HIGH-profile deals such as the £506m takeover of car dealer Reg Vardy helped law firm Dickinson Dees report a ten per cent increase in turnover last year.

The Newcastle and Teesside firm, which has also created more than 100 jobs in the past 18 months and employs more than 800 people, reported a turnover of £47.8m last year, an increase on the previous year's figure of £43.8m.

The firm expects to create another 150 jobs in the region during the next three to four years.

However, the company said that projected profit for each partner had fallen from £326,000 to £320,000.

The decline in profits was in partly due to the firm opening £4m premises in Trinity Gardens, Newcastle.

During the year, partner numbers increased from 64 to 69 and the company acted on a series of major deals, including the Reg Vardy takeover and a bid for Darlington van hire group Northgate. It also won public sector work on Building Schools for the Future projects, in Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

Managing partner Neil Braithwaite said there had been strong growth in the firm's property group, which recently took on 30 staff at two sites on Newcastle's Quayside, and at Teesdale, in Thornaby, Teesside.

Key projects, such as the development of Science City, in Newcastle, have helped fuel growth in Dickinson Dees' property division.

Mr Braithwaite said: "Our continued commitment to the region is reflected in our strong organic growth over the past year.

"The transactions we have been involved in this year prove we have the ability and expertise to handle deals at the highest level, for both leading companies and the public sector, on a local and a national basis.

"We expect this to continue into 2007 and beyond.

"We are a major employer for the region and will be taking on more people in the next few years."

Mr Braithwaite would not rule out Dickinson Dees opening more offices nationwide, but said he believed the firm operated well from its North-East base, even with its national client list.