Launching with a team of 13, the Inverness office now employs 21 people, including three partners and nine solicitors.

With a booming property market in Inverness, the firm recently appointed Emma MacLaren, who has over a decade of experience, to become its first estate agent based in the city.

Also boosting the team is corporate solicitor Scott Kenyon. Mr Kenyon, who joined Thorntons’ Inverness office in March, specialises in corporate law and advises businesses on a wide range of legal matters, including mergers and acquisitions, contract negotiations, and corporate governance.

Paul Adams, partner and head of Thorntons’ Inverness office, said: “There was a notable gap both in Inverness and the wider Highland and Islands market for an experienced law firm which can handle a wide variety of complex and largescale legal matters, and we have created a team that can confidently undertake and deliver on this type of work.

“Thorntons is one of the country’s largest and most adept independent law firms, which acts as an accelerator for clients and for Scotland. There are outstanding opportunities for growth in the local area, and after building up a strong presence in the marketplace in our first year, our focus is now on developing our team further and nurturing our network to drive forward progress.

“As locally based advisers, we take great pride in seeing the impact of our work on a daily basis. It’s really rewarding to know the wind turbines we have been involved with are supporting the production of clean energy, or to visit a café which our team has assisted. It’s an incredibly exciting time for the Highlands and the diverse legal services we offer can help the region to thrive.”