Law firm Hammond Suddards today announced plans to take on hundreds of staff to help it corner the market in high-speed house conveyancing.

The firm is to recruit 250 extra staff over the next three years to cope with the massive expansion of its conveyancing and property services division, which it is rebranding as HammondsDirect.

The company, which has its headquarters in Leeds, took on an extra 100 staff last year as it saw faster and high volume property conveyancing as a great business opportunity.

The firm, which now has 280 staff at its Pennine House offices in Little Germany, will place an additional 150 workers in the Well Street building and then look for extra space in the Bradford area.

Many of them will be employed in carrying out conveyancing direct to people moving home and for major financial services firms such as the Halifax, Prudential Banking, the Bradford & Bingley and Egg.

The firm will be employing more lawyers, conveyancing staff and customer care call centre staff for the expanded operation.

The company already has three per cent of the UK conveyancing market and its investment in equipment and people, which cost £1 million last year, is expected to rapidly increase that figure.

Lucci Dammone, chief executive of HammondsDirect, said: "Our staff become a virtual department of the client's business.

"The launch of the new name is an extremely exciting time for everyone at the firm.

"Not only is it an innovative and technologically advanced service for clients, it will also provide many new jobs at our customer service centre."

The company moved the lenders' services division, the former name of the HammondsDirect business, to Pennine House in 1991 when it still had its headquarters in Piccadilly, Bradford.

It started with 125 staff as a litigation and arrears management arm of Hammonds Suddards.

In the last few years has taken on the growing conveyancing role for the firm.

Over the years the firm has emptied its Piccadilly offices, opened a plush headquarters in Leeds and developed other offices in Manchester, London and Brussels.

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