MOVING ON

PRIVATE PRACTICEPartnersThere is a distinctly Gallic flavour to this week's news, with arbitration specialist Friedrich Niggeman leaving French firm Bignon & Lebray to take up partnership at Simmons & Simmons' Paris office.Making a similar move is Isabelle Leroux, who departs Dubarry Le Douarin Veil to become head of Bird & Bird's Paris intellectual property group.

Linklaters' Paris office has lost Sigvard Jarvin, who joins the Paris office of US firm Jones Day Reavis & Pogue as 'Of Counsel' in the international arbitration group.One of Denton Wilde Sapte's three new partners is in Paris as well: corporate lawyer Franois Serres has been made up at the French practice, which trades under the name Denton Sales Vincent & Thomas.Joining the Dentons' partnership in London are shipping specialist Tony Rice - who moves from the Athens office of Watson Farley & Williams - and Daniel Burge, who joins the technology, media and telecoms group from computer company EDS, where he was senior legal adviser.Back on the continent, Lovell's Italian practice has recruited mergers and acquisitions partner Marco Rota Candiani from Grimaldi Clifford Chance in Milan, Lovells' first partner-level lateral hire in Italy.

Lovells has also appointed banking and finance lawyer Andrew Welbourn as a partner in London.

He leaves US firm Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy.Continuing the American theme, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has its 12th London partner after recruiting corporate lawyer Nicola Green from fellow US firm Sidley Austin Brown & Wood.Bird & Bird bids farewell to commercial litigator and Gazette IT law columnist Jonathan Cohen, who joins the London office of US firm Duane Morris & Heckscher as a partner.Insolvency partner Chris Mallon has left Freshfields for the City office of New York giant Weil Gotshal & Manges.

Freshfields has also lost the head of its public international law practice, Robert Volterra, who has joined Herbert Smith.

Another new partner for Herbert Smith is finance specialist Michelle Chen, who leaves Allen & Overy for the firm's Singapore office.Steve Lorber has left Field Fisher Waterhouse, where he headed the employment and pensions department, for City firm Lewis Silkin.Fellow employment lawyer Chris Southam has left Osborne Clarke for London firm Speechly Bircham.Matrimonial specialist Emma Morris has moved across London from Wedlake Bell to become head of family at Rooks Rider.KLegal, accountants KPMG's associated firm, has scooped up IT lawyer Michael Sinclair from Tarlo Lyons as its 19th partner.Tony Kent, formerly a salaried property litigation partner with Eversleys, has moved to London firm Mackrell Turner Garrett, also as a salaried partner.

Mackrells now has 15 partners.City firm Gardner Weller now has four partners following the recruitment of Michael Wood from Charles Russell to be head of dispute resolution.In Manchester, Andrew Nulty has left the Mainman Partnership to set up specialist personal injury law firm Avalon.

He is joined in partnership by Ike Ibeto, also from Mainmans, and Malcolm Trotter, who departs Poole & Partners.

Mr Nulty's younger brother Martin, who has a law degree but is not qualified, has joined as a consultant and marketing director.There are three promotions at Manchester firm Jones Maidmant Wilson.

Sally Leonard (clinical negligence), Kiran Pabla (personal injury) and Adam Watkins (criminal) take the firm's partnership to 17.

PRIVATE PRACTICEAssociates/assistantsAs well as a new partner (see above), the employment team at Lewis Silkin has recruited six assistants: Bethan Carney and Nicola Godfrey join from Field Fisher Waterhouse, Justina Burnett from Speechly Bircham, Laura Casey from Pinsent Curtis Biddle, Hazel Oliver from Morgan Cole and Sean Dempsey from Lovells.City firm Russell Jones & Walker has welcomed back Jeremy Abraham as a senior solicitor in the family department.

He returns to the firm after 12 years at Penningtons, where he was head of the family law unit.Diljinder Sekhon has left Birmingham firm Wragge & Co to join the corporate department of London firm Memery Crystal as a solicitor.In Basingstoke, Lamb Brooks has recruited former Davis & Co litigation specialist Julie Latcham as a solicitor.

OTHERSIn addition to its new partner, US firm Duane Morris & Heckscher has brought in Jon Messent from Group Lotus, where he was legal and corporate affairs director.

He will be a consultant in the corporate/commercial team.Steven Norris has been promoted to national head of regulated procurement in the commercial and projects group at City firm DLA.Shipping specialist Clyde & Co has announced the return of senior master mariner Terry Ogg to the London office after four years based in Singapore.

He is replaced in Singapore by Andrew Simpson, who is both a master mariner and a solicitor.Legal management consultancy Sherwood PSF Consulting has recruited a former managing partner at Pinsent Curtis Biddle, Des O'Connell, as consultant.

He joins from Barclays Bank where he was project and operations director in the legal department.Mr O'Connell is replaced at Barclays by Bjarnie Anderson, who leaves his role as director of operations at US law firm Pillsbury Winthrop.