International law firm DAC Beachcroft has appointed two new partners to its national Construction and Engineering practice. Warren Kemp, who specialises in contentious matters, and James Harrison, primarily a transactional construction lawyer, joined the firm on 1 November from Watson Burton in Newcastle.

Both Warren and James have significant experience of working with major clients across the housebuilding, engineering and insurance sectors. In their new roles at DAC Beachcroft, the pair will work closely both with fellow partner Roddy Gordon, who joined the Newcastle office in April, and with the national team to further strengthen the firm's construction and engineering practice.

Commenting on the latest appointments, Michael Blackburne, Head of DAC Beachcroft's national Construction and Engineering Disputes practice, said: "The arrival of Warren and James means that, together with Roddy, we will have a powerful team in Newcastle that will significantly enhance the firm's national offering of end-to-end service both for construction clients and their insurers and for our real estate clients."

He added: "These appointments are consistent with our aim to be best in class as lawyers to the construction industry. We look forward to working with them both."

DAC Beachcroft Newcastle Regional Senior Partner, David Weatherburn, said: "We are building a really interesting proposition here in Newcastle. While we aren't proposing to be all things to all clients, we are assembling a cluster of leading teams with broad reach that can match anything available regionally and beyond. Bringing in James and Warren is further evidence of that and I anticipate further similar activity before the end of the financial year."