Ms Adair has joined the construction team and Mr Kerr has joined the commercial dispute resolution team following the pair’s completion of their two-year training contracts with the firm.

The duo, who were previously paralegals at Gateley, have gained real-life working experiences while undertaking the Institute of Professional Legal Studies postgraduate course.

Gateley Legal NI has also appointed two new trainee solicitors, with Toby McCullogh and Katy McDermott starting their training seats in the real estate and commercial dispute resolution teams respectively.

Commenting on her appointment, Ms Adair said: “I’m incredibly pleased to have qualified and grateful for the support I’ve had from everybody at Gateley up to this point.

“It’s been a fantastic experience and I’m really excited to be taking this next step in my career.”

Mr Kerr added: “It has been incredibly beneficial to be able to get hands-on experience of real-life cases whilst studying and I’m proud to have now qualified.

“The partners and lawyers at Gateley have been very supportive every step of the way and I’m looking forward to being part of the team going forwards.”

Alison Reid, partner and office head of Gateley Legal Northern Ireland, said: “Congratulations to Kate and Paul on the completion of their training contracts and their new roles here at Gateley.

“I have seen first-hand how hard they have both worked to get to this point and their success is richly deserved.

“We are also incredibly proud to be welcoming Toby and Katy to Gateley as trainee solicitors.

“We are committed to supporting and nurturing the next generation of talent across the region and believe that our trainee programme offers a successful pathway to future legal professionals looking to take the next steps in their careers.”