Private Practice - PartnershipLaw firms have been busy spring cleaning and there is new blood at the top of City and national firms Herbert Smith, DLA and Pinsent Curtis.

There has been movement on the international scene, and some in-house lawyers have returned to private practice.City firm Herbert Smith's facelift follows the introduction of a new management structure (See [2000] Gazette, 5 May, 4).

From 1 July, the firm will have nine new divisional and departmental heads in London:X Harry Anderson (litigation and arbitration division);X Clive Barnard (finance);X Michael Davis (construction and engineering);X Caroline Goodall (corporate);X David Martin (tax);X Bill Moodie (IP/IT);X Iain Rothnie (property);X Jonathan Scott (EU/competition); andX John Wood (employment and trusts).In addition, Herbert Smith has taken the London managing partner of US firm Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft.

Paul Griffin, a high-profile energy partner, will join the City firm as a partner in its corporate department.Top-ten firm DLA has made new appointments in private equity following the creation of a new post of divisional director of transactions.

Andrew Darwin's appointment to the post of divisional director is followed by the appointment of Andrew Roberts as head of private equity and Mel Sims as head of the European private equity practice.

Bruce Westbrook takes over as group head of corporate.National firm Pinsent Curtis has appointed two regional banking and finance heads.

John Cleland is the new northern banking and finance head, while Stephen Miles will lead the midlands banking and finance practice.

Andrew Gosnay, who headed the northern practice, is to take on the new role of developing lenders' national and international panel relationships, while midlands head David J Cooke will continue as a partner in the department.

City firm Ashurst Morris Crisp has taken a team of three partners and one assistant from Charles Russell to join its pensions group.

Partners Michael Calvert, Andrew Hudson and Diane Preston and assistant Alan Fowler's move will bring the number of fee-earners in Ashursts' pensions group to 11.City firm Watson Farley & Williams has taken competition and environmental law partner Ian Rose from Allen & Overy's Brussels office.

He joins the international corporate group as head of European competition law.

The appointment leaves Watson Farley's competition head Frances Murphy free to join Rowe & Maw's competition practice.US firm Bryan Cave has taken corporate partner and board member Anthony Fiducia from London firm Davenport Lyons.

Mr Fiducia is joining the US firm's corporate finance and securities and international client service group, and will be based in the firm's 15-strong London office.Remaining on the international scene, City firm Lovells has added to its international tax practice by recruiting German tax partner Dr Jrg Siegels from Gleiss Lutz Hootz Hirsch.

Dr Siegels is to join Lovells' Frankfurt office.

And Jeremy Leifer has left Scottish firm McGrigor Donald to join Hong Kong firm Deacons as a partner.

Mr Leifer was previously a partner with Richards Butler in Hong Kong.US financial services company EW Blanch, which trades as Lloyd's broker Blanch Crawley Warren and financial services company EW Blanch Consulting in the UK, has lost its UK general counsel, Max Lesser, to two-partner commercial and insurance practice Patrick Ellum & Associates.

Mr Lesser returns to private practice as a partner.The National Grid Group's corporate counsel, Derek Goodban, has returned to Birmingham firm Wragge & Co as a partner in the utilities team, bringing its partner count to 95.Sheffield-based corporate partner Roger Dyson has moved from Taylor & Emmet to Hartley Linfoot & Whitlam.Back in London, Westminster firm Bircham & Co has taken partner Stephen Lewin from Radcliffes' tax and private client department.

He will join Birchams' private client and charities team with two fee-earners and support staff.The partnership promotions continue, with City firm Collyer-Bristow making family lawyer Philip Rutter a partner.

North Staffordshire firm Knight & Sons has appointed two partners - commercial litigator Isabel Hancock and commercial property specialist Jody Phillips.And Law Society Council member David Baker of south coast firm Coffin Mew & Clover has retired from the partnership after 32 years at the firm.PRIVATE PRACTICE - ASSOCIATES/ASSISTANTSUS firm Holme Roberts Owen has recruited Frankfurt-based Clifford Chance assistant Sarah Kerr as an associate and Coudert Brothers' senior associate Elaine Sheppe as special counsel.

They will work on securitisations and financings from the Colorado firm's London office.Associate Helen Ratcliffe and assistant solicitor Sarah Giles are joining Westminster firm Bircham & Co from Radcliffes along with partner Stephen Lewin (see above).City firm SJ Berwin has taken senior lawyer Rebecca Money-Kyrle from Simmons & Simmons, to join its public law and human rights practice.

Wragge & Co has appointed two new associates.

Senior associate Gary De'Ath has joined the charity law team after leaving Shakespeares, where he headed the charities department.

DLA associate Hazel Nickless has moved to Wragge & Co to join its nine fee-earner private finance initiative team.Surrey firm Hart Brown has appointed a new associate, Sarah Scarlett, who moves from City firm Freshfields.

Ms Scarlett will join the commercial law team in Guildford.West Yorkshire firm Gordons Cranswick has recruited family lawyer Simon Preston, who moves from Leeds firm Grahame Stowe.Warwickshire firm Wright Hassall has a new commercial employment assistant solicitor, Suki Harrar, who joins from Bristol firm Burroughs Day.

Yasmin Chaudhury has joined Wright Hassall's insurance litigation department as an assistant solicitor from Oxford firm Henmans.