MOVING ON

PRIVATE PRACTICEPartnersNot much partnership activity this week, but Liverpool-based commercial firm Brabners leads what there is with five promotions, the first since its merger with the commercial division of Berrymans Lace Mawer at the beginning of the year: Mark Rathbone and Andrew O'Mahony (both banking), Joanne Shelley (intellectual property), Paul Lunt (litigation), and Rupert Jackson (head of agriculture) take the partnership count to 32.Also promoting from within is Manchester-based Davis Blank Furniss, which has made up Sarah Mynes, head of the family department in its Glossop office.Penningtons has hired John Riddick as head of commercial in its Newbury office.

He joins from City firm Denton Wilde Sapte, where he co-ordinated the Middle East group.Surrey-based commercial firm Shadbolt & Co has added Eversheds construction partner Roger Button to its London office.A firm has been created in north-west London, after Malcom Davis of Graham Harvey and Adewole Adenle of Salfiti & Co joined forces to form two-office Samuel Davis.In Paris Norton Rose has hired corporate finance partner Thierry Leleu and his team of three assistants from US firm Mayer Brown & Platt, while SJ Berwin has brought in corporate partner Laurence Pinot-Lacan, and her senior assistant Jan Heijmeijer, from Benelux firm Stibbe.

PRIVATE PRACTICEAssociates/AssistantsBrabners is not the only active firm on Merseyside.

Birkenhead-based Percy Hughes & Roberts has brought in Samantha Hillas from Jackson & Canter to head its matrimonial department, and litigator Shauna Bloomer from Silverbeck Rymer.Lancashire personal injury firm Scott Rees & Co has created a new management tier with the appointment of four associates: Gillian Carlisle, Cathryn Farrell, Catherine Groom and David Byrne.Russell Jones & Walker has launched a business fraud department in Leeds under the leadership of assistant Lesley Griffiths, formerly a case controller at the Serious Fraud Office.Shameer Sacranie has left Leicester firm Harvey Ingram Owston to become an associate in the e-commerce team at Birmingham's Martineau Johnson.Fellow Birmingham firm Carvers has added housing litigation specialist Simon Turner from Morrison & Masters in Swindon.In the City, senior shipping litigator Russell Crumplin has swapped Norton Rose for Barlow Lyde & Gilbert.Associate Stewart Shackleton has left Simmons & Simmons, where he was head of the public international law group, to join Baker & McKenzie.

He will divide his time between the London and Paris offices.Leaving London is matrimonial lawyer Deborah Leask, who has joined Bournemouth firm Ellis Jones from Hughes Fowler Carruthers.

IN-HOUSEThe London Borough of Hackney has appointed Claer Lloyd-Jones as its director of law and probity.

Ms Lloyd-Jones, who has just taken over as president of the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors, was city solicitor at Brighton & Hove City Council.Michelle Drake has zoomed away from London firm Memery Crystal to join the in-house team at Formula One Management.RAC Motoring Services has appointed Craig Butler as a senior solicitor, heading a team of four solicitors handling claims on behalf of RAC members.

He leaves Exeter firm Veitch Penny, where he was a partner.Safeonline, a leading provider of digital risk insurance, has appointed US lawyer David Claverley as its chief legal officer.

He was most recently general counsel for MG Taylor Corporation.

CONSULTANTSAlison Midgley has joined Norton Rose as a consultant to the pensions team.

She previously held a similar role at Linklaters, and before that was a partner at Baker & McKenzie.CMS Cameron McKenna has appointed international corporate specialist Molly Riley - formerly head of Masons' Guangzhou office in China - as a consultant to its Beijing office.Peter Urwin, who represents local government on the Law Society Council and has recently retired as county solicitor to Northumberland County Council, has joined Sunderland firm Hodgson Maggiore as its public sector consultant.

MANAGEMENTLawrence Graham has elected Bill Richards and w Francis as senior partner and managing partner from 1 May 2002.

Mr Richards has been managing partner for the past six years and Penny Francis has been head of property since May 1998.

The firm's current senior partner, Martyn Gowar, will return to full-time private client practice.Non-lawyer Ann Conway-Hughes has taken over from Nick Jarrett-Kerr as chief executive of west country firm Bevan Ashford.

She has held several positions at engineering conglomerate GKN, including director of strategic capability and chief executive officer of subsidiary GKN Engage.

Mr Jarrett-Kerr will remain chairman of the firm's management board.Solicitor Gerald Newman has left the Law Society, where he was deputy director of communications, to become practice director at Cloisters, the London chambers of Laura Cox QC.

CORRECTIONJonathan Wilson did not leave the Chicago office of Baker & McKenzie for Landwell as stated in [2001] Gazette, 8 November, 10.

He left Bakers on 31 October 2000 and returned to the UK, and made contact with Landwell later.