A growing legal firm has expanded with the opening of a new office.
Abid Hussain quit his job as a director and shareholder of Forster Dean Solicitors to set up Step Legal Solicitors, in Nantwich Road, Crewe, in 2019.
Now following two successful years in business, the 10-strong company has opened a new base in Stoke-on-Trent – inside the former Goddard Dunbar building on Festival Park.
Managing director Abid said: "There are a number of reasons for our success. Over the years we have built up a good reputation for our work around complex, high value cases which has allowed us to push forward – and we've had some fantastic feedback from our clients.
"At the same time we have been able to create a lot of goodwill with our clients and potential clients because we have an open door policy which means we will speak to anyone who drops in, without an appointment – even giving free advice sometimes.
"Another reason for our success is our team. We have some quality, highly experienced solicitors here at Step Legal and we are able to retain them."
He added: "We are a relatively small firm of solicitors but we have got very good coverage on the web, and we have invested a lot of money in our computer systems.
"But people still want that face-to-face contact when dealing with a solicitor – and we want to see them. So our new office is in the perfect location for clients to come and visit us at their convenience.
"We want to replicate what we have built in Crewe here in Stoke-on-Trent."
Step Legal Solicitors specialises in personal injury, medical negligence, professional negligence and conveyancing.
The new Stoke-on-Trent office will act as a 'conveyancing hub' offering services to assist with the buying and selling properties, remortgages, auction properties and equity release.
It will be headed up by director and head of conveyancing Anees Khan.
Abid said: "Since Anees joined the business he has been the driving force behind our conveyancing service and he has made a substantial difference to the business. Today we have a significant conveyancing following and a lot of that is down to him."
Head of personal injury Anna Rushton said: "We are set up to work remotely which means we can deal with clients from across the country, but the team has always practised in Stoke-on-Trent and we all live locally so it was natural progression for us to open an office here after establishing ourselves in Crewe.
"We want to recruit locally too, we are actively recruiting for experienced conveyancing solicitors for our new office."
Step Legal says the opening of its Stoke-on-Trent office is a sign of things to come – with plans to open further sites across the country in the next decade.