The practice, which is approaching its 65th birthday, has taken 5,200 sq feet over two floors in the former Church House building in Donegall Street to accommodate 47 solicitors and staff.

Edwards Solicitors had outgrown its former offices in Hill Street, which is less than 200 yards from its new address.

The floors have undergone extensive refurbishment with open-plan layout divided into dedicated sections covering policing, employment law, criminal law, family and matrimonial, corporate and commercial, conveyancing, private client and litigation.

Meeting pods, fully equipped conference rooms and secure storage were key parts of the reconfiguration.

Central to the move was the firm’s determination to remain in Cathedral Quarter.

Edwards Solicitors’ managing partner, David Sturgess, said: “We were one of the first firms to put down roots in Hill Street in 1992 where there was nothing like the vibrancy and buzz that there is today.

“We wanted to remain in Cathedral Quarter and when we got the opportunity of transforming two floors in the former Church House and old News Letter offices, we jumped at the opportunity.

“Hill Street was wonderful for us but we hadn’t a free square inch of space. Our practice has expanded massively, in fact by 30 per cent in the past five years. We are confident we will experience further growth as we continue to meet the needs of our client base.”

He continued: “Our expansion reflects the faith our clients have in us since we opened in the early ’60s. The professionalism we demonstrate is right across all our specialisms.

“Our reputation as a trusted and client-focused law firm is something we are proud of and is the cornerstone of the practice.

“These new offices in Donegall Street offer our practice much-needed additional space and with it the ability to innovate in the work environment.

“We look forward to continuing to provide top class legal services to our clients with professionals who are foremost in their respective fields.”