Charles Russell has appointed its first-ever chief operating officer (COO), with the firm's finance director Andy Staite set to take up the role next month.

Staite, who has headed Charles Russell's finance department since 1998 when he joined from US insurance services company Crawford & Company, will take up his new position on 1 July. The law firm has yet to appoint a replacement finance director.

The move follows an overhaul of the firm's management structure in March this year, when managing partner James Holder stepped down and the firm decided to create a new board and appoint a COO rather than a managing partner. The overhaul also saw corporate partner Mike Scott elected as the firm's chairman from 1 May.

Scott said: "Andy has been with us for a long time and knows senior management very well. We also considered a number of external candidates, and interviewed a short-list, but Andy came out as the most eligible person for the job.

"His role will involve high level co-ordination, in terms of the implementation of board decisions and overseeing the operation of our practice areas and resources to ensure that the firm continues to run efficiently."

The firm's business services heads, including accounts, IT, human resources and marketing, will now report directly to Staite.

The news comes after Charles Russell earlier this month posted 2% increases in both revenues and profits per equity partner for the 2010-11 financial year.