Private Practice


Partners



Kicking off in the City, Oury Clark hires Denise Lester to head up its family department. She was previously a senior assistant at Moss Beachley Mullem & Coleman.



Ashurst appoints corporate specialist Murali Neelakantan from US firm Arnold & Porter to lead the India group from its London office.



The business and finance group at Ince & Co is boosted by the arrival of Peter Measures from Curtis Davis Garrard.



Mishcon de Reya adds three partners: Martyn Hann and Les Christy join the IP team from Pinsent Masons, while fraud law specialist Masoud Zabeti arrives from Glovers.



Mark Summers is promoted to international tax and trusts partner at Speechly Bircham.



Moving away from the capital, Anthony Nixon joins the private client team at the Chichester office of Thomas Eggar. He was previously at Lester Aldridge.



In Southampton, matrimonial specialist Catherine Maxfield is made equity partner at Eric Robinson.



East Midlands firm Nelsons appoints banking specialist Michael Lodge from Browne Jacobson.



Derby firm Moody & Woolley makes up Martina Longworth to partner in its family department.



The Yorkshire office of Dickinson Dees is boosted by the arrival of property specialist David Stone from Andrew Jackson.



Cumbrian firm Scott Duff & Co promotes family lawyer Katie Wright to partner in its Carlisle office.



Associates/Assistants



Starting in the north, Rebecca Tonkin has qualified after completing her training at the Penrith office of Scott Duff & Co. She works in the family department.



Newcastle firm Hay & Kilner has appointed Lydia McCaslin as assistant solicitor in its private capital unit. She joins from Cartmell Shepherd in Cumbria.



In Cheshire, assistant Victoria Acres joins niche personal injury and clinical negligence practice Jobling Gowler from Poole Alcock.



Leeds firm Ison Harrison has boosted its debt recovery department with the arrival of insolvency specialist Jo Smith from Lee & Priestley.



Leamington Spa-based Wright Hassall adds four: Rebecca Okell joins the firm’s company commercial unit from Pinsent Masons’ Birmingham office, while James Leyland arrives from MFG in Worcester to work in the farming and rural business team. Barrister Andrew Bullock arrives as in-house counsel for the firm’s property litigation team. He arrives from London-based Clarendon Chambers. Tina Patel also joins the housing and local government team as solicitor, having recently qualified from Wright & McMillan Bennett.



Senior associate Harvey Knight moves from the Financial Services Authority to Bevan Brittan to head the firm’s financial services regulatory practice. He will be based in London and Bristol.



In London, solicitor Mary Guinness joins Mishcon de Reya’s IP team from Pinsent Masons.



Herbert Smith hires senior associate Matthew Emms to its employee incentives department. He was previously an associate at Addleshaw Goddard.



James Lawford Davies joins Clifford Chance as a senior lawyer in the firm’s global healthcare industry group from Bevan Brittan.



Thomas Eggar adds two to its ranks: associate Sue Adams (private client) joins the firm’s Chichester office from Lester Aldridge, while German tax lawyer Phillipp Mitterbauer arrives at the Gatwick office from Dawsons.



Further south, associate Paul Dungate joins the corporate commercial team at Maidstone-based Brachers. He was previously company secretary for GCG, while newly qualified Alex Marks arrives from PRU legal to boost the firm’s debt recovery team.



Management



Peter Seymour has been elected to chairman at Nottingham-based Actons. He replaces Richard Leman, who remains as a fee-earner.



Bar/Bench



Four Paper Buildings has taken on nine new tenants from 9 Gough Square: Alex Verdan QC; John Tughan; Susan Baldock; James Shaw; Sally Bradley; Oliver Jones, Cleo Perry, Ceri White; and Dorothea Gartland. All are specialists in the law relating to children.



In-House



Solicitor Grant Pegg joins SFP as head of its compliance department, arriving from Grant Thornton.