* John Wadham has joined the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) as its legal director. The former director of Liberty, the campaign group, takes up the role just as the commission - which was created under last year’s Equality Act - prepares to assume its full powers in October. The CEHR will take over the work of the Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission, and will act as the independent advocate for equality and human rights in Britain. Wadham has spent the past four years in the full-time role of deputy chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. IPCC chair Nick Hardwick says: “John was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the IPCC and all our work is, to some extent, the product of his vision. The loss to the IPCC will be the gain of the CEHR and I, with the rest of the organisation, wish John the best of luck in his new role.”

* Andrew Caldecott, QC, has been elected head of chambers at One Brick Court, the leading media law set. Counsel for the BBC for the Hutton Inquiry, he has appeared in a string of high-profile libel cases, including the recent Sir Martin Sorrell libel trial. Caldecott takes over from Richard Rampton, QC, who steps down after serving a seven-year term. During Rampton’s leadership, the set has worked to expand from its libel core into other areas of media law, including privacy and contempt of court. Caldecott has pledged to continue this trend. “Unlike some more controversial recent legacies, this is one to preserve not change,” he said.

* Finance specialist Clare Calver has joined US firm White & Case as a partner from Allen & Overy, where she was an associate. Calver will be based at White & Case’s London office until she relocates to Paris. Her focus will be advising London-based banks on financing activities in the French market and French banks taking lead mandated arranger roles on leveraged finance transactions. Gilles Peigney, head of White & Case’s Paris Banking practice, says: “The use of Anglo-Saxon style and structure in leveraged finance documentation has gone hand in hand with the growth of the French leveraged finance market. Clients are increasingly demanding these capabilities, combined with credible French language skills and an in-depth knowledge of the market.”

* Jennifer McDermott has joined the London office of Withers from Addleshaw Goddard, where she headed the media and public law group. McDermott, whose clients include Sir David Barclay and Sir Frederick Barclay – owners of the Telegraph Group - is chair of the executive board of the human rights group, Justice, and advises the Spoliation Advisory Panel on disputes concerning works of art lost during the Nazi era. The move opens up her expertise to the roster of private clients that lies at the heart of Withers’ practice. The firm’s newly appointed chairman, Anthony Indaimo, says: “In an era of increased media scrutiny, reputation management is always on the agenda of both private and commercial clients.”

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