PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partner hires


The London office of Baker & McKenzie has boosted its structured finance and capital markets practices with a team of four partners from City firm Norton Rose: Jonathan Walsh, Vincent Keaveny, Simon Porter and Bruce Somer.


Nick Davies joins London firm Mackrell Turner Garrett as a partner in the property department from Rosenblatt.


Property litigator Leon Golstein, previously a partner at Morgan Cole, joins central London firm Seddons.


Family specialist Danusia Brzezina joins Family Law Associates in Wimbledon from Margaret Bennett.


Litigator Sally Azarmi joins Ellisons in Colchester from City firm Holman Fenwick & Willan.


Home counties firm Woodfines has recruited two commercial property partners: Brian Bennett moves to the Sandy office from City firm Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, while Sylvia Goulding, previously at McLellans in Hertford, joins the Bedford office.


Cobbetts has hired social housing partner Sarah Hodgson in its Manchester office from Trowers & Hamlins. Assistant Catherine Wormleighton moves with her.



Partner promotions


Eight new partners at Clyde & Co bring the total number at the firm to 127: in London, Nick Austin (litigation), Paul Tetlow (corporate), Jonathan Drake and Anthony Menzies (insurance and reinsurance); in Guildford, Chris Burdett (litigation) and Nick Purnell (corporate); in Dubai, Wayne Jones (litigation); and in Hong Kong, Ik Wei Chong (litigation).


London firm Farrer & Co has promoted Robert Datnow and Serena Hedley-Dent in its sports group. It now has 62 partners.


Media firm Clintons has promoted Peter McGaughrin in its commercial and entertainment department, its 19th partner.


Cheltenham firm Willans has two new partners: commercial property specialists Laurence Lucas and Susie Wynne. It now has 11 partners.


East Midlands firm Cartwright King promotes criminal defence and mental health specialist Richard Boucher in its Leicester office, bringing the total number of partners to seven.


Lees & Partners in the Wirral, Merseyside, has promoted four: Eleni Kinch (business services and property), Fiona Kemp (clinical negligence), Mark Broughton (residential conveyancing), and Veronica Howley (litigation and employment). It now has 15 partners.


Yorkshire-based private client firm Wrigleys has promoted pensions lawyer Leigh Holmes, taking the total number of partners to 15.


Eight new partners for Newcastle-based Ward Hadaway: Claire Collinson and Kathryn Myers (commercial litigation), Duncan Reid (corporate), Damien Charlton (company and commercial), Judy Baker (IT), Marian Martin (employment), Alison Burn (private client) and Tushar Bhate (pensions), the latter joining from local rival Dickinson Dees. The firm now has 53 partners.



New firms


Anita Chopra and Salima Mawji have moved from AP Law in London to set up their own education law practice, Match Solicitors.


Three criminal law specialists have set up their own practice in Durham and Consett, CKM: Lisa Callum from Gordon Brown Associates in Chester-le-Street, Stephen Kettlewell from Swinburne Maddison in Durham, and David Malone from Bennett Richmond in Consett.



Associates/Assistants


Two new assistants for Boyes Turner in Reading: Sarah Williamson joins the commercial and technology group from Gateley Wareing in Birmingham, while Tracey O’Dwyer bolsters the family team from Morrisons in Surrey.


Also in Reading, Hetty Kalantar joins Pitmans’ planning and regeneration team from Cambridge City Council where she was a legal officer.


Assistant solicitor Jon Harris-Gibbins moves from D’Angibau Willmot in Bournemouth to launch an immigration practice for Cheltenham firm Willans.


Corporate assistant John Spofforth moves from Cobbetts in Manchester to O’Connors in Liverpool.


Manchester firm George Davies recruits corporate and commercial assistant Kyle Sutherland from Bermans in Liverpool. Catherine Kay in construction and Caroline Hanratty in commercial property are also promoted to associate.


North-west firm Brabners Chaffe Street promotes seven to associate: in Liverpool, Sue Blakesley and Stephen Lewis (property), Leanne Bond and Daniel Brawn (litigation), Francis McEntegart (corporate), and Joe Shelston (employment); in Manchester, Simon Whitehead (employment).


Josephine Manfredi-Hamer has joined the pensions team at Leeds firm Wrigleys from Nabarro Nathanson in Sheffield.


Newcastle’s Ward Hadaway promotes six to associate: Emma Firbank and Deborah Gilbert (litigation), Katherine


Hay-Heddle and Craig Swinhoe (corporate finance), Andrew Bellwood (property) and Lisa Evans (healthcare).