Moving On

Private Practice

Partners



Plenty of partner promotions and moves to usher in the new year in the City.

Tracy McCormack: joins Withy King as associate Richard May (corporate) and Peter Brudenall (IT and telecoms) are given the nod at Simmons & Simmons. Three new partners at the City office of US firm McDermott Will & Emery: Danny Tsang is promoted in the pensions department, while corporate specialists Andrew Caunt and Andrew Croxford join from magic circle firm Allen & Overy, where they were assistants. Contentious trust specialist Alison Meek has joined the private client practice at City firm Speechly Bircham from Boodle Hatfield. Boodle Hatfield, meanwhile, has recruited Karen Black, previously at City firm Norton Rose, to lead the employment team. Keith Cartmell: joins Taylors as partner Reynolds Porter Chamberlain has recruited Patrick Devine, who was previously at the London office of US firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, as a partner in its insurance regulatory and brokers group. Andrei Yakovlev has been promoted to partner in the project finance group at US firm Dewey Ballantine’s London office. Stuart Tyler leaves London firm Lawrence Graham, where he was a senior assistant, to join Stephenson Harwood’s banking and asset finance group as a partner. Family specialist Maria Dennis is promoted to partner at Wiseman Lee’s Walthamstow office. In Kent, Darren Tamplin (personal injury and clinical negligence), Lesley Payne (women’s health issues) and Katherine George (child care) have been promoted to partner at Harman & Harman in Canterbury. The firm now has six partners. Clare Lillistone: assistant joins Aaron & Partners To the midlands, where Paul Harris has joined Stoke-on-Trent firm Kent Jones & Done as an insolvency partner after running his own Web-based training company, Mentor. Dispute resolution associate Stephen Taylor is also promoted to partner. Freeth Cartwright has appointed Deryck Houghton as a partner in its intellectual property and technology team. Mr Houghton joins the Nottingham office from niche IT law firm v-lex, which he co-founded in 2000. In the north-west, Blackburn firm Taylors has hired Keith Cartmell, formerly head of employment at Bolton firm Keoghs, as a partner in its commercial team. Associates/Assistants Five recruits for City firm Stephenson Harwood, led by head of technology and senior associate Michael Conradi, who was previously a senior associate at Baker & McKenzie’s London office. Also joining are assistants Simon Savage (technology) from DLA, Edward Sheard (aviation finance) from Beaumont & Son, Andrew Long (finance) from Denton Wilde Sapte, and Michael Halsey (employment) from south-coast firm DMH. Harman & Harman promotions (left to right) are: Darren Tamplin, Lesley Payne and Katherine George Landlord and tenant, and personal injury solicitor Jackie Gillespie has been promoted to associate at Brighton and Hove firm Howlett Clarke Crowther Wood. Assistant solicitor Iain Wanstall has joined the private client department in Taylor Walton’s Harpenden office from BP Collins in Gerrards Cross. Moving west, Tracy McCormack leaves Swindon Borough Council to become an associate in the family law department at Withy King’s Swindon office. Darren Williamson leaves City firm Herbert Smith to join the commercial property team at Nottingham-based Freeth Cartwright as a senior associate. Chester firm Aaron & Partners has two new assistant solicitors in its commercial team: Paul Tomlinson, previously at Freeth Cartwright, and Clare Lillistone, who joins from the Manchester office of national firm Addleshaw Goddard. In Yorkshire, solicitor-advocate Andrew Thompson moves from Leeds firm Grahame Stowe Bateson to the criminal law department at York-based Crombie Wilkinson. Bar and Bench Mr Justice Aikens has been appointed judge in charge of the Commercial List. He succeeds Mr Justice Tomlinson. Michael Lawson QC has been appointed a circuit judge, assigned to the south-eastern region. Other David Steed, a partner at Epsom-based Bradbury Steed