PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners

There is a new law firm in north London.

Family Law Associates is a two-partner practice run by Judith Goodman, formerly a partner at Margaret Bennett Solicitors, and David McHardy, previously a partner at another central London firm, Family Law in Partnership (the Family Law Consortium as was).

In the City, Lovells has a new finance partner following the move of Stephen Foster from CMS Cameron McKenna.

Professional indemnity lawyers John Eastlake and Claire Swift make the move from Eversheds to join City-based Plexus Law as partners.

Steven Heffer, previously head of insolvency at Morgan Cole, has joined Collyer-Bristow as a partner.

Southend-on-Sea firm TMK has promoted five of its solicitors to partner: Richard Cooper, Chris Whitcombe and Lee Wilcockson (all crime), and Tracey Rowley and Yvonne Hume (family).

It now has 11 partners.

Black Country firm Waldrons Commercial has eight partners after the promotions of Jonathan Day (head of commercial property) and Stephen Green (head of commercial litigation).

John Vickery has left Manchester's Halliwell Landau to join DLA's business support and restructuring team in Liverpool as partner.

Business recovery and insolvency partner Richard Drinkwater leaves DLA's Manchester office for Bolton-based Keoghs.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Consultants

Consultant Jessica Learmond-Criqui moves from US firm Altheimer & Gray to London to head Collins Benson Goldhill's new employment and immigration department.

US firm Hale & Dorr has a new intellectual property consultant in its London office following the move of Bird & Bird partner Miles Gaythwaite.

Wrigleys in Leeds has a new property consultant: Stephen Rosenvinge moves from Addleshaw Goddard.

Personal injury specialist Keith Nightingale, former senior partner of Leeds firm Nelson & Co, has joined Sheffield's Keeble Hawson as a consultant.

David Wilson, who was a corporate partner at Eversheds, has joined Newcastle's Watson Burton as a consultant.

Across the Channel, Linklaters has appointed Paul Lignires as a consultant to set up a public law practice in Paris, focusing on public-private partnerships.

He joins from Landwell.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Associates/assistants

Impressive captures for Exeter-based Michelmores, which has brought in three former partners as senior solicitors: John Stephens (commercial property) from City firm Simmons & Simmons, Chris Butcher (private client), from south-east practice Thomas Eggar and Rachel Carter (property) from south-west firm Clark Willmott.

There has also been a lot of action in Manchester.

Paul Bibby (commercial property) and Zahra Siddiqui (private client) have been promoted to associates at George Davies Solicitors.

Mark Grimes, an assistant from Pannone & Partners, has joined the firm's insolvency department.

Tax solicitor Stephen Betts joins Cobbetts from Hill Dickinson.

Assistant Simon Whitehead moves from Myers Lister Price to join Brabners Chaffe Street's Manchester-based employment group.

Alan Simpons has left DWF to join Kuit Steinart Levy.

Across the Pennines, family assistant Victoria Newman joins Leeds-based McCormicks, moving from Addleshaw Goddard.

Property solicitor Jonathan Attey moves to Leeds-based Wrigleys from Dawsons in London.

Leaving Leeds is Lucy Graham - recently head of legal at on-line stockbroker TD Waterhouse - who has been recruited by Dickinson Dees to be an associate and co-ordinate the commercial services team at its Tees Valley office.

Leicester firm Lawson-West has three new personal injury solicitors following the qualification of Mark Evans, Vicki Marks and Claire Speed.

Matthew Blood has qualified into the employment team of Solihull firm Sydney Mitchell, joining his twin brother Daniel, who qualified last year as a commercial conveyancing specialist.

Employment solicitor John Murphy joins Black Country firm George Green from Humphreys & Co in Bristol.

Solicitor Gillian Bowskill has joined Kidderminster-based Talbots to head its wills and probate division, making the move from Adcocks.

Melanie Herrera joins Alsters Kelley's Coventry office as associate head of clinical negligence; she moves from Leigh Day & Co in Manchester.

Irwin Mitchell has recruited two members to its Birmingham employment team: associate John Mehtam, who moves from Waldrons, and assistant Emma Savvides, who moves from the Commission for Racial Equality.

Its London office has recruited family solicitor Miranda Green from Family Law in Partnership.

In London, personal injury solicitor Suzanne Reece has moved from Beachcroft Wansbroughs to join Plexus Law.

Dual UK and Spanish-qualified assistant Ral Nieto Capn has joined Crawley firm Rawlison Butler from City firm Clare & Co.

IN-HOUSE

Litigation funding company Freeclaim IDC has promoted company solicitor Mike Armstrong to the board as director of legal services.

Alison Jowsey takes on the new role of assistant group solicitor at motor retailer Reg Vardy, moving from Eversheds in Newcastle.