A farmer’s daughter with a talent for baking has joined the ranks of lawyers at a leading North Wales and Cheshire legal firm.

Anna Whittingham has qualified as a solicitor with Swayne Johnson, which dates back to 1854 but is also one of the fastest growing law companies in Wales.

The 26-year-old from Hirwaen, near Ruthin, will specialise in private client work and assist in agricultural matters with the company which has six offices in the area, at Denbigh, Ruthin, St Asaph, Llandudno, Bangor and Tattenhall, near Chester.

Anna, a former pupil of Ysgol Brynhyfryd, in Ruthin, gained her law degree at the University of Liverpool and continued her studies at the College of Law in Christleton before joining Swayne Johnson in 2014.

She said: “I wanted to study law because it was such a varied subject but after gaining experience at various firms during my degree I then decided that I wanted to go all the way.

“I never really thought that I would specialise in the area I work in now but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Private client is such a varied field and no day is ever the same."

The company now has six offices across North Wales and Cheshire, from Bangor in the west to Tattenhall, Chester, in the east with a total workforce of 53, including eight trainee legal assistants, with 18 staff dedicated to private client law.

Anna often works with Swayne Johnson’s agricultural law expert Caryl Vaughan and has close ties to the land herself – her father, Richard, farms in the Vale of Clwyd.

She said: “I’ve been helping with the lambing since I can remember was about six and I still enjoy getting stuck in.

“Coming from a farming family, I understand the continued challenges facing today’s farmers.

“I also love baking which I have inherited from my grandmother- her family owned the Steakhouse Restaurant and Leamington Stores Bakery in Ruthin.”