PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners

There has been a late flurry of lateral hiring in the City before the summer holidays, with Charles Russell taking on three new partners: Patrick Gearon (litigation) moves from Gordon Dadds, Stephen Pallister (private capital) from Pinsents, and David Schollenberger (IT and intellectual property) from DJ Freeman (as was).

Berwin Leighton Paisner has two new real estate partners after recruiting Richard Hopkinson-Woolley from Nicholson Graham & Jones and Franc Pea from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he was a senior associate.

US firm Duane Morris has three new partners in its London office after Ray Smyth (corporate) and Mark Hartley (company and commercial) joined from Gold Mann & Co, the niche firm where they have practised together since 1986, and commercial property lawyer Milan Patel was promoted.

In central London, Jeremy Hershkorn joins Portner & Jaskel from Evans Dodd to lead its commercial litigation team.

Cumberland Ellis Peirs has a new family partner: Margaret Kelly joins from Aitken Kelly Associates.

Newly established Stephen Beverley Associates has welcomed family partner Janet Tresman from Green Vine Beverley Palos.

Retail specialist Nicky Kravitz joins Stringer Saul as a commercial property partner from Finers Stephens Innocent.

Westminster firm RadcliffesLeBrasseur has made up Reena Patel (property) and Sejal Raja (employment).

The firm now has 55 partners.

Incorporated firm Bankside Law has boosted its serious fraud group with the appointment of John Williams from Ormerods as managing director; he brings director Bill Wilson and senior solicitor Aileen Colhoun with him.

Ian Ryan also joins as director from Russell-Cooke.

Away from London, David Wybar joins the rural business team at Colchester firm Birkett Long as a partner, moving from Ashton Graham.

Norfolk firm Cunningham-John has recruited Anna Soroko, formerly assistant general counsel at energy company TXU Europe, as a commercial partner.

In Liverpool, David Chatterton joins Goodmans to head its private client department.

He was previously working as a locum.

Jonathan Goodwin moves from his role as partner with Liverpool firm JST Mackintosh to set up his own firm, Jonathan Goodwin Solicitor-Advocate, practising exclusively in the field of regulatory, conduct and disciplinary work on behalf of regulatory bodies and individuals.

Richard Dawson-Gerrard, formerly an associate at DLA in Manchester, has joined Bolton firm Keoghs as a commercial dispute resolution partner.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Associates / assistants

Karim Mohamed, formerly head of professional negligence at Fosters in Norwich, has joined the Brighton office of Wynne Baxter as an associate.

Along the coast, wills and probate specialist Chris Bird has left London's Gibson Young to join Southampton-based Eric Robinson as an assistant.

Solicitor John Hamilton joins ASB Law's Crawley-based employment team from Hammonds in the City.

Back in London, personal injury specialist Osman Zulfiqar joins Chancery Lane firm Beynon Nicholls as an assistant, moving from Arora Lodhi Heath in west London.

Elsewhere, in Wales, James Rudall moves from Phillip Rudall to join Newport firm Harding Evans; he will set up and develop a housing disrepair litigation department.

Wills and trusts assistant Claire Wardman joins Stones' Sidmouth office from Exeter's Walker Law Associates.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Consultants

Geoff Hayhurst has joined London firm Mishcon de Reya's commercial property department as a consultant, moving from Berwin Leighton Paisner.

Michael Carpenter leaves his role as executive legal commissioner at the Charity Commission to join Charles Russell's charities group as a consultant.

Also in London, Joseph Hyde has left Evans Dodd to join Portner & Jaskel as a property consultant.

Four solicitors have left Mayfair's Edmonds Bowen to join new London firm Stephen Beverley Associates as consultants: Richard Cruickshank (company and commercial), Peter Sturgess (property), Izabela Stankowski (matrimonial) and David Duke-Cohan (property and private client).

BARRISTERS

Alastair Wilson has joined US firm McDermott Will & Emery in its City-based pensions and incentives group, moving from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

He will become a partner when he requalifies as a solicitor.

Jeremy Woodward joins Surrey firm Stevens & Bolton as joint head of its construction and engineering group; he moves from international construction and engineering company Bilfinger Berger.

IN-HOUSE

Julie Belvir has taken over as head of democratic and legal services at Croydon Council.

She was previously head of legal services at the London Borough of Merton.

Chineme Nwoke has joined the London Borough of Hackney as principal solicitor, litigation, where she is responsible for the civil and criminal litigation, housing and social services legal teams.

She was previously principal solicitor, housing and litigation, at the London Borough of Hounslow.

Human rights specialist Bernadette Livesey moves from Leeds firm Walker Morris to take up the post of legal services manager at Calderdale Council.