As the economy sees signs of renewed growth, a new survey reveals that this optimism is mirrored in the legal sector.

Harwood Solicitors opened its offices in Blackburn in November 2011 with dynamic brothers Zabair Afzal and Shoaib Afzal at the helm.

Zabair said: “We recently moved into larger premises. Harwood Solicitors has expanded over the last two years from two people to now having 15 staff members.

“We are looking to expand further in the near future which means taking on more staff and creating exciting opportunities for local people.

“However, we have to grow within our boundaries in order to maintain that growth.”

Harwood Solicitors specialise in criminal law, personal injury, industrial disease and motoring offences.

Whilst recent legal proposals by the government have been met with widespread criticism in the legal profession Zabair admits: “Personal injury has been in the news so much recently. New legislation and a more stringent regulatory climate has tightened things which means personal injury is no longer financially viable.

“However, whenever there is a change in the market, you have to adapt and move forward.”

Zabair talks passionately about Harwood Solicitors life outside work. “We really make an effort to foster the development of personal relationships with people we meet and the clients we interact with.

“But in addition to that we like to get ourselves involved as often as possible in charity initiatives. It is important as we expand, to give back to our community who has given us so much.

“Last year one of our projects was sponsoring the prestigious Fusion Awards.

“We also get involved in local sporting events, including boxing tournaments.

“We acknowledge the importance of encouraging youngsters to keep active and engage in physical activities.

“We believe our success is as a result of positive initiatives such as these which allow us to serve the community and to be involved in its growth and development.”

Zabair said: “We are looking forward to growing over the next year. This is a rapidly changing market and you have to be responsive. It is important to have great people in the right place “A law firm is only as good as the solicitors it has.”