PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partnership

August has seen no slow-down in the recruitment market, especially in London.

Surrey-based Shadbolt & Co has opened an aviation, marine and insurance law practice in the City by absorbing niche practice Bryant Hamilton.

The office is headed by Hugh Bryant, former senior partner of Bryant Hamilton; Tim Unmack is also a partner.

Reg Bench, who is chairman of the Air Transport Committee at the Royal Aeronautical Society, is also at the firm.

Elsewhere in the City, Norton Rose named Jonathan Walsh as its new head of international securities following the departure of Gilles Thieffry to Andersen Legal, where he will head the capital markets practice.

Further tremors for City firm Stephenson Harwood as patent partners Tibor Gold and Nick Hedley are leaving the firm to join a City-based patents agency.

US firm Sidley & Austin has recruited Eversheds finance and insolvency partner Robin Parsons and transferred securitisation specialists Dennis Dillon and Nick Brittain from its Singapore and New York offices to make up for the loss of Jane Borrows to Herbert Smith.

Securitisation and structured finance expert Colin Mercer has moved to the London office of US firm Brown & Wood from Simmons & Simmons.

Ashurst Morris Crisp has gained litigation partner Arundel McDougall from Rowe & Maw.

Rachel Burnett has moved from Masons to the IT group of international firm Salans Hertzfeld & Heilbronn.

Andrew Joyce leaves Hobson Audley after 17 years as a partner to join the IP, media and business team at Wedlake Bell.

Fladgate Fielder has appointed Alison Mould as partner in its property team from Hamlins.

Paul Selby has been made a partner in the criminal department of London-based Wiseman Lee.

Hill Dickinson's London office has lost Felicity Jones to the commercial group at Farrer & Co.

Outside London, Roger Collier joins DLA's real estate group in Birmingham from Edge Ellison, which recently merged with Hammond Suddards.

In Manchester, Elizabeth Mackay has joined Wacks Caller to head its commercial property department after 15 years with Liverpool-based Hill Dickinson.

Overseas, CMS Cameron McKenna's Hong Kong office made up two new partners: Prudence Mitchell (corporate recovery) and Dora Chow (IP).

Corporate expert Chris Southorn has also transferred from London.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Associates/Assistants

It has been a busy time in Birmingham, where the Wilkes Partnership has announced the recruitment of Robert Brookes (corporate finance) from SL & Co in Solihull, Simon Thomas (commercial litigation) from Cartwright & Lewis in Birmingham and Mark Noble (insolvency) from Ferdinand Kelly, also in Birmingham.

DLA's Birmingham office has also gained property associate Madeline Sambrook from Edge Ellison along with partner Roger Collier (see above).

Richard Murrall is moving across Birmingham to Lee Crowder as an associate.

He was partner in charge of corporate at Needham & James.

Keely Beedham in nearby Lichfield has been on a recruitment spree, bringing in commercial litigator Michael Phillips from Eversheds to head the litigation department, Melissa Merry (private client) from Derby firm Robinsons and company/commercial lawyer Jim Docherty from Fairbairn Morris in London.

Meanwhile, Slough-based Harris & Cartwright has recruited James Canning from Redferns in London to its personal injury and clinical negligence department.

Manchester-based Rowlands has appointed Paul Brocklehurst of Glayziers in Longsight, and Nicola Johnson of Painters in Kidderminster, to its criminal department.

Sunderland firm Jacqueline Emmerson has appointed Joanne Kelly to its family and youth crime department from Kilty Goldfarb Singh & Co in Leicester.

Family solicitor Fiona McReddie, formerly with George Cass Rylands & Co, has joined the Middlesbrough office of Crutes.

In Peterborough, Greenwoods has recruited Graham Irons to its employee benefit department from Toller Hales & Collcutt in Northampton, and solicitor Dr Eileen McMorrow - who holds a PhD in plant biochemistry - joins the IP team.

However, Greenwoods has lost clinical negligence partner Robin Page to Vizard Oldham in London, where he will be a senior solicitor.

Elsewhere in London, project finance specialist John Markland has left Clifford Chance to join US firm Weil Gotshal & Manges.

Clintons has taken on three new solicitors: Michael Anderson (IP) joins from Macfarlanes; Andrew Moss (media and sports litigation) joins from Herbert Smith; and Daniel Grove (commercial litigation) joins from New Zealand firm Duane Morris & Heckscher.

Michael Beanland has moved from Lovells to the property department of LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae.

Private client lawyer Mary Mulhern has left Reynolds Porter Chamberlain to join Wragge & Co's London office as an associate.

Property and commercial specialist Stephen Dewar has joined Davies Lavery's Kent office from Cooper & Burnett in Tunbridge Wells.

Overseas, Sinclair Roche & Temperley's Bucharest office has taken on three new lawyers: Mariana Voicu (securities, property and commercial law), and junior lawyers Oana Firca and Bogdan Nastase.

JUDICIARY

Vizard Oldham's senior partner Richard Foster has been appointed a recorder on the south-eastern circuit.

Mr Justice Moore-Bick has been appointed Judge in Charge of the Commercial List from1 October.

Richard Donald Stuart James, of Littlehampton firm Marsh Ferriman & Cheale, has been appointed as a district judge on the south-eastern (London) circuit.