A lawyer who spent ten years as a professional rugby player has been recruited to Thursfields Solicitors’ expanding wills and estates team in Worcester.

Cerith Rees was a fly-half for various clubs in Wales, France and England, and his career highlights included representing Wales against the French Barbarians in 2000 and playing for the Barbarians in 2011.

After his rugby union career, he became a paralegal at New Law Solicitors in Cardiff in 2012, and then worked at Bridger and Co in Llandovery from 2013, where he trained as a solicitor and became a director.

Mr Rees, who has specialised in wills, estate administration and lasting powers of attorney, has joined Thursfields as a solicitor.

He said: “I’ve just moved to the Worcestershire area and was impressed at the outstanding reputation that Thursfields has in this region.

“I wanted to move to a modern, progressive law firm that strived to put the customer first, and I feel confident that I’ve joined a very bright and positive team here in Worcester.

“Since playing rugby, I’ve enjoyed building a very different career in law and hope to continue making progress here at Thursfields.”

Thursfields’ director Shane Miller said: “We’re pleased to welcome Cerith to our Wills and Estates team here in Worcester.

“It’s always interesting to recruit people from different backgrounds, and I know several of our staff and clients will be intrigued to learn from Cerith what it was like to be a professional rugby star.

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“But away from the playing field, we focus on legal and people skills here at Thursfields, and Cerith has impressed us with his application and focus.

“We’re confident he will make a great team member here in Worcester and I personally look forward to watching how his career continues to grow with us.”

Mr Rees has joined Thursfields at the same time as Ruth Baker, who was recruited as associate director of its Wills and Estates team in Worcester after spending seven years at Willans Solicitors in Cheltenham.

Thursfields Solicitors is one of the region’s longest established and reputable law firms, with more than 150 staff in seven offices across Worcestershire and the West Midlands.