Shoosmiths has become the latest firm to benefit from the administration of Midlands firm Challinors with the hire of an eight-strong team including top-rated clinical negligence partner Richard Bannister.

The Birmingham medical negligence team, which includes solicitors Erica Burrows, Pamela Katsionis and Sumit Morjaria, two associates and two paralegals, is joining Shoosmiths Access Legal, the firm's private client offering.

Bannister, who trained and qualified at Challinors and made partner in 1995, was head of the firm's clinical negligence team. At Shoosmiths he will take the title of solicitor.

"This is an important and very experienced team, and their joining demonstrates Shoosmiths' commitment to this challenging and highly specialist field of work," said private client head Richard Follis.

The move comes after Challinors went into administration on Wednesday (21 August), following a statutory demand issued by a creditor against the partners of the firm.

Accountancy firm RSM Tenon – which was yesterday acquired by Baker Tilly in a pre-pack deal – is advising on the administration. Joint administrator Andrew Hosking confirmed 46 redundancies had been made at the firm.

Other firms to have taken Challinors staff include southwest firm Clarke Willmott, which hired ten members of the firm's litigation and private client teams, while eight members – the majority of which practice family law – have moved to national firm Cartwright King. Cartwright has also recruited white collar lawyer John Allchin, who headed Challinors' crime practice.

In a statement, the administrators said all live client files had been transferred to the new firms prior to the administration.

"All possible steps have been and will continue to be taken to minimise the impact of the administration on clients and protect their confidentiality," said Hosking.

"We tried to sell the business as a whole but after limited interest it was clear, the disposal could not be achieved for the appropriate considered value and in the necessary timeframes. Therefore, regrettably the business had to be broken up into several constituent parts."

"Unfortunately we have had no choice but to make 46 redundancies at this present time, but in most cases, these employees have already been able to secure jobs with the purchasers in accordance with pre-appointment sales of business and assets."