Both joining the firm’s residential property and conveyancing team, Ms Heyes has been appointed as legal director and Mr Jennings as solicitor.

Ms Heyes joins from Peter Bowles + Co Solicitors where she spent almost five years as head of property law.

She brings 18 years of real estate and private client experience spanning a wide variety of residential conveyancing transactions, including sales, purchases, transfer or re-mortgages and transfers of equity, as well as commercial property acquisitions and disposals.

Mr Jennings joins following prior roles with MKB Law and Gorvins Residential and has five years of experience advising buyers, sellers and investors on a spectrum of transactions ranging from freehold to new build properties. 

Both are dual-qualified to practise law in Northern Ireland as well as England and Wales.

Complex dispute resolution lawyer Chris Francis has joined the firm as a senior associate.

He joins from Ashfords LLP in Exeter in the UK, where he spent four years whilst juggling a semi-professional rugby career playing for Taunton RFC and, more recently, Hornets RFC.

Peter Johnson has also joined Gateley’s Belfast office as QA manager and chartered engineer for Gateley Smithers Purslow (GSP), the multi-disciplinary surveying, engineering and architecture consultancy arm of Gateley.

Mr Johnson has 24 years’ experience with GSP and has relocated to Belfast from Peterborough in the UK to further diversify the office’s real estate expertise.

Alison Reid, real estate partner and Belfast office head at Gateley, said: “We are incredibly excited and proud to welcome Catherine, Chris, Chris and Peter to the team as we kick off what promises to be an exciting new financial year.

“We are always looking at how we can increase the services, skills and knowledge we can offer to our clients and each of these four bring that in abundance.

“As well as our core real estate team legal team, our complementary services include tax advice through Gateley Capitus, litigation and complex dispute resolution, and now building and quantity surveying courtesy of Gateley Smithers Purslow, creating a one-stop shop for clients to get all the advice they need.”