PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners - hires

It may be promotion season, but London firms are also busy making lateral hires.

City firm Bates Wells & Braithwaite has made a double swoop on Mayfair practice Reid Minty.

Property partner Martin Gunson and corporate partner Jonathan Ebsworth have joined, with Mr Ebsworth becoming head of the sports and media group.

In addition, property litigator Lesley Robinson has been made up.

Clyde & Co has recruited corporate insurance partner Juliette Stevens from DLA.

Senior assistant Geraldine Quirk moves with her.

Daljit Singh, formerly of US/UK firm Jones Day, has become Berwin Leighton Paisner's third private equity lateral hire of the year.

Professional negligence partner Antoine West has left Fishburns for Charles Russell.

Campbell Hooper has brought in corporate partner Graeme Guthrie from Morgan Cole, and made up three: Richard Baker (construction), Jane Innes (corporate tax) and Gaynor Jackson (private client).

It now has 24 partners.

Greg Palos has joined niche central London commercial firm Lawrence Stephens as a partner from Turner & Debenhams.

Outside London, Jonathan Lilley, formerly a litigation partner at Fancy & Jackson in Staines, has joined the High Wycombe office of Blaser Mills.

Nottingham firm Actons has brought in employment lawyer Claire Bell from Shoosmiths and promoted head of family law Michael Spencer.

Both are directors - in effect, partners - under Actons' structure, which sees each lawyer form their own company.

The firm is made up of a partnership of those companies.

Employment law specialist Jon Keeble, a dual-qualified barrister and solicitor, joins Ricksons' Manchester office as a partner from City firm Eversheds.

To Scotland, where DLA's Edinburgh office has launched an environmental team with the hire of Douglas Taylor as a partner from Scottish firm Maclay Murray & Spens, where he was principal environmental solicitor.

And Simon Rae joins the office as a corporate partner from Clifford Chance in London.

In Paris, Taylor Wessing has brought in corporate partner Pascal Roux from Richards Butler, taking senior associate Christine Graziana and junior associate Ariane Massonnaud with him.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners - promotions

Starting in the City, magic circle firm Allen & Overy has made up 21 partners, taking it to 454 worldwide.

Eight of them are in London: Chris Bernard (US securities), Ian Borman (leveraged finance), David Broadley (corporate), Dna Burstow (pensions), Chris Harrison (tax) Mark Levy (litigation), James Partridge (litigation) and John Skuter (securitisation).

Three new partners for specialist pensions firm Sacker & Partners: Claire Carey (director of professional development), Alison Cribbs and Joanna Matthews.

It now has 23 partners.

Technology lawyer Justin Harrington has been made up at Field Fisher Waterhouse.

It now has 77 partners.

London human rights firm Hickman & Rose has promoted Nogah Ofer (civil actions against police and prisons, inquests and public law) to partner.

Home counties firm IBB has promoted criminal defence lawyer Rob Borwick to partner in the business investigations and governance team.

Hilary Norris, head up employment at Milton Keynes practice Kimbells, has been made up to partner.

Defendant insurance firm Davies Lavery is now a 22-partner firm after making up two in its accident and injury division: Sally Chalmers (Maidstone) and Simon Staples (Birmingham).

Four partners for Newcastle-based Dickinson Dees: Michael Brown and Ben Done (property), Paul Coleman (company/commercial) and Claire-Jane Nicol (employment).

It now has 64 partners.

At the other end of the country, Cornwall firm Coodes has also made up four to take it to 19 partners: commercial property lawyers Charles French (St Austell office), Allison Bunney (Truro) and Kate Theophilus (Liskeard), and family lawyer Jackie Rudge (St Austell).

Mr French is the third generation of his family to become a partner at Coodes, which is one of the oldest law firms in the country, having been established in 1747.