A YOUNG solicitor is in the running for a top award after rapidly growing her team's revenue in the last year.

Sara Beaumont, who leads the commercial debt recovery team, and is a key member of the commercial dispute resolution team, at Bury-based Woodcocks Haworth and Nuttal Solicitors; is among six finalists in the Young Professional category of the Sub36 Awards.

The awards, run by Lancashire Business View magazine and formerly known as the Young 'Uns, recognise influential, innovative and inspiring business people aged 36 or under.

She will now head to Blackpool's Winter Gardens for the award finals on October 18.

Ms Beaumont said: “Reaching the finals of the Sub36 Awards is a great honour, not only for me but also for WHN and my team, all of whom played a key role in growing our fee income so impressively over the last 12 months.”

With Ms Beaumont's assistance WHN's comercial dispute resolution team has seen financial growth of nine per cent over the last 12 months, compared with the previous year.

The 34-year-old has also solved many complex legal issues for her clients.

Her achievement is even more impressive given that she only returned from maternity leave in July 2017, following the birth of her son Theodore.

Ms Beaumont said: “Taking time out of my career to look after Theodore was very important for both of us, and enabled me to refocus and return to work with renewed enthusiasm and determination to succeed for our clients and the firm as a whole.”

Ms Beaumont joined WHN in 2006 as a trainee, qualifying as a solicitor in 2008 and becoming a partner in 2015.

She has expertise in defending commercial interests and acts for a range of clients from sole traders to publicly listed companies.

She also provides legal advice and litigates on contractual disputes including insolvency and intellectual property cases.

When she is not hard at work advising clients, Ms Beaumont enjoys country walks with her family and greyhound.

David McCann, director at WHN Solicitors, said: “Sara is dedicated to not only making a difference to her clients, their businesses and lives, but also to the development of WHN as a firm.

"Since taking a period of leave to mother her one-year-old child, Sara has worked tirelessly to resurrect her workload by gaining new business.

“As well as overseeing an impressive nine per cent increase in her team’s fee income, Sara has been instrumental in the doubling of our commercial dispute resolution team over the last eight years, due to an increasing caseload. Just as importantly, she continues to bring in new business that helps our overall growth going forwards.”