Dickinson Dees has been appointed to the education watchdog Ofsted's national panel for work under the Children Act 1989.
The firm will advise Ofsted in relation to new child minding and daycare legislation.
Ofsted has divided the country into eight regions. Dickinson Dees will look after the North East, carrying out criminal prosecution and family work.
Family law associate Fiona Ryans said: “Ofsted wrote to us because we already did quite a bit of work for the Department of Trade and Industry and the Treasury Solicitor.”
The firm was originally approached to service the entire area from Northumberland down to Yorkshire. However, given Dickinson Dees' North East location, it was not thought prudent to accept instructions for Yorkshire.
Ryans said: “We couldn't do the whole of Yorkshire as the work involves appearances at magistrates courts and tribunals, sometimes on an emergency basis. It was not feasible to do it all.”