LAW firm Dickinson Dees is creating a commercial property department at its recently-opened York office.

The division will cover the whole of Yorkshire, with particular emphasis being placed on clients in North Yorkshire, the East Riding, Hull and South Yorkshire.

Dickinson Dees already deals with commercial property at its bases in Newcastle and Stockton, on Teesside.

The company's new York department will be led by commercial property lawyer David Stone, who is a partner in Dickinson Dees.

Mr Stone initially specialised in out-of-town retail schemes for a nationally-known furniture retailer before he switched to development.

For the past ten years, he has advised developers on a wide range of industrial, leisure, and retail projects across the UK.

He said: "I think that Dickinson Dees is large enough to provide the range of skills necessary for the in-depth legal advice required by commercial clients, but this is combined with an ethos where clients are treated as more than just a computer number on a database.

"My ambition is to develop the commercial property practice of Dickinson Dees, with my colleagues, to provide a real alternative for companies, organisations, institutions and individuals in Yorkshire."