PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners

The 2004 partnership promotion round kicked off with a bang in the City and beyond this week.

Twelve are promoted at Linklaters in the City: Raymond McKeeve and Olivia McKendrick (corporate); Neil Harnby (asset finance); Philip Spittal and Nicole Xanthopol (banking); Vinay Samani (capital markets); Caroline Miller-Smith (projects); Isabel Britton (intellectual property); Marly Didizian (IT and telecoms); Satindar Dogra and Michael Sanders (litigation) and Jonathan Richards (tax).

This brings the total number of partners at the firm world-wide to 500.

Four partner promotions at Slaughter and May: Gavin Brown and Roland Turnill (corporate and M&A); Jonathan Cotton (dispute resolution) and William Watson (tax).

Communications partner Rhys Williams leaves Simmons & Simmons for Bird & Bird.

Still in the City, three partner promotions in the contentious intellectual property department at Bristows: Zoe Butler, Brian Cordery and Alex Wilson.

It now has 29 partners.

Corporate specialist Pranav Trivedi is promoted at US firm Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in the City.

Real estate partner Imelda Moffat joins Bircham Dyson Bell in London from Stephenson Harwood in the City.

Jo Goldby leaves City firm Nicholson Graham & Jones to head the private client department of Howard Kennedy in London, accompanied by assistant solicitor Caroline Eady.

Employment specialist Victoria Greig is promoted to partner at Solnick & Co in London.

Commercial property specialist Ari Bloom becomes partner at Solomon Taylor & Shaw in London.

Two partner promotions at Guildford's Hart Brown: company commercial specialist Nigel Maud and family law practitioner Robert Audino.

Bernadette Hillman is promoted to commercial and property litigation partner at Pickworths in Hertfordshire.

Three new partners at Bedford and Milton Keynes firm Borneo Linnells: Janita Patel (crime), Jason Lazard (family) and Sam Phelan (family and mental health).

Angela Bowman is made partner and head of the charity and probate litigation team at Henmans in Oxford, while charity specialist Alison Talbot is also promoted to partner.

On the south coast, property specialist Andrea Waring is promoted at Christopher Green McCarrahers in Hythe.

Louisa Swanton is made up at Whitehead Vizard's business and insolvency practice in Salisbury.

Moving west, medical negligence specialist Ken Thomas is made a partner at Harding Evans in Newport, Gwent.

In the West Midlands, property partner Helen Dain joins Talbots in Kidderminster from Gwynnes in Shropshire.

Residential conveyancing specialist Carole Fox is promoted to partner at Rothera Dowson in Nottingham.

Head of the trusts and estates planning department at Gorvins in Stockport Andrew Cusworth moves to Linder Myers in Manchester.

James Dadge becomes a partner in the insurance litigation practice at James Chapman & Co in Manchester.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Associates/ assistants

Jeremy Harris has joined the dispute resolution team at Solomon Taylor & Shaw in London as a senior assistant from Taylor Wessing in the City.

Two associates for Henmans in Oxford: corporate specialist Rachel McCullough joins from Rollitts in Hull where she was a partner, and Jane Maitland moves to the private client team from Kidd Rapinet in High Wycombe where she was also a partner.

To Nottingham, where three corporate finance assistant solicitors - Karen Harby, Janet Freeman and Anna Booth - have joined Gateley Wareing from Edwards Geldard.

Commercial specialist Sanjay Gogia is promoted to associate at Rothera Dowson.

In Manchester, assistant solicitor David Croot moves to Ricksons' insurance litigation practice from Poole Alcock in Cheshire.

Assistant solicitor Helen Tynan joins the commercial property group at Nexus in Manchester after qualifying at Mace & Jones.

Assistant William McKay has joined the property services group at Robert Muckle in Newcastle after a year's travelling.

In Carlisle, clinical negligence assistant solicitor Victoria Watson leaves local firm Pauline L Butler for Burnetts.

BENCH

A host of new circuit judges appointments, all barristers: Jonathan Foster QC and Andrew Gilbart QC (northern circuit); Sally Cahill QC (north eastern); Andrew Barnett, John Dixon (western); and Keith Thomas and Stephen Hopkins QC (Wales & Chester).

Wyn Williams QC has been appointed as the specialist Chancery Circuit judge at Cardiff Civil Justice Centre.

IN-HOUSE

Assistant solicitor Elizabeth Sinnamon has left Long & Purves in North Shields for Tynedale District Council.

Correction

At Brabners Chaffe Street in the north-west, commercial property specialist Jim Purves has joined the Manchester office from Eversheds, while Jane Lake moves to the Liverpool office from Trowers & Hamlins, not as stated in [2004] Gazette, 25 March, 12.