Moving On

PRIVATE PRACTICEPartnersBeginning in London, Collyer-Bristow now has 26 partners after adding Robert Neville and Jonathan Roper to its corporate and commercial team - both move, with assistant Silvia Fazio, from Kingsford Stacey Blackwell, where Mr Neville was head of commercial.

Meanwhile, Toby Yerburgh has left the partnership of Wedlake Bell, where he was head of matrimonial, to become an associate at Collyer-Bristow.Two new partners also at shipping firm Constant & Constant.

The promotion of Philip Pascoe (international trade and maritime department), and Justin Turner (non-contentious shipping) takes the partnership to 17.Graham Burns, formerly a senior associate at City firm Eversheds, has joined incorporated London law firm The Projects Partnership as director of legal services, the equivalent of partner.

Founder and managing director Mark Johnson is the only other director.Further south, John Bergin has joined Croydon firm Easthams to head its employer's liability/public liability team, leaving Marsh Ferriman & Cheale.South-coast firm Blake Lapthorn has promoted two partners: Jill Bainbridge (litigation and dispute resolution) and Mark Hepworth (company and commercial).It is a case of musical chairs at Newcastle-under-Lyme's Knight & Sons, with managing partner Bob Hoyle stepping down to make way for Ian White - but still remaining a tax partner - and Derek Miller replacing Tony Bell as senior partner.

Mr Bell will remain with the firm as a consultant in its minerals unit and commercial property department.

Pinsent Curtis Biddle has made the first major lateral hire for its new Manchester office by tempting corporate finance partner Mike McGrath from Addleshaw Booth & Co.Also in Manchester, Steven Hattersley has left the Liverpool office of Hill Dickinson to head Branton Edwards' industrial disease department.Over the Pennines, Yorkshire-based Keeble Hawson has recruited Sharon Needle from the London office of US firm Coudert Brothers.

She will head the corporate business services team in Leeds.

PRIVATE PRACTICEAssociates/assistantsCity giant Allen & Overy's environmental practice has brought in senior associate Justine Thornton from Simmons & Simmons.Leaving London is associate Charles Charvet, who joins Kent firm Cripps Harries Hall's private client conveyancing department from Withers.Having qualified at Cart-wrights in Bristol, Nicola Berry has joined Surrey firm Mundays' corporate and commercial department.

Tracey Topham has left Basingstoke practice Amery-Parkes to join Lamb Brooks, also in Basingstoke, as a solicitor heading its residential conveyancing team.Newly qualified litigator Tara Campbell has joined Newbury firm Gardner Leader from Wheelers in Surrey.In Nottingham, criminal litigation and motoring law specialist David Colyer has left Warren & Allen to join Rothera Dowson.

Manchester-based Rowlands has promoted Noel Griffiths to associate in its criminal litigation team.

Newcastle-based Dickinson Dees has enticed construction associate Simon Rowland away from Watson Burton.

OTHERSThe trend of barristers joining law firms shows no sign of abating.

Birmingham-based Lee Crowder has snapped up non-practising barrister and engineer Chris Ellis from engineering and construction company Kvaerner E & C, where he was senior engineer, to take on the role of legal assistant.Salisbury firm Wilsons has taken on barrister Alison McKenna to head its charities practice - she switches from her former role as assistant commissioner at the Charity Commission.

In the City, Lovells has recruited Suzanne Fine as its international head of legal training.

Ms Fine qualified first as a barrister and then a solicitor, before entering legal education; most recently she was head of business development at Nottingham Law School.Meanwhile, Allen & Overy has appointed David Jabbari, former director of professional development at the College of Law, as global head of know-how, education and training for its capital markets practice.GPU Power UK has promoted Ian Elcock to group legal manager.

Formerly the company's assistant solicitor and company secretary, he replaces solicitor Robert Browne, who has retired.Manchester firm Cobbetts has brought in Hilary Slater as a consultant in its employment department.

She was formerly the Equal Opportunities Commission's principal legal officer.Several firms have recruited non-lawyers: south-west firm Bevan Ashford has brought the former south-west and Wales regional chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Peter McIlwraith, as a non-executive director.

Brighton firm DMH has recruited chartered town planner Peter Rainier - who moves from Mid Sussex District Council - as its director of planning.

London firm Gordon Dadds has recruited employment consultant Gillian Howard, who is also one half of consultancy Howard & Howard.Lester Aldridge has recruited chartered tax adviser Michael Norton from fellow south-coast law firm Moore & Blatch.