Eversheds' senior banking partner leaves for Pinsents

Eversheds has lost one of its senior equity partners - its former head of banking - to Pinsent Curtis, just weeks after the firm's head of tax resigned.

Rhodri Davies will head an eight-strong banking team at Pinsents, working closely with Susan Paton, head of the finance department.

He spent two years as joint head of Eversheds banking department, alongside David Halliday.

Just over a month ago, head of tax Reg Nock left after eight months in the job, calling his appointment a "mistake" (The Lawyer, 1 March).

Davies says his new position will offer him more control. "It is a chance to develop something in my own right, something reputable."

An Eversheds spokeswoman played down Davies' contribution to the firm's banking department, saying: "David Halliday was really head of the department. David took a more active role."

But Julian Tonks, senior partner at Pinsent Curtis, says: "I don't think that was the position. It seemed to me they were joint heads of the banking department.

"It is not consistent with what Eversheds has previously said."

The Eversheds spokeswoman says the firm will be making more appointments in the banking department in the near future, and that it will add extra staff on the aviation side.

Eversheds' banking dep-artment was set up three years ago.

While Davies concedes Halliday was first to join the department, he says: "I joined on the strict understanding I was helping to set it up. We were the only two equity partners at that time."

Tonks says: "Rhodri is a senior lawyer with a lot of experience and if we were losing him we would be very disappointed."

He adds that Pinsents also has plans to expand its banking department. "We are building up a strong department and it is certainly one area where we are constantly looking to take on skilled people."