John Crabtree OBE, the award-winning former senior partner at Wragge & Co, has been unveiled as chairman of a new online legal jobs website.

Crabtree was widely acclaimed for his role in the formidable growth of Wragge & Co, from a provincial Birmingham firm in the recession-hit early 1990s, to a leading national and international practice, culminating in his being named Lawyer of The Year in 2003.

He has now taken the helm at online legal job board, comparelegaljobs.com, a website specifically designed to address the traditional frustrations of law firms and candidates by allowing them greater control of the entire application process.

Comparelegaljobs.com aims to respond to the changing needs of the market by combining the benefits of a traditional agency and a job board at a fraction of the price, with applications being processed either via the employer's dedicated microsite or through an in-house recruitment team.

Crabtree, who during his 12 years as senior partner at Wragge & Co presided over a 400% expansion and a growth in turnover from £13m to more than £80m, will assume a lead role in developing the commercial framework and strategy of comparelegaljobs.com, lending his considerable industry background to support joint directors, Tim Bates and Charles Magill.

He says: "Comparelegaljobs.com has the potential to represent a real watershed in the legal recruitment market as it promises to deliver a genuine alternative for employers and candidates alike.

"Our business will deliver a more tailored approach and a transparent process that meets the specific criteria of candidates and individual businesses, including diversity protocols, cost requirements and levels of control throughout.

"It's all about doing the right things in the right way and I fully expect comparelegaljobs.com to become the benchmark model for other job boards to follow."