Moving on

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners

The US firms are at the centre of much of the activity in the City this week.

Ian Meredith has joined Nicholson Graham & Jones from US firm Steptoe & Johnson, where he was head of international commercial arbitration and litigation.

The London office of US firm Hale & Dorr has recruited Robert Barry as partner from Allen & Overy to spearhead the launch of the firm's European intellectual property litigation practice.

US firm Hogan & Hartson has established a London tax practice after bringing in partner Jonathan Ivinson from fellow US firm McDermott Will & Emery.

Associate Justin Hamer moves with him.

Corporate partner Gary Senior has been elected managing partner of US-based Baker & McKenzie's London office.

He replaces Russell Lewin, who takes up a position on the firm's eight-strong global executive committee, representing the European offices.

Newly established firm City firm Kendall Freeman has made up two insurance litigation partners - Lee Metcalfe and Mark Meyer.

Bindman & Partners has also promoted two solicitors to the partnership - Jon Crocker and Lynn Knowles - who together will head the clinical negligence and personal injury department.

Cardiff firm Darwin Gray has two new partners.

Jason Smith, previously a consultant, becomes an employment and sports law partner, while commercial litigator Rhodri Lewis joins from an in-house position at Peacocks Group.

Worcester-based Harrison Clark has promoted Paul Mann to partner and head of the commercial department.

Alison Carter (head of personal injury) and Simon Wagner (head of property) are both made up to partner at Telford's Martin-Kaye, now a seven-partner firm.

Sheffield-based AMS Law has 18 partners with the promotion of associates Ann Humes (family) and Ed Williams (head of electronic conveyancing).

Cobbetts has hit 81 partners after promoting Andrew Field (banking litigation and insolvency) in Manchester, and Giles Clegg (corporate) and Tas Javed (property) in Leeds.

City firm Norton Rose has strengthened its Frankfurt property practice with two new partners from Linklaters - Hans-Dieter Schulz-Gebeltzig and Axel Kunze.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Associates/assistants

The City hiring spree at US firm Hogan & Hartson continued with three new corporate associates - Paul Robinson from fellow US firm Weil Gotshal & Manges, Sharon McGrath from Slaughter and May, and Christina Penny from Linklaters.

Field Fisher Waterhouse has added assistant Robert Shooter to its technology law group from Tite & Lewis, while Elizabeth McSweeney qualifies into the department.

Two new senior associates join City firm Grundberg Mocatta Rakison.

Jura Junnila heads its new Finnish law practice, joining from Borenius & Kemppinen in Latvia.

Pawan Sharma, previously in-house at Sony Television in Asia, has created a practice for Indian companies.

Sheridans' Chertsey office has brought in assistant Varnava Zachariou (corporate/commercial and commercial property) from Thomas Eggar.

Corporate assistant Ashley Whitcher has joined Portsmouth firm Coffin Mew & Clover from M&S Solicitors in Coalville.

Bournemouth-based Lester Aldridge has three new assistant solicitors - Kate Fletcher (from Clarke Willmott) and Jennifer Maddocks (Norton Rose) join the employment team, and Samantha Drew (Beachcroft Wansbroughs) boosts the asset finance and banking department.

Bevan Ashford in Bristol has hired litigator Tim Boyse as an associate from City giant Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

Leaving Bristol-based Burges Salmon is solicitor Andrew Evans, who joins Edwards Geldard in Cardiff to head its tax team.

Moving to Exeter, Graham Cridland joins Michelmores as a planning assistant from Clarke Willmott.

Leaving Michelmores is Peter Bridgwater, who joins Stones as a commercial property assistant.

In the midlands, Worcester-based Harrison Clark has promoted Cindy Bexfield (commercial property) and Inger Woolhouse (corporate) to associate.

Ms Bexfield will also head the commercial property department.

Demetrius Danas joins Irwin Mitchell's Birmingham office from Andrea & Co as an associate in the travel litigation team.

Birmingham-based Heatons has appointed employment assistant Naylah Hamour from Brachers in London.

Two new assistants arrive at Taylor & Emmet in Sheffield - Darren Woodward (commercial property) from Keeble Hawson, and Julia Wilkinson (residential conveyancing) from Bell & Buxton.

Manchester-based Leech & Co has made up personal injury assistants Tim Shaw and Daren Ismay to associate.

Finally, Emma McGrath leaves Chandler Harris to become an employment assistant at Linder Myers in Manchester.