THE countryside team at North-East law firm Ward Hadaway has been bolstered by the addition of Jonathan Thompson.

Mr Thompson has more than seven years of experience in agricultural law and rural property, and previously worked at Dickinson Dees' agricultural department in Newcastle and at Smithson Clarke's office in Alnwick, Northumberland.

The 35-year-old joins Newcastle-based Ward Hadaway today as an assistant solicitor in the multi-disciplinary countryside team, with expertise in the rural property sector.

Mr Thompson, who lives in Alwinton, Northumberland, is also a troop leader in the D (Northumberland Hussars) Squadron The Queen's Own Yeomanry, a Territorial Army regiment based in Newcastle, where he has served for 11 years.

He said: "Being in the Territorial Army has given me training in skills they do not teach at law school and which I feel complement my legal knowledge well. I have been trained in leadership and planning tools, which are useful in terms of both working on transactions and helping to run a business."

Mr Thompson is the second person to join Ward Hadaway's countryside team in nine months, following the recruitment of William Green, the former head of agriculture at Cumbrian law firm Burnetts.