PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partnership

We start in the west country, where Peter Kimpton has joined Bristol firm TLT from Humphreys & Co to head the residential property and plot sales team.

Eight-office Wards now has a female majority in its partnership after bringing in Rebecca Parkman as a wills and probate partner after merging with Alletsons of Weston-super-Mare, and promoting four others: Bridget Juckes (company/commercial, Bradley Stoke office), Alison Underhill (personal injury, head of the Staple Hill office), Mandy McCabe (family, head of the Portishead office) and Jenny Pierce (head of probate and estate planning, Bristol office).

Seven of the 13 partners are women, and two of the partners work part-time.

Devon firm Symes Robinson & Lee has made up Don Middlemost as a wills, tax planning and probate partner at its Budleigh Salterton office.

Insurance lawyer David Cole has been promoted to partner in the Reading office of Morgan Cole.

In the City, corporate insurance partner David Whear has joined Norton Rose from Dechert.

He is joined by senior associate Ashley Prebble.

US/UK firm Faegre Benson Hobson Audley has a new head of employment after hiring Tite & Lewis partner Greg Campbell.

Corporate finance lawyers Sean Harrison and Elizabeth Katkin have been made up in the London office of US firm Hogan & Hartson, which now has 17 partners.

Three senior private client partners from Dawsons will move to fellow Lincoln's Inn firm Hunters next May: senior partner Joe Richardson, Edward Martineau and Andrew Allen.

Manchester firm George Davies has recruited commercial lawyer Chris Wilkinson as a partner from Bullivant Jones in Liverpool.

Further afield, the Hong Kong office of Allen & Overy has hired asset finance lawyer William Ho as a partner from Baker & McKenzie, while fellow asset finance partner Thomas Brown, managing partner of Allen & Overy's Tokyo office, has relocated to Hong Kong.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Associates/assistants

Corporate finance solicitor Nick Mayles has left City firm Orchard for Cambridge and Taylor Vinters.

King's Lynn firm Ward Gethin has hired criminal law specialist Ruth Barber from Uxbridge practice IBB.

Alistair Ponder and Robert Colman have qualified into commercial litigation and corporate respectively at Norwich firm Howes Percival.

Down to the City, where Caroline James and Helen Wallwork have qualified into the corporate insurance team at Norton Rose.

Three new solicitors for Kingsley Napley: Saima Arif Dunt (commercial property) from Eversheds, Antonia Mee (family) from Rochman Landau, and Julie Dean (construction) from Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw.

Litigator Kathryn Johnson has moved to Pritchard Englefield from CMS Cameron McKenna, while Pritchard also has three qualifiers: Thilo Schneider (corporate), Emma Banfield (property) and Sara Oldfield (private client).

In Kent, Vanessa Croisier Challess has qualified into the dispute resolution team at Canterbury's Furley Page, while French property and tax lawyer Virginie Delplace has crossed the Channel to join Kingsfords of Ashford.

Reading firm Clarks has hired Amanda McGurran (employment) as a senior solicitor from Surrey's Shadbolt & Co, while Angela Flanagan (property) has joined from London firm Hamlins.

Planning lawyer Richard Guyatt has joined the Bristol office of Bond Pearce from City firm CMS Cameron McKenna.

Four new solicitors for Burroughs Day in Bristol: Simon Thomas (commercial property, from Furley Page), Hazel Phillips (company/ commercial, from Hugh James in Cardiff), Nicola Middleton (property litigation, from London firm Glovers) and newly qualified Brendan Donohue (employment).

Worcester firm Harrison Clark has recruited family lawyer Petra Salt from Staffordshire practice Dicksons HMG, and trusts and probate specialist Zoe Dale from Cox & Hodgetts in Evesham.

Commercial litigator Mark Richardson has left Putsman.wlc in Birmingham for the Derby office of Nelsons.

Four new solicitors for Manchester firm George Davies: associate Nicky Collins (corporate, from Heatons), Mark Grimes (insolvency, from Pannone & Partners), Sue Rees (private client, from Lawson Coppock & Hart) and newly qualified Louise Robinson (commercial property).

Also in Manchester, personal injury firm Express Solicitors has promoted Hasan Qamruddin and Gillian Balmer-Sumner to associates, and hired Alvina Zia as an assistant from Darr & Co.

Four personal injury solicitors for fellow Manchester firm Fentons: Tusler Goodwin from Pollards, Jenny Levers from Donns, Catherine Taylor from Woodcock & Sons and Natalie Marsh from Axxons.

Leaving Fentons and crossing the Pennines is personal injury solicitor Hema Rana, who has joined Leeds firm Nelson & Co.

Solicitor Sally Hesling has become operations manager at Fox Hayes Property Transfer Company, the conveyancing arm of Leeds firm Fox Hayes.

She joins from Hammonds Direct.

CORRECTION

John Primmer has no plans to retire from Lichfield firm Keelys, as stated in [2003] Gazette, 20 November, 10.