Moving on

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners

Recruitment activity burst back into life this week with a raft of multiple and high-profile hires.

Leading the way is Weightman Vizards in its Manchester and Liverpool offices, which has gone partner crazy with no fewer than six new faces:

- Jonathan Shorrock (head of corporate) from Addleshaw Booth & Co, where until recently he was national head of corporate finance;

- Glyn Willmott (corporate recovery and insolvency) from Wacks Caller in Manchester;

- John Holmes (planning and environment) from Halliwell Landau in Manchester;

- John Schorah (intellectual property) was chief executive officer at Rage Software;

- Pat Jones (healthcare employment) from Lopian Wagner in Manchester, and;

- Mike Grant (professional indemnity) from Addleshaw Booth & Co.

Perhaps the next most eye-catching partner hires are at Salisbury-based Wilsons, which has tempted two heads of tax and private client from London firms.

Clara Trounson and Andrew Farley were at RadcliffesLeBrasseur and Boodle Hatfield respectively.

Stoke firm Kent Jones & Done has hired Philip Atkinson as a partner from Eversheds in Birmingham, where he was office head of intellectual property.

In Birmingham, Martineau Johnson has taken on a three-strong team from DLA to boost its private finance initiative expertise: Bill Bullivant joins as a consultant and will lead the development of the firm's projects team; Catherine Burke becomes a partner; and Jay Bola is an associate.

Cheltenham practice Rickerbys has brought in international tax specialist Marcus Parker as a partner from Wiggin & Co.

Cambridge firm Hewitson Becke & Shaw has hit the 50-partner mark after recruiting Australian intellectual property lawyer Mark Elmslie - who left City firm Finers Stephens Innocent as a partner in 2000 to return to Australia as special counsel to top local firm Minter Ellison - and making up employment lawyer Hilary Aldred.

In addition, Gareth Williams has joined the agricultural department in Hewitson's Northampton office from Burges Salmon as a partner designate.

In the City, Stephenson Harwood has suffered a double partner loss: finance specialist Neill Gibson has joined Trowers & Hamlins, while investment funds lawyer Neil Simmonds has moved to Simmons & Simmons along with senior lawyer Antony Bryceson.

Peter Jay, the former senior partner of Finers Stephens Innocent, has joined Beachcroft Wansbroughs as a corporate finance partner.

Newly merged Jones Day Gouldens has brought in banking and capital markets lawyer Alain Checri from US firm Dewey Ballantine as a partner.

The London office of US firm LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & Macrae has hired corporate partner Lynn McCaw from Denton Wilde Sapte.

Hemant Amin, head of practice development at Newbury firm Charles Lucas & Marshall, has been made up to partner.

South-west firm Clarke Willmott & Clarke has a new media law partner: Jessica Davis was a senior in-house lawyer at HIT Entertainment, which owns the rights to 'Bob the Builder' and 'Thomas the Tank Engine'.

In Exeter, Michelmores has 22 partners after recruiting Samantha Geldard (company/commercial) from Surrey firm Mundays, and Richard Honey (commercial property) from City firm Nabarro Nathanson.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Associates/assistants

The south-west is a hive of activity.

Jason Milkins, who was a senior corporate associate at Osborne Clarke, has moved to Bevan Ashford, where he will split his time between Exeter and London.

Elsewhere in Exeter, Sandy Powell has swapped Hartnells for Symes Robinson & Lee, where she is a senior family solicitor.

Corporate solicitor Mark Gilder has left Wilsons in Salisbury for south-west firm Clarke Willmott & Clarke.

Swindon-based Withy King has brought in Paul Rumley as an assistant; he was head of clinical negligence in Bristol for Russell Jones & Walker.

In addition to a new international tax partner, Rickerbys in Cheltenham has an assistant as well in the shape of Marianne Kafena from London firm Farrer & Co.

Back in the City, capital markets associate Damian Collier is leaving Linklaters to join the London office of US firm Latham & Watkins.

Alastair Gunn has joined the company/commercial department of Peterborough-based Greenwoods having completed his training contract with the firm.

OTHER

Martyn McCarthy, former chairman of the Law Society's Commerce & Industry Group, has joined Aberdeen Property Investors as operations director, where he will be involved in all operational aspects of the international property business, including HR, e-business and IT, company secretarial work, and regulatory compliance.

He moves from Jones Lang LaSalle, where he was European compliance officer.