PRIVATE PRACTICEPartnership

There has been a series of multiple appointments recently, with Manchester firm Halliwell Landau leading the way by taking three partners and four assistants from Weightmans.

Michael Ball, head of employment as well as head of Weightmans' Manchester office, head of property David Morgan, and Rod Waldie have been joined by Mr Ball's assistants (Chris Thompson, Nick Phillips, Karina Prestt and Sarah Garth).

The three partners were Weightmans' leisure retail team.Elsewhere in Manchester, Betesh Fox & Co now has nine partners after making up personal injury specialists Geraldine O'Donnell, Matthew Clayton and Peter Dennehy.Five City firms have unveiled double swoops.

Lewis Silkin has snapped up Peter Morris from Hammond Suddards Edge as its head of construction and engineering.

The firm has also recruited commercial property partner Jonathan Barnes from DJ Freeman.Lovells has brought in Philip Brown from Clifford Chance as a project finance partner, and boosted its Hong Kong office with corporate lawyer William Hay, formerly general counsel for GE Capital Asia Pacific and then ICG Asia.There have been two international recruits for Freshfields.

In Paris, it has hired real estate partner Benot Marcilhacy from top French firm Gide Loyrette Nouel, while IP/IT lawyer Connie Carnabuci has joined the Hong Kong office from Australian firm Mallesons Stephen Jacques.Fox Williams has appointed former Herbert Smith litigation partner Tom Custance, while Anne Coles, former head of legal at the Law Society, has joined as a full-time consultant in the employment department.Davies Arnold Cooper has strengthened its corporate practice with Anthony Murray from Edwin Coe and WH Smith's one-time group legal adviser, Michael Randall, from Shadbolt & Co.Property partner Neil Logan Green has joined Eversheds from Morgan Cole, while corporate partner Julian Walton has left Eversheds for The City Law Partnership.Also leaving Morgan Cole is agricultural law specialist Christopher Findley, who has gone to Westminster firm Bircham Dyson Bell.Ince & Co has recruited professional liability expert Giles Adams from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert.Employment lawyer Marie van der Zyl has moved from Kingsford Stacey Blackwell to Davenport Lyons.Beachcroft Wansbroughs has made up seven partners, taking the partnership to 125.

In London, Anne Crofts (commercial contracting), Stephen Hocking (public law) and Wendy Hopkins (reinsurance); in Birmingham, Samantha Hanson (professional indemnity) and Alison Wood (personal injury); in Bristol, commercial litigator David Pollitt; and in Winchester, Cheryl Blundell (clinical negligence).

Giles Hindle has been promoted to head the firm's Bristol insolvency team.However, John Holmes has left Beachcrofts to join Hempsons' healthcare litigation department in London.In Nottingham, corporate partner Robert Cawdron moves to Actons from Nelsons, while Freethcartwright has recruited Charles Powell, who led the dispute resolution team at Shoosmiths' Nottingham office.South Devon firm Harold Michelmore & Co has promoted family specialist Kerry Larbalestier and personal injury lawyer Joanna Williams to partner, while former partner Christopher Thomas has become a consultant.

The firm now has seven partners.

PRIVATE PRACTICEAssociates/Assistants

City firm Charles Russell has boosted its litigation team with assistants Edward Craig from William Sturges & Co and Sarah Jenkins from Seddons.Bristol-based TLT has appointed construction expert Andrew Worby - who is both a professional chartered engineer and a solicitor - from Withy King in Bath.Nearby in Cardiff, personal injury and clinical negligence specialist Andrea Thomas has become the first lawyer promoted at recently formed MLM Morgan Lewis Mayers.

She is now an associate.Cheltenham firm Rickerby Watterson has recruited debt recovery lawyer Susannah Dixon from Mendelsons in Manchester.In Liverpool, Tracey Miller has left Kirwans in Birkenhead for the family team at Morecroft Urquart.Leaving Liverpool is family solicitor Lisa Tansey, who has swapped Canter Levin & Berg for Newcastle firm Ward Hadaway.Davis Blank Furniss has boosted its Glossop office with Anthony Harold, a criminal defence and employment lawyer from Ashton-under-Lyne firm Rogerson Galvin.

IN-HOUSE/OTHERS

Sunderland FC has scored with the recruitment of solicitor Jane Purdon as its club secretary.

The lifelong Sunderland fan joins from HM Customs & Excise in London and will have responsibility for a wide range of team and player issues, legal affairs including contracts, and the administration of the playing side of the club.Joy Postings has been appointed head of legal services at Cambridgeshire County Council.

She previously held the same post at Uttlesford District Council.James Retallack, the former senior partner of Edge Ellison and subsequently head of the Birmingham office of the merged Hammond Suddards Edge, is to leave the firm on 30 November to become group resources director of FTSE 250 building materials group Aggregate Industries, which has been a significant client of his firm for many years.