Hammonds senior finance partner quits for SJ Berwin

Hammond Suddards Edge is losing its senior financial services partner to SJ Berwin. He returns four years after quitting the firm.

Bruce Gardner has tendered his resignation, but a starting date at SJ Berwin has yet to be agreed. His move will boost SJ Berwin's financial services capability.

A replacement for Gardner as firm-wide head of financial services has yet to be decided. Hammonds senior partner John Heller says: "We'll be discussing that with other partners. The firm has partners more than capable of carrying on that position." He says that the firm will look at making lateral hires into the firm's financial services sector as well as pushing people forward within the firm.

SJ Berwin head of corporate Jonathan Blake says: "We were sorry that Bruce left us. He is clearly an industry leader, along with the others that we are seeking to hire, and we reapproached him." It is thought that other financial services specialists may join from Hammonds and that some may be partners.