private practicePartnersStarting in the capital, City firm Bird & Bird has recruited a four-strong sports law team from Hammonds, led by partner Jonathan Taylor. He is accompanied by Max Duthie, who joins as a partner, and assistant solicitors Iain Higgins and Anna-Marie Blakeley.Corporate partner Tom Cartwright joins City firm Taylor Wessing from Hammonds.Robert Wieder leaves Field Fisher Waterhouse for the London office of US firm Bryan Cave, where he joins as a corporate partner.Banking partner David Ereira swaps one magic circle firm for another, leaving Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for Linklaters.London firm Fentons promotes five to partner level in its personal injury department: Alistair Macdonald, Angela Dobbs, Deborah Anderson, John Reeder and Katie Pendower. It now has 11 partners.And the Gazette’s family law columnist, Gill Rivers, has joined Collyer Bristow from Charles Russell. Corporate partner Gary Withey also joins from KSB Law.Moving east, employment specialist Priya Nainthy is promoted to partner at Ipswich firm Quantrills.In the Cotswolds, Robert Wellington joins Needham & James as a residential property partner from Clarke Wilmott in Bristol where he was a senior associate.Over to Wales, where Justin Harrington moves to Morgan Cole’s Cardiff office as an information technology partner from Field Fisher Waterhouse.In the north, Kate Range is promoted to partner at commercial regulation practice Osborn Abas Hunt in Manchester.Mike Rainford joins as a principal in Manchester-based business crime and fraud law practice Burton Copeland, following a short-term contract at Maidments.Leeds firm Ison Harrison has hired commercial property partner Jeremy Hewardine from Cobbetts.

ManagementNick Thomas has been re-elected for a third term as senior partner at City firm Kennedys.London and regional firm Osborne Clarke has re-elected Simon Beswick as managing partner.

Associates/assistantsA host of promotions to senior solicitor for City firm Denton Wilde Sapte. In the UK: Sarah Dyke, Bill Gibson, Terri Griffiths and Paul Jarvis (banking and finance); Ruth McAuley (employment and pensions); Katie Osborn and Baljeet Panesar (corporate); Andrew Fulton, Simon Johnson, Luci Sinnett and Zoe Thirlwell (dispute resolution); Brad Leggo (energy and infrastructure); Laura Balfour, Martin Fanning and Ruby Khnom (technology media and telecoms); Mairi-Anne Bowie, Louise Crawford, Kate Dunwoodie, Christopher Foxall and Lucy Tuck (real estate). In the firm’s international offices, Warren Thompson and Matthew Cox (Dubai); Ebru Temizer (Istanbul); Robert Lang-Anderson (Moscow); Serik Baimagambetov and Irina Voloboi (Almaty).City firm Fox has hired employment specialist Anita Rai as a senior associate, from Vizards Wyeth.At Gordon Dadds in London, property specialist Lauren Kelly joins as an assistant solicitor from Forsters, while Edward Sanguinetti is promoted to assistant solicitor in the company and commercial department after qualification. Tax barrister Estelle Tague also joins the firm’s private client department from CooperBurnett in Tunbridge Wells.Up to Chester, where Walker Smith Way has promoted Ceri Evans to associate in the criminal defence team.In Leeds Danny Richardson moves to Ison Harrison as a senior solicitor in the property department, from Emsleys.

BenchSolicitor Bernard Quoroll has been re-appointed to the Council of Tribunals.Solicitor Graeme Peart has been appointed immigration judge at the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT). Barrister Malcolm Parkes has become an immigration judge at the AIT, based in Stoke.On the Midland Circuit, solicitor Sally Dowding is appointed district judge, based at Birmingham Civil Justice Centre.