Moving on

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners - hires

Beginning in London, banking partner Claire Wheatley joins City firm Howard Kennedy from Lovells.

Kennedys has 70 partners after recruiting Alan Hart, who was head of construction at Lawrence Graham, and promoting fellow construction specialist Sushma MacGeoch.

Chris Bannister joins Mayfair firm Reid Minty as a travel and leisure partner.

He moves from his in-house role at travel company RCI Europe.

Peter McInerney has joined The Simkins Partnership's film and television team from SJ Berwin, along with his assistant, Aliboo Taylor.

Robert Allan, who was a partner and head of the music group at Denton Wilde Sapte, has joined US/UK firm Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw.

Russell Crumplin joins Thomas Cooper & Stibbard as shipping partner, moving from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert.

Leaving the City is Jim Kinnier-Wilson, swapping Nabarro Nathanson - where he was head of biosciences - to join Manches' Oxford office.

Toby Pound joins Suffolk firm Barker Gotelee's agricultural team from Prettys, where he was head of the agriculture group.

Cheshire-based Alexander Harris has brought in personal injury specialist Lesley Casey from Donns in Manchester.

A major loss in Hong Kong for Denton Wilde Sapte, where Steven Goodman - its Asia senior partner and head of the Hong Kong office - has joined US firm Jones Day's mergers and acquisitions team.

Partners - promotions

Having already announced its May promotions, City firm CMS Cameron McKenna has promoted commercial consultant Zelda Pickup to partner.

Denton Wilde Sapte has five new junior equity partners: Rahail Ali (banking), Christopher Borg and Natalie Elphicke (banking and finance), Susan Moore (dispute resolution) and Ludovic Roche (corporate).

It now has 198 partners worldwide.

Solicitor-advocate George Cselko has been elevated to partner at London's McEwen Parkinson.

Personal injury specialists Pinky Baria, John Williams, Kevin O'Sullivan and Andrew Wilson (in the Cambridge office) have all been promoted at London-based firm Levenes, which now has 17 partners.

London's Mishcon de Reya has 44 partners after making up a record five: Michael Armstrong (litigation and insolvency), Yvonne Baker (property), Gordon Campbell (planning and environmental), Jeremy Hertzog (brands and litigation) and Katherine Waldemar-Brown (family).

City firm Clyde & Co has made up six lawyers, five in London: Aida Cable (commercial litigation), John Leonida (transactional shipping), Phillip Roose (marine litigation), Andrew Grant (insurance and reinsurance) and Graeme Taylor (commercial real estate).

South-east firm ASB Law has promoted four of its associates to its partnership: Susanna Gilmartin (head of employment in Croydon), Lucie Tyrer (head of family in Brighton), Anne Doherty and Eleanor Scully (both insolvency in Brighton).

It now has 45 partners.

Commercial litigator Peter Burfoot has become the 20th partner at Kent firm Brachers.

Kent's Boys & Maughan now has 13 partners after promoting Emma Austin (personal injury) and Tony Michael and Hugo Barton (both conveyancing).

Three new partners at Colchester firm Fisher Jones Greenwood, taking the partnership to 12: Louise Boyes (immigration, human rights and public law), Miranda Leate (civil rights) and Nigel Humphreys (family).

Personal injury lawyer Roger Inman has been promoted at Cambridge firm Taylor Vinters.

Property lawyer Lee-Ann Farrow has been named Luton firm Austins' seventh partner.

Swindon's Clark Holt has elevated commercial property specialist Karron Whitter as its fifth partner.

South-west firm Foot Anstey Sargent has hit the 30-partner mark after making up three in its Plymouth office: Nigel Lyons (legal aid), Louise Widley (private client) and Richard Sutton (property).

Newport firm Harding Evans has added Mark Hughes (crime) and John Allison (residential conveyancing) to the partnership.

Birmingham firm Anthony Collins has 18 partners after promoting commercial property lawyer Simon Hogan.

Lancashire firm Ricksons has made up Chris Scott (commercial litigation) and recruited David Rogers (insurance litigation) from Whittles.

Commercial litigation specialist Michael Slater has been made up at Bolton firm Kippax Beaumont Lewis.

Dawn Baker, head of family at Blackburn firm Forbes, has been made up to partner.

Halliwell Landau is now a 68-partner Manchester firm after making up Richard Wolff (corporate recovery) and James Bryant (insurance litigation).

David Hodgson takes the step up to partner in Doncaster firm Bell Wright & Dallman's personal injury department.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Associates/assistants

Starting in the north-west, DWF has recruited ten new assistants.

In Liverpool, the insurance team is boosted by Claire Bailey from DLA, Karen Ashton from Morecroft Urquhart and Paul Scott-Griffiths from Canter Levin & Berg.

Four insurance specialists join the Manchester office: Tonya Baxter from Betesh Fox, Tim Allen from Antony Hodari & Co, Anis Waiz from Fruhman Davies Livingstones and Fleur Rochester from Berrymans Lace Mawer.

Andrew Nichol has joined the property team in Liverpool from City giant Linklaters.

Joining from Hammonds are Matthew Yates (employment) and Gary Smith (health, safety and environment).

Still in Manchester, the commercial property team at Mace & Jones has added assistant Mark Gillies from Addleshaw Goddard.

Stephen Baker, previously sole principal of Stephen Baker & Co, has joined Betesh Partnership as a personal injury and family lawyer.

Ian Oster leaves Mendelsons to become head of personal injury at Westwood Solicitors in Marple, a branch of Manchester-based Nexus.

