Heavy investment in staff and IT has helped a South Wales law firm to buck the downward trend in the homes market and achieve powerful growth in its conveyancing division.

Newport-based Harding Evans has recruited five new staff to continue the expansion of this specialist division, which has also taken on additional city centre office space.

This brings to 34 the number of staff in the division, which has grown rapidly through increased local market share and by securing major conveyancing contracts from large UK mortgage lenders and estate agents.

It means that, despite the worsening conditions in the housing market, Harding Evans' team continues to expand its work by securing instructions to process purchase, sale and remortgage in respect of homes right across England and Wales.

Land Registry figures show the practice is now among the UK's top firms for conveyancing work.

Spearheading the drive for further growth will be senior solicitors Wyn Williams and Heather Harry.

In addition, the division has recruited Lianne Shaw, Jude Purnell, Renee Zorilla and Joanne Powell as lead conveyancers.

Head of the division John Allison said: "We have invested heavily in both staff and IT which has allowed us to process much greater volumes of work while also improving service to clients. We were one of the first firms in Wales to install web-linked case management systems which, among other things, allow homebuyers and sellers to check the progress of their case on line.

"The department's size means we have been able increasingly to win the confidence of national companies and maintain our growth through these new markets, despite a levelling off in the housing market overall. However more than half of our conveyancing work still comes from inside Wales.

"Where there is a level playing field, price competition from outside organisations has not impacted on our local market as people still prefer a quality service at a local level," he said.

He said that the department had also boosted its business by developing systems for the rapid processing of the newly introduced Home Information Packs.

Mr Alison explained that the department has doubled the number fee earners in the past year and had just acquired additional office space at Tredegar Chambers close to the firm's main offices in North Street, Newport.

The firm is now one of Wales' largest for conveyancing and intends to continue investing in staff and equipment as the Government moves closer to a system of electronic conveyancing by 2012. This is expected to restrict this type of legal work to those firms which meet demanding criteria.

Wyn Williams said: "Our strategy is to continue improving service to clients and shortening the timescale for the completion of homes transactions, while also expanding our national markets. Technology and expertise now allow us to take on work from anywhere in England and Wales without compromising service."

He said: "We have huge opportunities to expand our share of the national market and we have assembled a highly professional team to achieve this goal. There are exciting times ahead."