MOVING ON

PRIVATE PRACTICEPartnersMuch of the partnership activity this week has for once come outside of London.

But starting in the City, Norton Rose has unveiled two lateral hires.

Financial services specialist Carmen Reynolds joins from Slaughter and May and Malcolm Groom moves from energy company Consort Resources - taking the firm's partnership to 196.

The major projects group at Pinsent Curtis Biddle has a new partner following the arrival of Barry Francis, who was UK managing partner of US firm Buchanan Ingersoll.Mishcon de Reya has appointed corporate tax specialist Patrick Harrison as head of tax.

He joins from Gouldens, where he has held the same position since 1994.Arthur Fernandes has moved across the City from Roiter Zucker to become a partner in the company/commercial department of Rochman Landau.Mayfair firm Forsters has recruited property expert Beverley Lewis as a partner from Taylor Joynson Garrett.

Sarah Shemmings has left Merricks in Reading for Field Seymour Parkes, where she will head up the commercial litigation team, taking its partner total to eight.Oxfordshire firm bsdr (formerly BrookstreetDes Roches) has promoted Rosie Gibbs to partner in its commercial property group, bringing its partner total to ten.Further west, Bevan Ashford now has 81 partners following the recruitment of insolvency expert Gordon Bon to its Bristol office from Laytons.Frome firm Daniel & Cruttwell has five partners following the promotion of personal injury lawyer David Gazzard.There is some reshuffling in the Birmingham office of Hammond Suddards Edge with property lawyer Mark Newcombe becoming senior partner, replacing James Retallack, who is joining the Aggregate Group (see [2001] Gazette, 23 August, 10).

Partner Anne O'Meara takes over from Mr Newcombe as head of property.Health service litigator Tony Yeaman has joined the Birmingham office of Weightmans as a partner, leaving Beachcroft Wansbroughs.Manchester firm Kuit Steinart Levy has two new partners following the promotion of tax specialist Graham Wood and property expert Nick Nyunt.Also in Manchester, Paul Chamberlain has left Lopian Wagner to be head of employment at Chaffe Street.David Smyllie has left DLA to head up the recently formed business recovery department of 30-partner Yorkshire firm Gordons Cranswick.Leeds firm Ford & Warren has recruited Paul Milligan from Keeble Hawson as a partner in its private client department, where he is joined by newly promoted partner Michael Collier.In the north-east, Roddy Gordon has left Robert Muckle, where he was head of construction and engineering, to join Newcastle firm Watson Burton as a partner.David Harlock, who was head of litigation at Garretts in Leeds before it closed last year, has joined Burnetts in Carlisle as its 14th partner.

PRIVATE PRACTICEAssistants/associatesSeveral of the firms with new partners also have new assistants.

Weightmans has tempted work-related injury specialist Steve Woods from Keoghs to work as an associate in its Manchester office.Kuit Steinart Levy has recruited intellectual property lawyer Tracey Sheehan as a senior assistant from Halliwell Landau.Chaffe Street has added employment assistant solicitor Victoria Skinner to its ranks from Allen & Overy.And bsdr has two new commercial property lawyers: Ruth Harris from Cable & Wireless, where she was head of the property team, and Natasha Patis from West Berkshire District Council.In the City, Denton Wilde Sapte has regained the services of senior solicitor Murziline Parchment in its planning and public law team.

She returns from 18 months secondment to the Government Office for London and the Greater London authority.City firm Dawson Cornwell has recruited former policy advisor in the Lord Chancellor's Department Wendy Ramus as an assistant in its children department.Bristol firm TLT has scooped up pensions solicitor Sasha Butterworth from the London office of Hammond Suddards Edge.Also leaving London is Vanessa Nicholls, who has moved from Garretts to the employment team of Cambridge firm Taylor Vinters.Ipswich firm Cunningham John has expanded its personal injury team by recruiting assistants from London.

Jenny Holt and Simon Davis join from Leigh Day & Co and Stewarts respectively.Commercial property lawyer John Strickland has joined Cheltenham-based Rickerby Watterson as an assistant from Manchester firm Cobbetts.Further south in Weymouth, Battens has appointed Keith Abbott as a solicitor in its litigation team.

He joins from Yeovil firm Porter Dodson.The Wilkes Partnership in Birmingham has recruited Ruth Ellway from the Consumers' Association to work on its German desk.Recently qualified Joanne Davenport is joining Nottingham-based freethcartwright as a solicitor in the residential conveyancing unit.Cobbetts has hired private client solicitor Michelle Ashworth from Brabners, and taken on newly qualified Anna Flynn (corporate banking) and Dylan Roberts (property finance).

Both trained with the firm.A double public law swoop for the Sheffield office of Irwin Mitchell.

Yogendra Amin has joined from City firm Amphlett Lissimore as an assistant, while John Dickinson, who has moved from London firm Bhatt Murphy, is a consultant.North east firm Ward Hadaway has recruited Neil Hilton from Stockport firm Gorvin Smith Fort as a corporate finance solicitor.