PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners


Lots of activity in the litigation department of Manchester firm Pannone & Partners kicks off this week’s moves. Paul Jonson arrives from Newcastle firm Robert Muckle, where he was head of commercial litigation, Stuart Irons moves from DWF in Liverpool, where he was head of property litigation, while Kate Hamilton has been promoted internally. Pannones now has 74 partners.



In Leeds, Richard Berry, a partner in the banking department of Addleshaw Goddard, moves to Cobbetts.



Moving to Addleshaw Goddard’s projects group in London, meanwhile, is partner Richard Guit, who leaves CMS Cameron McKenna.



Elsewhere in London, Cumberland Ellis Peirs has promoted Chan D’Souza, head of property litigation, and head of residential property, Angela Lucy, to the partnership.



At London specialist sports firm Couchman Harrington Associates, Jon Higton joins to be the new head of broadcasting and media from the London office of Hammonds, where he was a consultant.



Fiona Bethel has been promoted to partner in the family department of Cambridge-based Taylor Vinters. The firm now has 28 partners.





PRIVATE PRACTICE


Associates/assistants


A lot of activity in the north-west this week. In Manchester, Fentons has appointed Michael Lusher – formerly a partner with Rowe Cohen – to be an assistant in its claimant personal injury department.



Sally Bird and Liz Winter have been promoted to associates in the employment and property departments respectively of Kuit Steinart Levy.


In addition to new partners in the commercial litigation department, Pannone & Partners has also hired assistant solicitors James Allison and David Brown from Blackburn-based Roebucks and the Manchester office of Hammonds respectively.



Assistant solicitor Jennifer Clark leaves the property department of Liverpool-based Weightmans for the Preston office of Ricksons.



Further west, Mark Bone, a partner from the criminal department of St Helens-based Canter Levin & Berg, is joining Kirwans on the Wirral as an assistant.



There are four promotions to associate at Taylor Vinters in Cambridge: Roger James (employment); Rupert Melville-Ross (rural affairs); Angela Beric (personal injury); and Nigel Maguire (commercial litigation).



The Reading office of Shoosmiths has recruited banking assistant Kirsty Clarke from the Bahrain office of City firm Trowers & Hamlins.



At Cumberland Ellis Peirs in London, commercial lawyer James Lamont and family lawyer Emma Ries are promoted to associates.



Marcus Tapley-Peabody, a projects lawyer with City firm Taylor Wessing, joins Finers Stephens Innocent as a senior solicitor.





BENCH



Judge Alan Wilkie QC has been appointed to sit in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court.

Solicitors Sally Williams and District Judge Ann Campbell, together with barristers Michael Horowitz QC, Anthony Goldstaub QC, John Bevan QC and Jeremy Richards have been appointed to sit as circuit judges on the south-eastern circuit. Peter Coulson QC has been appointed as a specialist circuit judge to sit in the Technology and Construction Court in London.


Solicitor Michael Wood has become a district judge (magistrates’ court), sitting principally at Durham Magistrates’ Court.



Stuart Robertson, formerly a partner at Bradford-based Gordons, has become a salaried full-time chairman of the employment tribunals.





Corrections


Alastair Collett, the new master of the City of London Solicitors Company, is a private client partner at Farrer & Co, not as stated in [2004] Gazette, 24 June, 36.



Emma Gaudern left Pannone & Partners in Manchester to join Alexander Harris, not as stated in [2004] Gazette, 10 June, 44.



In London, Sophie Lingham and Katie Martin have not joined Hunters from Dawsons as stated in [2004] Gazette, 17 June, 44.