* No5 Chambers has taken on five new tenants at its London arm, boosting its tally of barristers to more than 200.

The quintet are Stuart Cakebread, who specialises in commercial and planning law, David Holloway, a commercial law specialist, Carole Murray, who specialises in arbitration, Philip Williams, a crime and planning advocate, and Mamta Gupta, who works in the fields of crime and personal injury.

The most senior new arrival is Cakebread, formerly of 3 Paper Buildings, who was called to the Bar in 1978. His range of specialisms include commercial and rural affairs, an area he developed off the back of work advising egg producers in the aftermath of the claim in 1988 by Edwina Currie, then junior health minister, that egg production was infected with salmonella.

It is Williams, however, who gets the prize for most interesting former life, having quit his job as a boxing promoter two years ago to, as the chambers puts it, “concentrate on the law and a more peaceful resolution of disputes”.

* Wiggin, the media law specialist, has hired Marcus Rowland from Veale Wasbrough to head its employment team.

He will spearhead the firm’s employment law service to clients across the film, broadcasting, music, gaming, sport and publishing sectors. He is moving to Wiggin after four years at Veale Wasbrough, which he joined as a partner.

Recent media-related work he has undertaken includes advising a broadcaster on an unfair dismissal and a discrimination claim brought by a television presenter.

His arrival underlines a period of expansion at the niche firm, which is based in London. Other recent senior hires include those of media finance partner David Quli, who joins from Bird & Bird, and Michael Brader, former Olswang head of sport.

* Alicia Videon has joined Olswang’s restructuring and insolvency practice as a partner. She is making the move from DLA Piper and will work alongside Olswang’s head of restructuring, Graeme Levy.

Videon has 15 years of experience advising in the field of insolvency, spanning three jurisdictions: the UK, Hong Kong and Australia. Recently her practice has focused on advising on the buying and selling of distressed debt.

Her arrival at Olswang underlines the firm’s drive to build a standalone finance practice after the launch of the finance group last year. She becomes its eighth partner.

* Baker & McKenzie has boosted its London property practice with the hire of Justin Salkeld. He is joining the international giant from the London office of K&L Gates, the US firm, where he has been a partner for ten years.

His practice covers commercial property matters, including acquisitions, disposals, property finance and hotels work. His brief will be to help to develop the practice, which has been identified as an important growth area by the firm.

He said: “Baker & McKenzie has a fantastic international platform ready to meet the opportunities and challenges thrown up by the increasing globalisation of the real estate industry.”

The firm has also just hired two property partners to its Amsterdam office.

To submit information for this column, please send an e-mail to legalmoves@thetimes.co.uk

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