Simmons & Simmons, Stephenson Harwood and HowardKennedyFsi have become the latest firms to announce their partner promotions, with Simmons making fewer partners than last year.

Simmons has made up four City partners in a seven-strong round, with Michael Lorraine (capital markets), Navneet Juty (disputes), Penny Miller (financial services) and Peter Broadhurst (EU competition and regulatory) making the grade.

The firm's Paris, Milan and Brussels offices have each received one new partner, with the total of seven new partners down 30% on last year, when the firm made up ten, including eight in London.

Simmons' dispute resolution practice has received the lion's share of this year's promotions with four.

Senior partner Colin Passmore said: "The firm's business plan envisages significant growth for the firm over the next few years, and the promotion of our homegrown talent is integral to this."

Meanwhile, Stephenson Harwood has promoted a quartet of lawyers to its London partnership, one more than the firm made up last year.

Senior associate Richard Garcia, who was part of the team acting for Vincent Tchenguiz's family trust in its high-profile claim against Kaupthing and the related investigation by the Serious Fraud Office, will join the commercial litigation partnership alongside Tatiana Minaeva, who heads up the firm's Russia and CIS group.

Funds lawyer Alex Haynes, who joined the firm in 2002 as a trainee, and commercial specialist Jonathan Kirsop, who rheads the firm's privacy and information law practice, round off the rest of this year's promotions.

Last year the firm made up three lawyers, with two based in London - Julian Cahn and Ian Mace – and Andrew Rigden Green, who relocated to Hong Kong shortly after his appointment.

Elsewhere, City firm HowardKennedyFsi has made up four lawyers in its first promotions round the merger of Howard Kennedy and Finers Stephens Innocent earlier this year.

The new partners, three of whom are female, are dispute resolution specialist Louise Bennett, transaction finance lawyer Emma Broad, corporate solicitor Christine Dubignon and private client expert Neil Long.

Other firms to have announced partner promotions this week include southwest firm Foot Anstey, which has made up a trio of partners while southeast outfit Cripps Harries Hall has promoted two to its partnership.

Simmons partner promotions in full

Etienne Kowalski – dispute resolution, Paris
Francesco Maruffi – dispute resolution, Milan
Michael Lorraine – capital markets, London
Navneet Juty – dispute resolution, London
Olivier Mignolet – dispute resolution, Brussels
Penny Miller – financial services, London
Peter Broadhurst – EU competition and regulatory, London