PRIVATE PRACTICE

Partners Regional firm Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons hires employment specialist Jeremy Nixon from Bird & Bird. The firm also promotes Graeme Fearon in the intellectual property and IT law team and Ben Jones and Colin Stratton in commercial property.

US firm Squire Sanders & Dempsey promotes corporate lawyer Christopher Rose who will work from the firm’s London and Moscow offices.

London-based Fladgate appoints commercial litigator Paul Howcroft from Marriott Harrison.

Berkshire firm The Head Partnership promotes five: Rachel Gaylor in the conveyancing team, Gavin Henshaw in family, Stuart Mullins and Susan Robertson in commercial, and Owen Reynolds in private client.

Robert Audino and Sarah Cornes join the family team at Surrey firm Howell Jones from local firms Hart Brown and TWM respectively.

Moving north, DWF appoints four: in Leeds, Rupert Nevin joins to head the business regulation team from Yorkshire firm Keeble Hawson, and Carol Grundell is appointed to head the family team from Fox Hayes. James Lonsdale joins the commercial and intellectual property team in Manchester from Addleshaw Goddard, and Barry Scott joins the Preston real estate team from Blackpool firm Barker Booth & Eastwood.

Manchester firm Pannone strengthens its personal injury team, recruiting Kate Wild from Simpson Millar’s Manchester office and Craig Oliver from Weightmans’ Liverpool office.

Also in Manchester, Halliwells appoints family specialist Elizabeth Hassall from Hill Dickinson.

Paula Milburn joins the family law team at Hill Dickinson’s Chester office from JMW in Manchester.

National firm Robin Smith promotes Mark Jenkyn-Jones in the professional indemnity team at its Manchester office.

In Liverpool, Linskills promotes criminal law specialist Alaric Walmsley.

Lancashire firm Southerns promotes Gary Taylor in its wills team and Steven Jackson in its property team.

ManagementSimon Konsta is elected senior partner at City firm Barlow Lyde & Gilbert.

Associates/assistantsRegional firm Davies Lavery promotes Samantha Silver to associate in the insurance and reinsurance team.

London firm Glovers promotes Kenny Friday to associate in its litigation and dispute resolution department.

Family assistant Samantha Jago joins Surrey firm Howell Jones from Barlow Robbins.

Shoosmiths appoints IT associate Susan Atkinson in the commercial team at its Reading office. She joins from Sidley Austin in London.

Lamb Brooks in Basingstoke recruits two newly qualified solicitors: Niels Dagless joins the dispute resolution team from Simpson Millar in London and Susan Wilkins joins the commercial property team from Darwin Gray in Cardiff.

In Peterborough, Matthew Ingle leaves Greenwoods to join the commercial property department at local firm Sloan Plumb Wood.

South-west firm Foot Anstey promotes five to associate: Rachel Cook (child care), James Collings (employment), Jim Gorrod (construction), Anna Philips (property litigation) and Helen Wallwork (company and commercial).

In the Midlands, assistant Adam Smith joins the clinical negligence team at Merry Hill firm Waldrons from Thompsons in Birmingham.

Senior solicitor Cathy Cook joins the corporate and commercial team at Yorkshire firm Jordans; she was previously in-house at Skipton Building Society.

Manchester firm JMW appoints Georgena Adesida in its employment team from Weightmans’ Birmingham office.

Lancashire firm Southerns promotes Jonathan Pollard and Elizabeth Holden to associate in the family and private client teams respectively.

ConsultantsAnnelise O’Neill joins the corporate department at west London firm Keystone Law from Allen & Overy.

Landlord and tenant specialist Brian Jones joins Dorset firm Laceys after taking a year out to write a book.

MERGERS & NEW FIRMS

Home counties firm Woodfines merges with Cambridge firm Matthews Winter & Bullock. The new firm will be called Woodfines Winter & Bullock before reverting to Woodfines next July.

In Hull, Ian Phillip and Richard Fowler of Myer Wolff and Patricia Walker of Barkers have set up a new criminal law firm to be known as Amber Solicitors.