Law firm Gordon Brown Associates has appointed award-winning legal secretary KAYE JOHNSON-WALKER to its Chester-le-Street team.

Ms Johnson-Walker won an Institution of Legal Executives (Ilex) award as a Student of the Year at Darlington College of Technology, where she studied for a professional diploma in law.

Before joining Gordon Brown Associates, the 22-year-old spent four years with legal firms in the south of the region, working with lawyers in personal injury, family law and litigation.