PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners

Hammonds' City office has scored a coup with a double-partner hire from Holborn firm Olswang: EU and competition partner Alasdair Bell, and sports, advertising and marketing specialist Louise Quinn.

Commercial property partner Deborah Swanwick joins Howard Kennedy in London from City firm Lawrence Graham where she was a senior assistant.

In Kent, Martin Varley joins Tunbridge Wells firm Thomson Snell & Passmore's company and commercial team from a business consultancy in Dubai.

Farther north, Hull firm Gosschalks has promoted company and commercial specialist James Phinn to partner.

Former senior associate John McIver leaves Clifford Chance to set up a banking practice at DLA in Edinburgh as a partner.

Abroad, Robert McLean joins US firm Crowell & Moring's international trade practice in Brussels from CMS Cameron McKenna, where he headed the Brussels office and the international trade team.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Associates/assistants

In the City, Daniel Harris is promoted to associate in the corporate department of Bircham Dyson Bell, while two new assistant solicitors join the team: Alex Harle from Clifford Chance and Shane O'Neill from Herbert Smith.

The City office of insurance firm Vizards Wyeth has taken on insurance litigation specialist Bruce Hall from Holborn-based Reynolds Porter Chamberlain as a senior solicitor.

Senior associate Joanne Gallagher joins the company and commercial team at Thomson Snell & Passmore in Tunbridge Wells from London and Bromley firm Wellers, where she headed the corporate finance and company commercial practice.

Insolvency, recon-struction and banking solicitor Sharon Stone joins Pictons in St Albans after a period as a legal consultant.

Heading west, employment associate Nicola Gale joins LHP Law in Bath from her own consultancy firm Nightingale Services.

Torquay's Kitson Hutchings takes on civil litigation assistant solicitor Rebecca Boast from London's CVS, where she was a trainee.

In Wales, Welsh firm Leo Abse & Cohen has hired Anne Broughton from Pontypridd firm Spicketts as an associate and head of family law.

Ms Broughton will be based in the firm's Cardiff office.

In East Anglia, agriculture specialist Emma Coke joins Ashton Graham in Bury St Edmunds from local firm Greene & Greene.

In Birmingham, Cromwell has hired Shoosmiths partner Christopher Cox to head its commercial dispute resolution department as a senior solicitor.

Planning and environ-mental lawyer Iain Johnston joins Birmingham's Gateley Wareing from Kent Jones & Done in Stoke.

Moving north, property assistant solicitor Charlotte Hopkinson joins Russell & Creswick in Sheffield from local firm HLW.

In Manchester, assistant solicitor Lucy Valerio joins Ricksons' commercial team from national firm Hammonds' Leeds office.

The Newcastle office of national firm Irwin Mitchell has hired industrial disease and injury specialist Neil Wilkinson as an assistant solicitor from Latimer Hinks in Darlington.

In Carlisle, private client assistant solicitor David Bawn joins Crutes Mounseys from Dickinson Dees in Newcastle.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Consultants and counsel

Two solicitors join Crowell & Moring in London as counsel: competition specialist Jatinder Sandhu from Weil Gotshal & Manges, and employment specialist Michelle Haste from Jones Day.

IN-HOUSE

Senior associate Emma Stanyer leaves London firm Harbottle & Lewis to become senior legal and business affairs executive at Qwerty Films in London.

OTHERS

Ralph Denny has joined The College of Law from the Inns of Court School of Law as an associate professor to help develop new courses and to deal with changes arising out of the training framework review being conducted by the Law Society.

The Liverpool office of Mace & Jones has appointed Samantha Kinnear as a marketing assistant.

She joins from Birkenhead firm Percy Hughes & Roberts.

BENCH

Peter Greene, a solicitor, has been appointed district judge of the principal registry of the family division.

Three new salaried district chairman - all solicitors - have been appointed to the Employment Tribunals: Charlotte Anderson (eastern region), Andrew Walker (Wales and south-west) and Mary Clarke (north-east).