Moving on

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners

The north-west is where much of the activity is this week.

DWF now has 57 partners after five promotions: Andrea Wild (employment) and Ian McCubbin (insurance) in Manchester; Dave Young (insurance), Katharine Lawrenson (business recovery) and Paul Attwood (commercial food) in Liverpool.

Manchester firm Kuit Steinart Levy has formed a new licensing department after bringing in Anthony Lyons and Steven Reynolds as partners from Addleshaw Booth & Co.

Mr Lyons was head of licensing at Addleshaws.

Additionally, David Haffner has joined the firm as a commercial property partner from Lopian Wagner.

The firm now has 17 partners.

Stockport firm Gorvins has promoted head of the family and matrimonial department, Amanda McAlister, and head of the probate and trusts team, Andrew Cusworth, to junior partners, bringing the partnership to 14.

In Bury, Graham Leigh Pfeffer has taken its partnership to five by promoting personal injury lawyer Claire Dinoff and recruiting Ian Lettall, a personal injury and clinical negligence specialist, from Molesworth Bright Clegg.

Across the Pennines in Yorkshire, Leeds-based Fox Hayes now has ten partners after promoting dual English/US-qualified commercial solicitor Michael Morse to partner.

There are 15 partners at York firm Denison Till, after Johanne Spittle, the head of commercial litigation, was made up.

In the midlands, Challinors Lyon Clark has promoted Andrew Chowdhury to partner in the West Bromwich-based criminal department.

Cardiff firm Leo Abse & Cohen has promoted three solicitors to associate partner: John Browne (trade union), Emma Jones (insurance), and John McArthy (criminal).

US firms capture in attention in the City.

Fast-growing McDermott Will & Emery has recruited as partners Richard Britain and Nicholas Azis to its City-based corporate group.

They were associates at Linklaters and fellow US firm Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom respectively.

The London office of Steptoe & Johnson has a new head of employment after bringing in Alison Wallace from M4 corridor firm Morgan Cole, where she led the London employment team.

Structured finance partner Jim Waddington has joined the London office of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe from the Paris office of fellow US firm Proskauer Rose.

Hammond Suddards Edge has snapped up property partner Paul Groobey from Addleshaw Booth & Co.

Rhodri Pazzi-Axworthy, formerly a senior commercial property associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, has become the 16th partner at City firm Maxwell Batley.

The London office of south-east firm Thomas Eggar has two new partners: construction specialist Mark Clinton from Nicholson Graham & Jones, and insurance lawyer Mike Scanlan from Radcliffes Le Brasseur.

In Moscow, City firm Herbert Smith has recruited banking lawyer John Balsdon from Clifford Chance.

Assistants Liza Ivanova and Artjom Buligin are moving with him.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Assistants/associates

Three new lawyers for Wakefield firm The Beaumont Partnership.

Suzanne Goodall has left Jones Goodhall to become associate and head of clinical negligence, and is joined by assistant Sarah Tipton-Walker.

Meanwhile, personal injury assistant Andrea Ribchester has joined from the Mather Partnership of Newcastle.

Manchester and Cheshire firm Hague Lambert has recruited former sole practitioner and employment specialist Nicolette Wright - she will also be responsible for practice development in its Manchester HQ.

Samantha Gosling, who returns to work after three years maternity leave, has joined the Knutsford office in the wills and probate team.

Preston-based Napthens has scooped up employment solicitor John Buchanan from Leicester firm Harvey Ingram Owston.

There are four new associates at Stockport firm Gorvins: Victoria Brandon, Kim Aucott and Helen Berry join the family department from Leeds Day, Cooper Sons Hartley & Williams, and Bray & Bray respectively, while Helen O'Neill moves from Frodshams to join the commercial property team.

Also in Stockport, O'Neill Patient has appointed family lawyer Margaret Williams as a senior associate.

She joins from Jacqueline Gregory & Co.

There are two new solicitors at the Birmingham office of Beachcroft Wansbroughs following professional indemnity lawyer Martin Paxton's move from James Chapman & Co in Manchester and newly qualified Steve Wetton's recruitment to the professional and financial risks team.

Chris Lambert has joined London firm Knox Ukiwa & Co as a solicitor and head of criminal litigation from Whitelock & Storr.

Not content with three recruits from Clifford Chance, in a separate development Herbert Smith's Moscow office has also brought in senior litigation and arbitration assistant Dmitri Kurochkin.