PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partnership

In the City, David Childs has become chief operating officer at Clifford Chance; he will also retain his role as global practice leader for corporate finance.

Meanwhile, partner Phillip Palmer rejoins the finance team from his role as executive partner responsible for strategic planning, IT, finance and human resources.

Chris Willison has joined Hammonds' City office as a partner in the finance team.

He was previously in-house at GMAC Commercial Finance in Brighton.

James Cole joins Weil Gotshal & Manges as a partner in the international corporate finance group.

He moves from fellow US firm Shearman & Sterling in London, where he was an associate.

Farther west, Julie Burton has become a private client partner at Penningtons in Newbury.

She moves from Lamb Brooks in Basingstoke where she was partner and head of private client.

Colin Gibson has been appointed partner in the litigation and insolvency practice of Rickerbys in Cheltenham.

His promotion takes the partnership to 19.

Employment partner Lorraine Teague has joined Keoghs' Coventry office from Putsman.wlc in Birmingham.

Shoosmiths has recruited partner Martin Roderick to head its asset finance team.

He will be based in Northampton and was head of banking at south-coast firm Lester Aldridge until May 2002, when he took a career break.

Sheffield firm HLW has promoted commercial litigator Andrew McKenzie to partner.

In Manchester, Paul Ellaby has joined Hill Dickinson's corporate finance team as a partner from Hammonds.

In Liverpool, partner Tim Polding has been promoted to head of the commercial department at Lees Lloyd Whitley.

In the same office, the head employment law, Adrian Fryer, has been made partner.

Meanwhile overseas, Linklaters has a new managing partner in Asia.

Simon Davies, who was previously a corporate partner in the Tokyo office, moves to Hong Kong and replaces Andrew Roberts, who was based in Singapore and is returning to capital markets work in London.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Associates/assistants

South Devon firm Kitson Hutchings has three new hires.

Paul Rideough joins as a criminal law and personal injury associate from Gowmans in Paignton where he was a partner.

Sarah Farquharson joins as an assistant specialising in divorce and family work; she was previously a criminal lawyer at Bristol's Nile Arnall.

Daniel Gwynn is a newly qualified commercial property lawyer who completed his training at Beachcroft Wansbroughs in Bristol.

Harris Cartwright in Slough has made three promotions in its personal injury department.

Greg Bee has been promoted to senior associate, and both Matthew Tuff and Vanessa Hills have been promoted to associates.

Karen McCarthy has become a senior associate in the clinical negligence practice.

In Derby, Edwards Geldard has promoted construction lawyer Tom Connolly to associate.

Sheffield firm HLW has promoted insolvency lawyer Matthew Dixon to associate.

In Manchester, Janet Wood has joined Olliers' fraud team as an associate.

She arrives from crime firm Myer Wolff in Hull, where she was a partner.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Consultants

Surrey firm Shadbolt & Co has a new consultant in its London office.

Projects specialist Giles Dixon was previously a partner at Nabarro Nathanson.

Kent firm Furley Page has hired Richard Horton as a consultant.

He was formerly a partner and chairman of Maidstone's Whitehead Monckton.

Employment law consultant Stephen Calderbank has joined the Manchester branch of Merricks.

He was former joint senior partner at Colin Rayner & Co.

IN-HOUSE

Kate Fisher has joined the London base of property investment company Structadene Group as an in-house lawyer.

She moves from Barlows in Guildford.

Banking and corporate lawyer Sam Clark has moved in-house to insurance intermediary The Folgate Partnership in Sevenoaks.

He moves from ASB Law's Crawley office.

BARRISTERS AND BENCH

Law firm Mills & Reeve has appointed barrister David Lock - former government minister in the Lord Chancellor's Department (now the Department for Constitutional Affairs) - to head its national NHS practice, based in Birmingham.

He joins from Littleton Chambers in London.

Two new district judge appointments on the south-eastern circuit.

Timothy Parker is a partner at Reading-based Dexter Montague & Partners and has been a deputy district judge since November 1999.

David Beck had been a deputy district judge since 1988, and is a partner at Heald Nickinson in Camberley, Surrey.

Manchester set Exchange Chambers has taken on two new barristers, both from India Buildings in Liverpool.

Michael Scholes is a criminal practitioner with more than 25 years' experience as an advocate.

Katharine Titchmarsh specialises in personal injury litigation and was called to the bar in 1998.