PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners


In the City, banking specialist Charles Morrison leaves Denton Wilde Sapte to spearhead UK/US firm DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary’s drive to develop its Africa practice.


Commercial litigator Paul Phillips moves to Stephenson Harwood from Olswang.


Olswang has meanwhile bolstered its corporate team with the arrival of David Roberts from Lovells.


James Emly is promoted to partner at commercial property firm Clayton.


Property litigator Miles Paffard moves from Nabarro Nathanson in London to Cripps Harries Hall in Kent.


Andrew Hannam leads a clinical negligence team moving to the Taunton office of Foot Anstey from Clarke Willmott. Also transferring are associates Claire Stoneman and Robert Antrobus.


Three are promoted at Swansea firm JCP: property litigator Rory Hutchings and personal injury specialist Lynne Morgan take equity, while Michael Williams becomes a partner in corporate and commercial. The firm now has 17 partners.


Sheila Whitton joins Cobbetts’ social housing team in Manchester from local firm Wacks Caller.


Also in Manchester, Kuit Steinart Levy has recruited Ian Morris, former head of intellectual property at Berg Legal, to head its contentious IP team.


Two partners for Leeds firm Lupton Fawcett: Chris Waterhouse, previously at Brooke North, and Leigh Martin, who is promoted in the commercial department. The firm now has 26 partners.


Michael Sandys has joined Wirral firm Kirwans as a partner and head of commercial and civil litigation, not as stated in [2005] Gazette, 4 August, 36.




Management


City firm Lovells has re-appointed London-based Patrick Sherrington as practice stream leader for dispute resolution, while commercial litigator Crispin Rapinet becomes Asia regional managing partner. Both appointments are for a three-year term.




Associates/Assistants


London firm Forsters has hired Sarah Rushton, former senior in-house counsel at inter-dealer broker ICAP, as a senior assistant to launch an employment practice.


Contentious trust, tax and probate assistant Jon Beresford joins Harcus Sinclair from Lawrence Graham.


Campbell Hooper has hired corporate tax assistant David Scott, who was previously at Hammonds.


Barrister Michael Conroy Harris joins Laytons in Guildford as head of the construction team from City firm Trowers & Hamlins. Julie Fitzwater also joins the commercial property department as an assistant from Surrey firm Crellins.


Staying in Surrey, family specialist Andrea Boulter joins Herrington & Carmichael in Aldershot as an assistant from Spencer Gibson.


Two associates for Coffin Mew & Clover in Southampton: Scott Greenwood joins the social housing team from London firm Prince Evans, while Andrew Witt is promoted in the commercial litigation department.


Seana Cunningham joins the insolvency and litigation team at Reading firm Pitmans as an assistant from Whitney Moore in Dublin.


Corporate tax specialist Nick Fagge joins Burges Salmon in Bristol as an associate from the London office of US firm Schulte Roth & Zabel.


Avhninder Pawar moves to the commercial litigation and employment department at Pickerings in Tamworth as an assistant from Wolverhampton firm Garratts Legal.


Alison Close has joined Midlands employment specialist Averta as an associate, moving from DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary in Birmingham.


Associate Nathan Kennedy has joined Frodshams in St Helens as head of employment, moving from Josephs in Blackburn.


Five are promoted to associate at Chester firm Aaron & Partners: Penny Down and Vicki Jones (both property), Nick Clarke (litigation), Clare Lillistone (corporate) and Lorraine Saunders (matrimonial). Claire Brook, meanwhile, joins the firm’s employment team as an assistant from Middlesbrough-based Abbott Bailey.


Criminal law assistant Alison Farmer has joined Myer Wolff in Hull from Tanner & Taylor in Aldershot.