Ashursts head of pensions moves to join partner ranks

Maria Stimpson has been a partner at Ashursts since 1999 and heads the 14-strong pensions team.
She will join A&O as a partner, where the employment, pensions and incentives group is headed by pensions specialist Derek Sloan. A&O's London pensions practice alone comprises two partners and 18 other lawyers.
A leaving date for Stimpson is still being finalised, but she is expected to make the move around the end of the year.
Sloan commented: "We wanted to bring someone in at partner level to expand the practice. Maria has built up a very good practice at Ashursts. She has practice development and management skills on top of her legal skills, which makes her an excellent fit for us."
Corporate finance specialist Ian Webb will step into the position of head of pensions. It is understood that a restructuring programme could see pensions fused more closely with corporate and the employment and incentives subgroups.