FILES in hand, staff at expanding Southampton legal firm Paris Smith & Randall help out with an impending pre-Christmas office move in the city centre.

More than 20 employees from IT and tax and estate planning are vacating the office at 5 Brunswick Place to larger West Park House at Cumberland Place, a few hundred yards away.

The first floor at West Park House is being kitted out in readiness for the arrivals from the middle of December. They join colleagues from litigation, company commercial, employment and human resources, who moved to West Park House a few months ago from the firm's head office at Number One London Road.

Paris Smith & Randall, which has 175 staff and provides services to businesses and individuals, continues to have its headquarters at Number One, which is just across the road from West Park House.

The law firm first took up the lease at Brunswick Place, owned by property company McDowells, nearly six years ago. From early January the new tenant will be recruitment and human resources firm Hays.