MOVING ON

PRIVATE PRACTICEPartnersRecruitment activity was most marked in the north of England in the run up to Christmas, and especially in Manchester.Cobbetts has made up five new partners, taking the total to 46: Helen Brown (property litigation and insolvency), Andrew Curwen (corporate), Elizabeth Haggis (tax and pensions), Eithne Joyce (private client) and Brian Leah (employment).Property development and investment lawyer Paul Conroy, who became a partner at Halliwell Landau last May, has moved on to Addleshaw Booth & Co.The Manchester office of Davies Wallis Foyster has recruited banking and asset finance specialist Tony Bochenski, who was head of group compliance and legal policy for Bank of Scotland Group.Across the Pennines, Ian Worthington has joined the Leeds office of Irwin Mitchell from Freethcartwright.Tees Valley-based The Endeavour Partnership picked up corporate lawyer Toby Tilly and commercial property lawyer Simon Wake when Eversheds decided to close its Middlesbrough office.In London, Mark Fennessy has joined Clyde & Co from Herbert Smith as a partner designate with a brief to set up a dedicated corporate recovery and insolvency practice.Holborn firm Rayner De Wolfe has recruited Trott & Gentry partner Lisa Fabian Lustigman to head the family law department.Another family lawyer, Sarah Futerman, has been made up to partner at north London firm Cawdery Kaye Fireman & Taylor.US firm Latham & Watkins has elected 22 lawyers to its partnership worldwide, including London-based corporate lawyer Michael Bond and Kenneth Schuhmacher from its finance/real estate department.Paul Thompson has succeeded Bruce Kohler as managing partner of US firm Holme Roberts & Owen's London office.Epsom, Surrey firm Bowles & Co has made up to partner family lawyer Sarah Lambert and Kathryn Tarry, who heads the firm's tax, trusts and probate section.James Daly has become a partner at Bournemouth firm Lester Aldridge.

He leaves Volkswagen Financial Services (UK), where he was head of legal services and company secretary.Top Welsh firm Hugh James Ford Simey has brought in personal injury and industrial disease specialist Cenric Clement Evans from Leo Abse & Cohen in Cardiff.Eversheds' Paris office has been boosted by corporate partner Alexandre de Goyon Matignon from US firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed.Non-lawyer Dr Pieter van Dalen has been appointed managing director of CMS, the European network set up by City firm CMS Cameron McKenna.

After leaving Philips in 1997, he has been an interim executive manager for various blue chip Dutch companies.

The Dutchman will be based in Brussels.

Property partner Andy Matthews has taken over from Charles Harrington as managing partner of Nottingham-based Berryman Shacklock.

Mr Harrington is returning to fee-earning in the commercial property department.

PRIVATE PRACTICEAssociates/assistantsThe same north-west firms that led the way with partnership news are doing the same at the next level down.

Cobbetts has promoted four solicitors to associateships: Andrew Field and Margaret Norton (both banking), Aine MacRory (employment) and Jez Reilly (property litigation and insolvency).Property tax lawyer Simon Hedley has joined Halliwell Landau from Eversheds in Newcastle.Davies Wallis Foyster has four new assistants: Paul Carney (corporate) from Turner Parkinson, Simeon Gilchrist (insolvency) from Druces & Attlee, Stephen Jarman (corporate) from Berg & Co, and Rachel Lloyd (insurance) from Wafer Phillips.Over the Pennines again, this time to Wake Smith in Sheffield, which has brought in e-commerce and IP/IT lawyer Peter Rawlinson from Gordons Cranswick in Bradford, family lawyer Jane Wheatley from Raleys in Barnsley and probate specialist Rachel Schoon from Russell & Creswick, also in Sheffield.Family lawyer Toby Netting has crossed Sheffield from Taylor & Emmett for Watson Esam.Leicester firm Spearing Waite has recruited sports lawyer Chris Greenman from the Birmingham office of Garretts.

Fellow Leicester firm Harvey Ingram Owston is promoting four assistants to associate: Paul Hunt (planning), Karen Jenner (trusts), Matthew Talbot (commercial litigation) and Richard Wyvill (commercial property).

DLA's Birmingham office has recruited Helen Miles from Eversheds, where she led the non-contentious pensions practice.In London, Bindman & Partners has brought in criminal law specialists Kate Goold and Rhiannon Jones from Hickman & Rose and TV Edwards respectively.Rayner De Wolfe has added associates Geraint Thomas to its company/ commercial department from Eversheds andex-Sebastians litigator Vivien Thomas.Rooks Rider has promoted property assistant Anthony Shalet to associate.To the south, Clyde & Co's Guildford office has appointed commercial property lawyer Helen Broderick from Nabarro Nathanson.South African lawyer Tony De Quintal has emigrated to the UK and joined Basingstoke firm Lamb Brooks.England and Wales-qualified litigator Abdullah Mutawi has joined Norton Rose's Bahrain office.

He was previously assistant legal adviser with the International Transport Workers Federation.

Mr Mutawi is to lead the firm's Middle East and north Africa dispute resolution practice.