MOVING ON

PRIVATE PRACTICEPartnersHammond Suddards Edge is much in the personnel news this week, initially with the election of Richard Burns, currently head of its London office, as its senior partner.

Mr Burns will take over from current senior partner John Heller, who is stepping down to concentrate on the firm's international strategy.Hammonds has also appointed one-time Halliwell Landau partner Tim Jackson-Smith, formerly corporate affairs director and company secretary at Knowledge Management Software, as a corporate finance partner in its Manchester office.Leaving Hammonds is Farzana Rao, who has joined US/UK firm Steptoe & Johnson Rakisons' London corporate team.Another departure from Hammonds is Elizabeth Ward, one of four new partners for Yorkshire firm Keeble Hawson.

Ms Ward will head up its newly formed intellectual property department.

Joining her are employment expert Paul Grindley from Emsleys in Leeds, mediation specialist Anthony Glaister from Denison Till in York, and clinical negligence partner Rachelle Mahapatra, previously at Hartley & Worstenholme.

Another firm busy with appointments is Baker & McKenzie, which has promoted eight partners, taking its London office to 75 partners: Tom Cassels (dispute resolution), Matt Dening (banking and finance), Chantal Thompson (pensions), Christina Demetriades and Richard Hawtin (both IP/IT), and Helen Bradley, Adam Levin and Gordon Low (all corporate).The London office of fellow US firm Hunton & Williams has brought in Charles Ashton as a partner in its corporate finance team.

He joins from another US firm, LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & McRae.

There has been quite a lot of international activity this week too.

Alan Karter, a leading corporate partner at City firm Simmons & Simmons, is relocating to the Milan office as part of the firm's integration plans.

In its Dsseldorf office - which operates under the name Simmons & Simmons Kaiser - the firm has recruited corporate partner Stefan Weinheimer and litigator Hans-Hermann Aldenhoff from BBLP Beiten Burkhardt Mittl & Wegener, which is shortly to merge with KPMG.

They bring three associates with them.Tax expert Christoph Kppers, formerly a partner at KPMG, has joined Lovells as a partner in its Dsseldorf office.Norton Rose Vieregge's Frankfurt office has recruited corporate finance specialist Erich Michel, previously a partner with US firm White & Case Feddersen, and banking and capital markets specialist Rdiger Litten from Linklaters Oppenhoff & Rdler.

Back in the City, international tax and trust expert Andrew Penney has moved from the Rothschild Trust Corporation, where he was a director, back to private practice as a partner at Speechly Bircham.

DJ Freeman has a new head of planning in the shape of Karen Howard, who was previously at Ashurst Morris Crisp.Leaving the City is Berwin Leighton Paisner employment partner Paul Killen, who has moved to Bristol and Osborne Clarke.

Meanwhile, Osborne Clarke has brought in Irene Dallas from Pitmans to start a litigation practice in its Thames Valley office.Corporate finance lawyer Murray Macnab has moved from Derby-based Robinsons to the Derby office of freethcartwright, where he will specialise in technology and IT hardware issues.

PRIVATE PRACTICEAssociate/assistantsMany of the firms with new partners have gone the whole hog and also appointed new assistants.

DJ Freeman has expanded its property department with two new additions: Sakis Tombolis from Baker & McKenzie, and New Zealand-qualified Aliesia Gartrell from Bird & Bird.

Yorkshire firm Keeble Hawson has recruited property lawyer Iqbal Sekhon, previously at Gordons Cranswick, Sarah Dillon (employment) from LPMS in Leeds, and Mark Holmes (commercial litigation) from Leeds firm Lupton Fawcett.City firm Charles Russell has four new assistants: intellectual property lawyer Shirine Tiwari, previously at Bristows, tax specialist Nitin Rabheru from KPMG, while Kris Weber has moved from Stephenson Harwood as an associate with overall responsibility for the firm's pensions practice.

He will be working with assistant and fellow pensions specialist Andy Williams, whose recent move from Eversheds has boosted the entire employment team to 19 members.Fiona Murray has moved from Nottingham firm Fidler & Pepper to join Manchester firm Branton Edwards as an assistant in the public liability team.North-east based firm Ward Hadaway has expanded its employment team with assistant Stephen Elliot, previously at the Endeavour Partnership in Stockton-on-Tees.The family law department at Sheffield-based Howells has added childcare and adoption specialist Doug Leach from Graysons, along with newly qualified matrimonial assistant Lucy Rodgers.Addleshaw Booth & Co has also boosted its family practice.

Rob Fearnley joins in Manchester after completing his training contract with Salmons, while Nicola Turner has joined the Leeds team after completing her training contract with the firm.Stephen Haigh has moved from Borneo Linnells in Bedford to join Ashford-based Kingsfords as a commercial property assistant.