Halliwell Landau has promoted three new associates: Lisa Williams (corporate recovery) and Niall Edwards and Caroline Walton (both insurance litigation).

Leaving Halliwells is commercial litigation assistant Stuart Penswick, who has joined Forbes' Blackburn office.

In Liverpool, commercial property specialist Tom Hubbard has qualified at Cuff Roberts.

Kyra Romano-Scott has joined Merseyside practice Lees Lloyd Whitley as a family assistant.

Across the Pennines, Newcastle firm Ward Hadaway has boosted its employment team with associate Marian Martin from Eversheds.

Sheffield-based Taylor & Emmet has promoted three assistants to associate level: Sarah Rowland (commercial), Jon Curtis (employment) and Sarah Hodson (conveyancing).

Moving to the midlands, planning and public law specialist Brian Muskett has joined Nottingham firm Berryman Shacklock as an assistant.

He was previously chief solicitor at Tamworth Borough Council.

Business defence solicitor Jeremy Colenso joins Nelsons in Nottingham from the Department of Trade and Industry in London.

Sanjay Gogia has left Eversheds' Nottingham office to join Rothera Dowson's corporate and commercial team as an assistant.

Birmingham-based Gateley Wareing has recruited Jeremy Swift from Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council as an employment assistant.

Two associates have left Pinsents in Birmingham: Terry Cooper joins Putsman.wlc to head the tax, trusts and estates team; while Sandra Langrish joins Lee Crowder's property team.

Corporate assistant Gary Smith moves from Wragge & Co to the Birmingham office of Mills & Reeve.

Northampton-based Shoosmiths has promoted 11 assistants to associates in its offices across the country.

In Basingstoke, Susan Brooks, Lesley Royan, Suzanne Symons and Alison Wooddisse (all personal injury); in Reading, David Norris (employment) and Sandra Rankine (commercial property); in Nottingham, Roger Harcourt and Emma Clayden (corporate and commercial); in Birmingham, Claire Heaton (commercial property); in Portsmouth, David Sanderson (dispute resolution); and in Northampton, Linda Lee (dispute resolution and personal injury).

Penelope Munro is promoted to associate in the trusts, wills and probate team of Milton Keynes practice Geoffrey Leaver Solicitors.

Moving east, Ipswich-based Prettys has promoted five assistants to associates: Lisa Rawcliffe (family), Lynn O'Malley (personal injury), Clare Richards (corporate), Duncan Vaughan (IT and intellectual property) and Dinesh Dorai Raj (shipping).

Four lawyers at Taylor Vinters in Cambridge are promoted to associate level: Elizabeth Deyong and Jonathan Greenhalgh (both commercial property), Sara Stabler (commercial disputes) and Clare Martin (residential property).

The firm has also recruited assistant Annabel Hayward from Northamptonshire-based Park Woodfine, where she headed the family team in the Rushden office.

Surrey firm TWM Solicitors has promoted Demelza Nicholas (family) and Lynda Lawson (company and commercial) to associate level.

Litigation assistant Louise Warren joins Dorking firm Downs from ASB Law in Brighton.

Kate Scott also qualifies into Downs' private client department.

Southampton-based Moore & Blatch has a trio of new appointments: Oliver Shadbolt joins as a corporate and commercial assistant from the London office of US firm Sidley Austin Brown & Wood; personal injury assistant Sarah Skinner leaves Bevan Ashford in Bristol; and senior solicitor Tracy Johnson joins from Coffin Mew & Clover to head up the personal injury team.

Ms Johnson is chief assessor of the Law Society's personal injury panel.

Moving into the capital, north London's Colman Coyle has promoted Hema Anand (commercial property) and John Cronin (personal injury) to associate.

Former sole practitioner Sarath Wijesinghe has joined north London firm Malik & Malik as an associate specialising in crime and immigration.

Andrew Romaner has left what was City firm DJ Freeman to become a commercial property associate at KSB Law.

Mayfair firm Forsters has strengthened its planning team with assistant Eleanor Penn from SJ Berwin.

In Reading, Boyes Turner has scooped up corporate assistant Alison Hubbard from Charles Lucas & Marshall.

Clare Young has also qualified into the firm's employment group.

Blandy & Blandy has two new solicitors: family assistant Daniel Bennett joins from London firm Burke Niazi and private client lawyer Rebecca Chinner leaves Fearon & Co in Woking.

Assistant Christopher Flood becomes head of the litigation team at Ratcliffe Duce & Gammer.

He joins from Bristol firm Richmond Solicitors.

Intellectual property specialist Peter Wood joins the Oxford office of US firm Hale & Dorr from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert.

Farther west, Bristol firm TLT is boosted by Paul Collins, who becomes a planning and environment assistant.

He was previously at Bevan Ashford.

Anthea Wilson qualifies into the civil litigation team at Torquay firm Kitson Hutchings.

Sian Rees becomes an assistant in the family team at the Okehampton office of Devon firm Stones.

She leaves Percy Hughes & Roberts in Birkenhead.

Ending up in Wales, Leo Abse & Cohen has appointed two criminal assistants - Phillip Slough joins from Trudy McBride in Cardiff and Aled Watkins from the Jenkins Newman Partnership in Merthyr Tydfil.

Edwards Geldard has expanded its commercial dispute resolution team with associate Richard Moore from Mills & Reeve in Cambridge, and newly qualified Alun Evans.

Newport firm Harding Evans has promoted its clinical negligence head Ken Thomas to associate.