PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners


Beginning in Manchester, Patrick Kennedy leaves Pinsent Masons to join Halliwells as partner and national head of pensions. In the firm’s Liverpool office, litigators Colin Gibbons and Fiona Parry both join from DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary.


Non-contentious construction partner Janet McCann moves to Weightmans in Liverpool from Hammonds.


In Leeds, intellectual property specialist Louise Handley joins Lee & Priestley’s commercial department from Addleshaw Goddard.


Julia Brown joins the corporate and commercial practice at Flint Bishop & Barnett in Derby from Edwards Geldard’s office in the same city.


Two are promoted to partner at Smith Partnership in the East Midlands: Ruth Jones, who heads the family law team in Burton, Swadlincote and Leicester, and Muctar Johal, a childcare law specialist. The firm now has 20 partners.


Michael Knibbs joins Shacklocks in Mansfield as head of company commercial from Eversheds.


Corporate specialist Matt Hyland joins Black country firm George Green’s Cradley Heath office from Eversheds in Birmingham.


In Lichfield, Trevor Wright is promoted to partner and head of the private client department at Keelys.


Moving south, Bedford and Milton Keynes firm Heald has appointed Caroline Wilton to head of commercial property and David Dees to head of company commercial. They are also promoted to equity partner. Heald has also promoted three to partner: Giuliana Conte (dispute resolution), Rachel Nicol (employment and personal injury) and Stephen Burridge (property).


London and north Kent firm TG Baynes promotes family law specialist Karen Ioannou to equity and Edward Lewis in the personal injury team.


In the City, Laurence Garside joins Norton Rose as an international capital markets and derivatives partner from Lovells. Also joining the team is Tak Matsuda, who moves from Allen & Overy’s capital markets practice.


Thomas Wexler joins the finance practice at Berwin Leighton Paisner from Ashurst.


Litigator David Hill-Kelly becomes the seventh limited liability partnership member of Silverman Sherliker.


Elsewhere in London, family specialist William Massey joins Farrer & Co from Manches.


Jeremy Newton joins London and Birmingham firm Technology Law Alliance from Nabarro Nathanson.


Simon Pullen joins the banking department at Howard Kennedy from Davies Arnold Cooper.




Management


John Sandford-Pike has become full-time managing principal of Surrey firm TWM, and moves from the Reigate office to Guildford.


Agricultural specialist David Lodder has become senior partner of Warwickshire firm Lodders, taking over from Nigel Phillips, who becomes a consultant after 15 years heading up the firm.




Associates/Assistants


Davies Arnold Cooper promotes four to associate in its property practice in the City: Chris Baker, Ashley Dewar, Richard Green and Tim Johnson.


Insurance litigation assistant Christian Kelly leaves Kennedys for the London office of US firm Cozen O’Connor.


Morgan Clewley moves to the London office of US firm Kilpatrick Stockton as a projects associate from Allen & Overy.


At Weightmans in London, Carys Otham moves to the public sector team as associate from City firm Barlow Lyde & Gilbert. In the firm’s Liverpool office, intellectual property assistant solicitor Sean Crotty joins from Stockport firm Gorvins.


Four assistant solicitors for William Sturges & Co: James Mackenzie joins the private client team from Blake Lapthorn Linnell in Oxford, while Sophie Breakwell (property), Jessica Long (company commercial) and William Scott (litigation) all join after completing their training with the firm.


Graham Goldspink joins Howard Kennedy’s property department as an assistant from Berwin Leighton Paisner.


Archana Hogarth joins Forsters as a senior planning solicitor from Campbell Hooper.


Criminal law assistant Matt Foot moves to Birnberg Peirce from Michael Fisher.


TG Baynes promotes seven to associate: Andrea Leiper, Carol Snazell and Damien Jones (all wills and probate), Emma Toller (family), Stephanie Power and Martin Dewar (both conveyancing), and Daniel Bridgland (commercial conveyancing).



TWM in Surrey promotes four to associate: Charlotte Adler (family), Fred Fowle (residential property), Claire Callcut and Jeremy Harcourt (both private client).


Moving east, Kathryn Wicks and Fay Barnes both leave Ellisons in Colchester to join the wills and probate team at Thompson Smith & Puxon, also in Colchester.


Staying in Colchester, business and immigration assistant solicitor Miranda Leate moves to Birkett Long from local firm Fisher Jones Greenwood.


Corporate finance assistant solicitor Ian Holden mosves to Southampton and Reading firm Lamport Bassitt from the Paris office of Ashurst.


Moving north, two family lawyers are promoted to associate at Smith Partnership in the East Midlands: Bina Modi and Melanie Bridgen.


Black country firm Higgs & Sons hires residential conveyancing associate Rowena Slater-Reay from Shakespeares in Birmingham.


David Adams joins the banking team in Browne Jacobson’s Birmingham office as an associate solicitor, moving from national firm Eversheds.


In Preston, Adam Quirke moves to Napthens as an employment assistant solicitor from Hill Dickinson in Liverpool.


Family assistant Helen Podolanski joins the Bolton office of Garstangs from Metcalfe Wright & Platt in Stockport.


In Manchester, employment assistant solicitor Lee Jefcott moves to Berg Legal from Hammonds.


Two join Halliwells’ Liverpool office: employment associate Kerstie Skeaping from Addleshaw Goddard and corporate assistant solicitor Catherine Johnson from Brabners Chaffe Street.


Michael Sandys leaves Cobbetts in Manchester to head the commercial and civil litigation practice at Wirral-based Kirwans as an associate.


Across the Pennines, three join Harrowell Shaftoe in York after completing their training with the firm: Kerrie Baker and David Sears join the personal injury team, while Ken Armour joins the company commercial department.


In Durham, Judith Gowland moves to the criminal law department at Swinburne Maddison from Westgarths in Sunderland.


In Sunderland, Angela Macfarlane joins the commercial property team at Brian Mackenow & Co as an assistant solicitor from Watson Woodhouse in Middlesbrough.



CONSULTANTS


Company and commercial specialist Matthew Duggan has moved from his own eponymous practice to Gorvins in Milton Keynes as a consultant.


London firm Dawsons has taken on Michael Carl as a consultant in cross-border corporate transactions and international commercial litigation, including art law. He was the first post-war German lawyer to qualify as a solicitor and is the honorary solicitor of the German Embassy.



BENCH


Emma Davy, associate in the corporate recovery and insolvency team at Ashfords in Exeter, has been appointed a deputy district judge on the Western circuit.