The Transfer Window is a weekly round-up of recent legal moves in the UK and abroad. Please send all announcements to [email protected].

Simmons & Simmons has moved to boost its new asset management sector group with the hire of DLA Piper's UK investment funds team head David Williams, who is joining the firm as a partner in London.

Williams, who was also a partner at DLA Piper, advises on investment funds and asset management work, especially private funds investing in private equity, illiquid credit, real estate and infrastructure.

News of the hire comes shortly after Simmons' partnership approved the launch of asset management as a separate sector group for the firm. Asset management currently sits as part of Simmons' financial institutions sector group, which generates more than half of the City firm's revenues.

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has hired Janet Turner QC (pictured) as head of charities from Taylor Vinters, where she led the firm's not-for-profit group. She will be part of BLP's private client practice when she joins the firm in May. Prior to Taylor Vinters, she spent eight years as in-house counsel for elderly national charity WRVS.

Elsewhere in London, Debevoise & Plimpton has hired Eversheds senior associate Timothy McIver as international counsel – the firm's equivalent of salaried partner.

McIver, who will join the US firm's competition, EU and regulatory group, has acted on a wide range of matters before the European Commission, the Office of Fair Trading and the UK Competition Commission.

Fellow US firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher is adding a partner to its London office with the relocation of corporate specialist Nick Tomlinson from Dubai, where he has spent the last four years. Tomlinson, who joined Gibson Dunn in 2001, is English and New York-qualified and moved to Dubai in 2008 shortly after the new base was opened.

Osborne Clarke has recruited a new head of real estate investment with the hire of former Wedlake Bell real estate chief Peter Day, whose clients include Henderson Global Investors and Warburg-Henderson KAG. His appointment is the regional firm's sixth real estate partner hire in the last year, bringing total partner headcount to over thirty.

The news follows Wedlake Bell's tie-up with London boutique Cumberland Ellis. The combined firm, which will retain the Wedlake Bell name, will have a total of 54 partners.

Jones Day has expanded its London banking and finance practice with the hire of Dominic O'Brien from Addleshaw Goddard. He joined Addleshaws in mid-2010 and is also a former lawyer at Clifford Chance (CC) and Herbert Smith.

DWF has bulked up its London corporate team with the appointment of new partner Douglas Howie, a partner at Clyde & Co for more than 23 years. His practice focuses on insurers, insurance intermediaries and buyers, and his appointment takes the number of insurance partners at the northwest firm to nine.

The Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have made a new joint senior appointment, with Alan Vallance taking on the new role of Director of Organisational Services, with responsibility for finance, HR, IT and facilities for both bodies.  Vallance joins from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, where he was chief operating officer. He previously spent 15 years in senior management positions with Australia Post.

Reed Smith has hired a CC partner in London, with environmental specialist Peter Zaman set to switch to the US firm. Zaman previously co-headed CC's environmental and climatic trading group alongside City finance partner Claude Brown, having been promoted as the first emissions-trading expert partner at the magic circle firm.

His practice focuses on providing trading and structuring advice to investment banking and funds clients as companies in sectors such as energy, oil and aviation.

Stephenson Harwood has added a partner  to its City intellectual property practice with the hire of Alexandra Pygall from Covington & Burling. She was a senior associate at the US firm but has had a substantial legal career that has included working at CC for 10 years.

Wragge & Co is expanding its City planning team with the hire of Manches' head of projects and housing, Giles Clifford. Formerly of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Clifford's high-profile clients include Transport for London and the Swan Housing Association.

His arrival comes not long after former SJ Berwin planning partner Duncan Field joined Wragges, bringing with him relationships with clients including The Crown Estate, Marks & Spencer and London City Airport.

Addleshaw Goddard has hired former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer senior manager Svend Frederiksen to lead its Client Development Centre, which offers support to general counsel and their teams. Frederiksen has previously held similar roles for DLA Piper and technology research specialist Gartner.