EY has launched a legal presence in Belfast with the hire of a director from alternative legal provider Axiom.

Aaron Stewart, who will join as a director, has been recruited to build a team in Belfast.

He joins from Axiom where he led a 27-strong team located in Houston, Belfast and India, supporting British Telecom on commercial transactions.

Prior to joining Axiom, he was Northern Ireland director for fellow Big Four accountant PwC.

Philip Goodstone, EY's head of law in the UK, said: "As we continue to grow our legal services team, we remain focused on finding the best talent, regardless of geographical location. Aaron brings a wealth of experience to the role and will be a real asset to our clients across the UK."

A source close to EY said the move was aimed at developing a low cost due diligence hub to support EY on deals and to offer to clients as a standalone service. However, an EY spokesperson said that it had "no immediate plans" to develop a low-cost legal hub in the UK.

EY launched its UK legal arm in 2014 when it received an alternative business structure licence from the Solicitors Regulation Authority, allowing it to practice law in the UK.

It has since expanded rapidly, building up teams led by former Addleshaw Goddard corporate boss Philip Goodstone, who is head of law for UK and Ireland, and former BLP partner Matthew Kellett, who is head of law for the financial services sector.

Recent recruits include Addleshaw Goddard's competition head Phil McDonnell, who joined EY in June as executive director and head of competition law for UK and Ireland; and Gowling WLG technology partner Richard Goold, who joined in May as a partner to lead EY's legal technology arm.

EY Law has offices in 73 jurisdictions and more than 1,700 practitioners in member firms or allied firms worldwide.