David Milne and Kyle Moir join as partners in commercial real estate and will be supported by paralegal Kirsty Smith and legal secretary Lesley Wilkinson.

Residential conveyancing will be bolstered by the arrival of Derek Petrie as a partner and Gemma Scrimgeour as a senior solicitor, along with trainee paralegal Jodi Blakeman.

Additionally, private client legal director Chris Gardiner returns to Thorntons after two years and Daisy Walker joins that team as a business admin apprentice.

All nine new recruits have joined from the Dundee office of MacRoberts.

Lesley Larg, managing partner at Thorntons, said: “Our team in Dundee is long-established and extremely well-respected, but we are always looking for opportunities to grow as part of our long-term strategic plan to be a progressive and prosperous business.

“This investment will continue to strengthen our specialist offering to clients and we look forward to welcoming the team on board. Chris was a valuable member of our team for six years and we are delighted to have him back on board to bolster our wills, trusts and tax planning team in Dundee.”

Mr Milne said: “The commercial real estate market was understandably hit hard at the peak of the pandemic, but we have seen encouraging signs in recent months. While it’s not yet as buoyant as it was two years ago, clients are beginning to move back towards investing in the market as working patterns change and hospitality recovers.

“The team and I look forward to joining Thorntons during what is an exciting and progressive period for the firm.”