Private practice


Partners



Kicking off in the City, Chris Warren-Smith joins the financial services disputes practice team at US firm Fulbright & Jaworski from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert.



Catherine Cook joins the real estate practice of Clifford Chance as a partner from Berwin Leighton Paisner.



In Hertfordshire, private client lawyer Simon Crooks is promoted to partner in the Hoddesdon office of Curwens.



Moving north, Sue Morrison has joined the employment and pensions team in the Manchester office of national firm Hill Dickinson as a partner; she was previously head of employment at the local office of Mace & Jones.



Fiona Dillon joins Manchester-based JMW as a partner and head of the private client team from Pannone, where she was head of wills, trust and probate.



National firm Halliwells appoints Rachel Watkin as a partner to head the property litigation department in its Liverpool office; she moves from Hill Dickinson.



Tony Wilkinson, head of the company commercial team at Taylor & Emmet in Sheffield, is made up to partner.



Associates/Assistants



In the City, Hextalls promotes Dr Julian Morris to associate in the health and care team.



Dawsons appoints two new assistants: Claire Nickolds joins the family law team from Manches, while Robert Macro strengthens the private client department; he was previously with British Virgin Islands firm O’Neal Webster.



Michelmores hires Rehman Noormohamed to head its technology, media and communications practice in Exeter and London; he was previously with Eversheds.



In Oxford, employment lawyer Alison Clements joins Lewis Silkin as an associate; she was previously with LangtonHudson Lawyers in Auckland, New Zealand.



Three join the private client team at Henmans in Oxford: Humphrey Marten, Catherine Rolfe and newly qualified Lisa Mark-Bell were all previously with Pryce & Co in Abingdon.



Two boost the Guildford office of Surrey-based Hart Brown: senior solicitor Gerard Gibbs (employment law) moves from Charsley Harrison in Windsor where he was a partner, while Owain Jones joins the commercial business department from Hodson Parsons James & Vaux in Newport.



In Kent, employment law specialist Claire Singleton joins ASB Law’s Maidstone office; she was previously head of employment at Clarkson Wright & Jakes in Orpington.



Employment law specialist David Johnson is promoted to associate in the Enfield office of Curwens.



In East Anglia, Ceri Rogers and Kirsty Panton qualify after completing their training at Ellisons; they will work respectively on employment and commercial property in the Colchester office.



Birketts hires Bob Steward as an associate to work in its private client team in Ipswich; he was previously a partner at Sparling Benham & Brough.



Ruth Lewis joins the private client team at the Ipswich office of Prettys after relocating to England earlier this year; she previously worked for McDonald Leong in Kirwan, Australia.



Richard Fitton joins the private client team at Hayes & Storr in Fakenham, having completed his training contract with Kester Cunningham John in Cambridge.



Farther north, associate Penina Samuelson boosts the commercial property team at Lodders in Stratford-upon-Avon; she was previously with Cobbetts in Birmingham.



In Wales, associate Claudia Le Gros, formerly of Eversheds, joins the commercial projects team at M&A in Cardiff.



Associate Caroline Shafar joins the employment and pensions team in the Manchester office of Hill Dickinson from Mace & Jones.



Consultant



London-based Davenport Lyons hires consultant Neil Blows to boost its leisure practice; he was previously deputy managing director of Ask Restaurants.



Oxford-based Henmans hires Stuart Capel as a consultant for its agricultural property team; he was previously a partner at Pryce & Co in Abingdon.