PRIVATE PRACTICE



Partners



The London office of US firm Chadbourne & Parke bolsters its corporate team with the hire of Charez Golvala from rival US firm Vinson & Elkins, where he was a senior solicitor.



Elsewhere in London, Nick Roche joins Pritchard Englefield’s corporate department from DMH Stallard.



Adam Langridge leaves EDF Energy, where he was principal solicitor, to join the corporate team at Hammonds’ London office.



Withers promotes six to partner, five of whom are London-based: Sarah Cormack, Filippo Noseda, and Erik Wallace in private client, and Graeme Kleiner and Pierre Valentin in litigation. In the US, Chris Uzpen is promoted in the income tax team. The firm now has 95 partners.



Howard Kennedy promotes four: Steve Clinning (banking), Humbert Mozzi (property), Peter Paschalis (property), and Craig Thompson (corporate). It now has 69 partners.



Andrew Wylie joins Olswang from Macfarlanes to lead its investment funds practice.



Seddons takes on civil litigator Joseph Kosky from Ross & Craig.



Music specialist James Sully joins Sheridans from Harbottle & Lewis.



Private client specialist Edward Walter is promoted at Burt Brill & Cardens’ East Grinstead office in Sussex.



Clarke Willmott in Bristol hires pensions specialist Claire Rankin from national firm Eversheds.



Moving north, Hammonds in Manchester appoints Victoria Leigh to the commercial and dispute resolution department from Eversheds.



Rollits promotes Douglas Oliver, the head of its social housing team, to partner in York.





Associates/assistants



Wragge & Co strengthens its planning team in London with the hire of Karen Howard, former head of planning and regeneration at Olswang, as a director.



Also in London, Julian Yew joins the employment group at Wedlake Bell as an associate from Stephenson Harwood.



Denton Wilde Sapte hires Jeremy Cape as a senior solicitor in its taxation department from US firm Shearman & Sterling.



Simon McKirgan joins Royds as a senior associate in its family department from Horsey Lightly Fynn.



Burt Brill & Cardens appoints matrimonial specialist Charlotte Sloan to its East Grinstead office. She joins from the Tunbridge Wells office of London firm Gregory Rowcliffe Milners.



To the midlands, where the Birmingham office of Clarke Willmott hires Fiona Thomson from Cobbetts as a senior associate in commercial property.



Stuart Shaw joins Blakemores’ private ancillary team from Burton-on-Trent’s Smith Partnership.



In Peterborough, Emma Murphy joins Greenwoods’ corporate and commercial department as an assistant solicitor from Lincolnshire firm Roythorne & Co.



Lincoln-based Langleys appoints Louise Pepperdine as an assistant solicitor in its commercial property department. She moves from Wollastons in Chelmsford.



Laura Gill joins the conveyancing department at Barnetts in Southport from London firm Knox Ukiwa.



Manchester firm Glaisyers has strengthened its private client team with the hire of Sion Roberts, who joins from the Ringrose Law Group in Lincolnshire.



Sheffield firm Bell & Buxton hires Sarah Kelsey as a solicitor in its wills and probate team. She joins from local firm Rosalind Watchorn.





Consultant



John Booth joins Clarke Willmott’s Birmingham office as a consultant in commercial property. He moves from local firm Blackhams.





BAR AND BENCH



Licensing and restraint of trade specialist Simon Mehigan QC joins 2 Harcourt Buildings, the Chambers of Robin Purchas QC, from 5 Paper Buildings.



Solicitor Lucinda Rowe is appointed a district judge at Bristol County Court and District Registry.



Solicitor Abbas Mithani is appointed a circuit judge, assigned to the midlands circuit.



Barristers Mushtaq Khokhar and Andrew Woolman are appointed circuit judges, assigned to the northern circuit.