PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners


The latest City firm to announce its 2006 promotions is Macfarlanes, which will have six new partners from 1 May: Rachel Bond, Robert Collard and Graham Gibb (corporate); Christopher Lawrence (debt finance); Stephen Sims (investment funds); and Dominic Cunliffe (real estate).


Mark Brady joins Eversheds’ City office as a funds partner from US firm Crowell & Moring, where he headed the funds group.


Central London firm Reid Minty takes on Richard Hart as a partner and head of the real estate practice. He moves from the London office of Baker & McKenzie, where he was a senior associate.


Nearby, Child & Child promotes two to partner: Naim Qureshi in the family department and Khalid Shariff in the property team. David Briffa joins the property practice as a partner from Warners in west Kent.


Kent and London firm Vizards Wyeth hires three partners: Robert Ryder, who was president of the Kent Law Society last year, joins the commercial litigation team from Warners in Sevenoaks; Mary-Ann Wright joins the family team from Landes; and insolvency specialist Anu Massey moves from Judge & Priestley.


In Uxbridge, banking specialist Colin Mattis joins the corporate and commercial group at IBB as a partner from Shoosmiths.


In Norwich, Peter Goddard has joined Birketts’ social housing team. He previously led Eversheds’ East Anglian social housing team.


To the midlands, where Browne Jacobson has hired Robin Broughton from Howes Percival to head its employment team in Birmingham.


Manchester firm Stripes has hired Stephen Jarman, formerly an associate at the Manchester office of DWF, as a corporate and commercial partner.


Andrew Symms moves across Leeds to Eversheds as a construction partner from DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, where he headed the construction team.




Associates/Assistants


Three are promoted to senior solicitor in City firm Denton Wilde Sapte’s real estate practice: Michele Vas, Sarah Youren and Annette Chandler.


Assistant solicitor Jo Honigmann has left the Disability Law Service to join London firm Levenes’ education and disability department.


Two new assistant solicitors for Vertex Law in Kent: Simon Jones joins the dispute resolution team from City firm Wallace, while Glenn Godfrey moves to the commercial property team from Gill Turner Tucker in Maidstone.


David Evans qualifies into the litigation department at Wellers in Bromley.


On the south coast, Denise Oatham joins the real estate team at Lester Aldridge in Southampton as an associate from Blake Lapthorn Linnell.


To Birmingham, where Lindsay Yuill leaves Pinsent Masons to join Wragge & Co as an assistant solicitor in the commercial team.


Cobbetts in Birmingham has hired Terry Cooper as a director to head its trusts and probate practice. Mr Cooper previously established a dedicated trusts and probate team at Putsmans.


Assistant solicitor Scott Floyd joins the personal injury team at Silks’ Oldbury office from Weightmans in Birmingham. In the firm’s Netherton office, Kate Walton joins the commercial property department as an assistant solicitor from Glaisyers in Birmingham.


Moving north, three are promoted to associate at Tranters’ personal injury department in Manchester: Tim Kitchin, Nicola Yemm and Robert Jones.


Three new recruits for Linder Myers’ commercial property team in Manchester: associate Kelvin Pak from local firm Sedgwick Phelan & Partners, and assistant solicitors Samantha Williams from Hull firm Rollits and Rebecca Murphy from Leech & Co, also in Manchester.



BAR AND BENCH


Barrister Judge Michael Fysh has been appointed chairman of the Copyright Tribunal. He is currently a Patents County Court judge and circuit judge of the Crown and county court.


Barrister Andrew Gumbiti-Zimuto has been appointed a full-time salaried member of the panel of chairmen of employment tribunals in the London South region.