJ Solicitors, which has developed an incredible name for itself as one of the region’s longest standing law firms. I will continue to represent clients in my former locations but look forward to working with new clients to ensure the best possible outcome for each and every case. I’ve entered the business during a fantastic period of growth and aim to support the team in securing continuing success for the department in the coming years. I very much look forward to working with my colleagues to help put BLJ Solicitors on the map as a leading establishment when it comes to criminal law.”