A recruitment drive at a Darlington firm of solicitors has led to two appointments. CLAIRE CONWAY has joined Latimer Hinks from Berrymans Lace and Mawer, in Stockton. Ms Conway, 22, will work on the administration and taxation of trusts.

ALEX PEEBLES has been appointed to Latimer Hinks' residential conveyancing team. The 23-year-old law graduate from Newcastle University joins following two years at Dickinson Dees, in Newcastle. Anne Elliott, partner at Latimer Hinks said: "Competition to recruit up-and-coming professionals is intensifying in the region and the level of business being handled by our residential conveyancing department is rising rapidly, so we are very pleased that Alex has agreed to join us."

l Garlands Call Centres, in Middlesbrough, has appointed RON COLEMAN as head of management information systems. He joins Garlands with nearly 20 years experience of information technology in customer services, which includes his previous role at the Department for Work and Pensions, where he was responsible for overseeing an absence management process for more than 4,500 employees. He has also worked for the Crown Prosecution Service. Chey Garland, chief executive of Garlands Call Centres, said: "We are delighted to welcome Ron on board. He has a first-class track record of delivering IT solutions in a customer service environment."

*John Lilley and Gillie, of North Shields, which manufactures navigational instruments and nautical equipment, has appointed MICHAEL HOWES as technical salesman. Mr Howes brings with him experience and qualifications in sales, as well as an expertise in technical aspects of many areas of engineering.

He said: "I am very pleased to have joined Lilley and Gillie as this is a very exciting time for the company. I very much look forward to combining my sales and engineering experience to promote an interesting system and venturing into new markets, which I always enjoy."

l LOUISE MATTHEWSON has been appointed corporate finance assistant at RHK accountants, in Gateshead. She began her career at regional development agency One NorthEast in 1991 as an assistant to the regional development director, working on inward investment projects, before joining 3i plc in 1996 to help set up its office in the North-East. She then joined the corporate finance department of an independent accountancy. She said: "I thoroughly enjoy the variety of work involved in corporate finance and am particularly excited to be joining the team at RHK at such a busy time."

l DAVID WILKIN has been appointed sales development manager at North Yorkshire Timber (NYT), in Northallerton. He is responsible for the sales team at Northallerton, one of NYT's five sales operations in North Yorkshire and the North-East. His appointment is part of a programme of growth for the company, which has recently seen a management buy-in, with entrepreneur Richard Fawcett joining as chairman.

Over the next five years, the company intends to increase turnover from £10m to £15m and recruit 25 staff, bringing the total to 125. Mr Wilkin said: "This is a really exciting time for us. North Yorkshire Timber has a reputation for supplying high-quality products, for reliability on deliveries and stock, and for providing sound advice about all aspects of timber. We will be building on that to attract new customers while continuing to take care of the customers we have supplied for many years.