MOVING ON

PRIVATE PRACTICEPartnersA sure sign that spring has arrived alongside the sunny faces of open daffodils and buds appearing on the trees is when...PRIVATE PRACTICEPartnersA sure sign that spring has arrived alongside the sunny faces of open daffodils and buds appearing on the trees is when firms announce multitudes of new partners.

And if the last week is anything to go by, then put away your winter coats, spring has sprung.

Starting in the City, Herbert Smith wades in with a massive 19 solicitors being made up to partner, taking the firms total to 190.

They are:l Corporate Mike Fosh, Stephen Rayfield and Tommy Tong;l Employment Sophie Brezin;l EU/competition Michel Debroux;l Finance Clotilde Dirnat;l Finance and projects David Moore;l Insurance Paul Lewis and Howard Watson;l Litigation and arbitration Maurice Burke, Julian Copeman, James Farrell, Pamela Kiesselbach and Hardeep Nahal;l Pensions Alison Brown;l Projects David Laurence and Laurent Vandomme;l Real estate James Watson;l Tax Howard Murray.Birmingham-based Wragge & Co will be leaping to 109 partners in May when 11 solicitors join the partnership.

They are:l Gary Barber (private client);l Sue Bennett (property development);l Fiona Dalrymple (employment);l Jonathan Denton (financial services);l John Dixon (property development);l Clive Douglas (telecommunications);l Richard Green (construction);l Peter Hall (IT);l Chris Hunt (retail property);l Andrew Smith (corporate);l Lorna Rand (corporate).Back in London, seven assistants have been made partners at Field Fisher Waterhouse, taking the firms total to 70 overall.

They are: Richard Kenyon (employment and pensions); Babette Marzheuser-Wood (head of German group); David Mills (institutional and property finance); Geoffrey Smith (trade mark and brand protection); Nigel Taylor (corporate); Sarah Whalley Coombes (IP litigation); Peter Williams (personal injury and clinical negligence).Also in the capital, human rights firm Christian Fisher has promoted housing specialist Stuart Hearne and criminal specialist Margaret Gordon to the partnership.

Meanwhile, the first of three high-level lateral hires announced last week saw Ruth Finch, former partner and head of regulatory and capital markets at CMS Cameron McKenna move to Tite & Lewis, the law firm associated with big-five accountant Ernst & Young.Michael Blackburne has been appointed as national head of construction at Addleshaw Booth & Co.

He joins from Berwin Leighton, where he was head of construction and engineering litigation and head of the aviation group.

Ian Johnson, managing partner of US firm Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffes London office is to join DLAs commercial and projects group.

Although he will be based in London, Mr Johnson is charged with developing the firms energy sector internationally.

PRIVATE PRACTICEAssociates/AssistantsIn Bolton, Kathryn Montford has been promoted to associate level in Keoghs employment department after five years with the firm.Landwell, the law firm associated with PricewaterhouseCoopers, last week announced the arrival of four new solicitors: Georgia Cocks (securities) who joins the firm in a non-fee earning capacity as a network co-ordinator from Norton Rose next month; Andrew Osborne (immigration) joins from SJ Berwin in June; Bronwyn Higgins (real estate) joins from Harbottle & Lewis, also in June; and Cynthia Chan (corporate) joins from Baker & McKenzie in July.

Laura Bennett is joining the banking and insolvency team in Martineau Johnsons London office from an unnamed German bank.Reading-based Blandy & Blandy has recruited private client lawyer Helen Webster from Hadaway & Hadaway in Tyne and Wear and litigator Jessica Hellard, who comes from Allen & Partners in Bristol.Nelson & Co in Leeds has also recruited two lawyers: David Rhodes joins the firms wills and probate department specialising in trusts from Stamp Jackson & Procter in Hull; Lucy Ayres joins the commercial litigation department specialising in banking from Garretts in Leeds.

JUDICIARYSolicitor John Lloyd Davies has been appointed to be a district judge on the Wales and Chester circuit.

He leaves Gomer Williams & Co in Llanelli where he has been senior partner since 1996.Solicitor David Nicholas Bowen has been appointed as a full-time immigration adjudicator in the Birmingham region.

OTHER Giles Henderson, who will step down as senior partner of City firm Slaughter and May on 1 May this year, has been elected Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, from 1 July.The media and entertainment group of London-based Howard Kennedy solicitors has forged an association with French solicitor-advocate Claudine Meyrand, who is transferring her practice to the firms London office.

CORRECTIONTony Broadley has been appointed as a deputy district judge at Leeds Magistrates court, not as a district judge as reported in [2001] Gazette, 15 February, 9.

We apologise for the error and for any resulting confusion.