A NORTH-East law firm thought to date from the 18th Century has gone into administration.

Around 50 people could lose their jobs with the collapse of Swinburne and Jackson, which has offices in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, and in Gateshead, Ryton and Washington, Tyne and Wear.

The company offered services in areas including company and commercial law, employment issues , conveyancing, wills and probate and family and civil litigation.

The firm’s website is suspended and its telephone lines no longer operate.

It is understood that on Monday (February 3) the firm called in administrators Gordon Goldie and Matthew Higgins, of Newcastle accountancy firm Tait Walker.

The authority will ensure the firm’s affairs are in order to ensure clients are taken care of.

Authority officials will make contact with Swinburne Jackson clients in due course.

One client of the firm said she understood the firm had ceased trading on Friday (January 31) .

She said she had since been unable to contact anyone at the firm’s offices.

“The office has been closed and they are not answering the phone. Also the website has been suspended.

“I was there on the previous Monday and there was no inkling at all that there was a problem and this would happen.”

The firm , whose head office is in Gateshead, is thought to have been founded 250 years ago.