Moving on

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners

Starting in the capital, Howard Kennedy has recruited banking lawyer Justin Stephenson as a partner in its media practice to handle financing matters.

Mr Stephenson was previously at national firm Hammonds.

Robin Heanley has joined the London-based marine and transit team at Hill Dickinson as a partner from Clyde & Co.

US firm Chadbourne & Parke has appointed securities partner Claude Serfilippi as managing partner of its London office, replacing William Gleason who returns to the New York office.

In Essex, Lucy Osborn, Paul Baker and Caroline Woodley have left Gepp & Sons in Colchester to set up a specialist criminal defence firm called OBW Solicitors.

Catherine Drew leaves Olswang's Reading office to join Charles Russell as a corporate partner in Guildford.

John Moisson, previously joint chairman and partner at Morgan Cole, has joined Reading firm Boyes Turner as a consultant in the property department.

Tim Roberts leaves Heald, where he was head of the company commercial department, to join Milton Keynes firm Geoffrey Leaver as a corporate partner.

Moving west, corporate and commercial specialist Guy Bottard, managing director of Stuart Garden Architecture, has joined the Taunton office of Stones as a partner.

Farther north, Sara Whetnall leaves the Manchester office of DLA to join the commercial property department at Stoke-on-Trent firm Kent Jones & Done as a partner.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Associates/ assistants

US firm Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft has named three financial restructuring lawyers in its London office as special counsel: Justin Bickle, Yvette Croucher and Tony Horspool.

Linklaters managing associate Simon Kerr-Davis joins the employment department of Kent firm Cripps Harries Hall.

On the south coast, employment lawyer Sharon McIntosh has joined Brighton and Hove firm Woolley Bevis & Diplock from Howlett Clarke Crowther Wood.

Personal injury specialist Yasmin Chaudhury moves to Moore & Blatch in Southampton from London firm Rollingsons.

Mandeep Nagra joins the corporate recovery group at Reading firm Boyes Turner as an assistant from the Insolvency Service in London.

Three new assistants for Thring Townsend's commercial property department: Charles Wakefield joins the Bath office after completing his training at City firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Monica Walia moves to the Newbury office from Gridcom UK, and Simeon Fenn joins the Swindon office from Norwich firm Fosters.

Corporate assistant Chris Inson leaves City firm CMS Cameron McKenna for the Swindon office of Withy King.

Two new assistants for Stones: Robert Price (matrimonial) arrives from Southampton firm Bernard Chill & Axtell, while Kirsty Faichen (corporate) returns after a year's travelling to join the Taunton office.

Debbie Morris joins the personal injury department of Derby firm Flint Bishop & Barnett from Sutton-in-Ashfield practice Hollis & Co.

Also in Derby, Claire Gritton moves to Edwards Geldard's commercial property team from Kent Jones & Done in Stoke-on-Trent.

Bolton-based Keoghs has hired two new solicitors for its specialist claims unit, which focuses on identifying insurance fraud: Charlotte Farrell joins from the Liverpool office of Hill Dickinson, while Miles Hepworth joins from Lancashire County Council.

In Manchester, commercial and insolvency lawyer Matthew Wiggetts leaves Rowe Cohen to become an associate at Ricksons.

Liza Connelly, previously in-house at Cedant Mobility, has moved to the Sheffield office of Keeble Hawson as an assistant in the commercial property department.

Personal injury specialist Claire Hodgson moves to Stockton-on-Tees firm Askews as an associate from Newcastle firm Watson Burton.

IN-HOUSE

Andrew Steele leaves Worthing firm Malcolm Wilson & Cobby to take up the newly created position of group solicitor with Argyll Insurance.

Penina Shepherd, a dual-qualified solicitor and Israeli advocate, leaves ASB Law to become head of share incentives at Maidstone-based human capital management company Outset UK.

BENCH

Barrister Christopher Jackson Smyth and solicitor Alison Lock have been appointed salaried district chairmen of the Appeals Tribunals, assigned to the south-east region.

OTHERS

Non-lawyer Paul Wilkinson, former chairman of RHM, joins Wragge & Co's food and drink team as a non-executive adviser.

Ken Mackinnon, previously an adjudicator at New Zealand's accident compensation scheme and pro-dean of the law school of the University of Waikato, has returned to the UK as programme manager for law at the University of Derby.