New Eversheds Sutherland partner Matthew Howse and Dublin managing partner Alan Murphy

Eversheds Sutherland has expanded its Belfast office with the hire of litigation partner Matthew Howse from heavyweight Irish firm Arthur Cox. Howse, who specialises in banking and finance litigation, made partner at Arthur Cox in 2015. He is joined in the move by associate Conor McAleese.

In continental Europe, the firm has also brought in tax partner Olivier Gaston-Braud in Luxembourg from local firm Elvinger Hoss Prussen, and former Hogan Lovells corporate partner Maximilian Findeisen, who joins the Duesseldorf office from German firm Muetze Korsch.

Allen & Overy has hired Hogan Lovells partner Silvia Bauza to head its Spanish employment practice. Bauza joins the magic circle firm from Hogan Lovells' Madrid office. Her experience includes acting on on significant corporate restructurings for Spanish and international companies and has wide-ranging experience in incentive plan and management contract negotiations, as well as on employment aspects of M&A deals.

Hogan Lovells has appointed competition partner Nkonzo Hlatshwayo as the new chairman of its South African practice, effective as of 1 October. He takes over the role from Lavery Modise. Hlatshwayo joined the firm in 2016 from Linklaters' South African ally Webber Wentzel, where he was a partner.

Ashurst has opened its Luxembourg office with the recruitment of tax partner duo, Cecile Henle and Georges Simon, from local firm Loyens & Loeff.

HFW has hired former consultant Carol-Ann Burton as a partner in its insurance and reinsurance sector. She rejoins as a partner in London, having previously worked as a consultant to the firm in London and the Middle East.

Travers Smith has hired pensions partner Sebastian Reger, who joins the firm from specialist pensions boutique Sackers. Prior to that, he was an associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. He has experience in leading on longevity transactions and collateralised buy-ins, having advised insurers, trustees, custodians and collateral managers.

Travers has also hired Ryan Fordham, former senior associate at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, as the firm's new head of construction and engineering. Previous to his tenure at CMS, Fordham was a senior associate in Mayer Brown's City office.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has bolstered its projects and infrastructure finance team with the addition of partner Tom Eldridge, who joins from Mayer Brown where he was partner in the project finance group. He was also previously at Dentons, heading up the firm's project finance group from 2012 to 2016.

Blake Morgan has bolstered its real estate practice with the hire of Shoosmiths partner Andrew Farmery. He advises on a range of commercial real estate matters, including providing advice to corporate occupiers and institutional investors.

Fladgate has hired corporate partner Sandra Bates from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. Bates has experience across a broad corporate practice in the UK and internationally, in particular the US, Canada and Africa.

Shoosmiths partner Juliette Peters has left the firm to launch a new boutique divorce and family law practice based in Mayfair. Associate Jessica May joins Peters as a partner in the new venture. The pair specialise in all aspects of family law including divorce, children, finances, same-sex relationships, prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements and unmarried relationships.

Clifford Chance has appointed co-head of the Luxembourg banking, finance and capital markets practice Steve Jacoby as the office's new managing partner. Jacoby will begin his four-year term in May 2019. He succeeds Christian Kremer, the founding managing partner of the office and head of the corporate and capital markets practices, who will now become senior partner in what is a newly created role.

CMS has continued its expansion in Asia with the addition of two new insurance partners to Hong Kong tie-up firm Shirley Lau & Co, with marine insurance specialist Andrew Horton and disputes partner Steven Wise both joining from RPC's Hong Kong office. The two will help CMS build out its contentious offering in Asia.

Addleshaw Goddard has welcomed back former partner James Dawson, who left the firm in 2012. Dawson was a partner at Macfarlanes for four years until 2016, and for the past two years has acted as a consultant with legal technology startups ObjectiveManager and DealScoper.

Vinson & Elkins has hired capital markets partner Noel Hughes to its global leveraged finance practice in the City from fellow US firm Sidley Austin's London office. He has been brought in to enhance the firm's capabilities in cross-border leveraged finance and high-yield debt offerings.

Irwin Mitchell has boosted its Leeds corporate team with Ward Hadaway partner Gavin Maddison. He acts for clients on M&A matters, as well as joint venture investments, equity fundraisings, shareholder arrangements and group reorganisations.

TLT has expanded its fintech and payments expertise with the appointment of Tim Waller as a commercial partner in its London office. Waller was previously senior vice-president and deputy general counsel at FTSE 250 global payments group, Paysafe.

DLA Piper has bolstered its real estate and corporate practice groups with three hires in Rome. Corporate partner Filippo Cecchetti is joining the global firm from Italian outfit Chiomenti, where he has been a partner since 2015. Legal director Eleonora Laurito and lawyer Giulia Minetti Floccari will also make the move alongside Cecchetti.

Shoosmiths has boosted its Yorkshire real estate team with the appointment of real estate litigation specialist Matthew Lonergan as a partner from DLA Piper's Leeds office. Senior associate Michael Gaughan is joining Lonergan in the move to Shoosmiths.

Bird & Bird has appointed Pierpaolo Mastromarini as a partner in its finance practice and energy and utilities group in Italy. Mastromarini joins from Watson Farley & Williams, where he advised on energy-focused asset and project finance transactions for the last four years.

The firm has also bolstered its international HR services practice in Brussels with the hire of partner Pieter De Koster from Belgian law firm Strelia. Prior to Strelia, De Koster led Allen & Overy's Belgian and international employment practice.

Taylor Wessing has hired a new partner for its UK construction and engineering team. Jonathan Hutt specialises in dispute avoidance and formal dispute resolution, advising employers, contractors, sub-contractors and energy companies both in the UK and abroad.

DWF has appointed DAC Beachcroft partner Owen Rees to its catastrophic injury team in the firm's Leeds office. While at DAC, he handled a number of cases for clients including Allianz, Aviva, RSA and Zurich.

Shepherd & Wedderburn has hired a nine-lawyer team from DWF in Scotland, including partners Joanna Hamilton, Anthony McEwan and Moray Thomson, all of whom have particular expertise in property, infrastructure and the energy sector.

Wedlake Bell has bolstered its private client group with the hire of private client partner Matthew Braithwaite, who joins from Bircham Dyson Bell. Braithwaite offers tax and estate planning advice to domestic and international high-net-worth clients.