Manches suffers triple loss as prized partners depart from firm

Manches & Co has suffered a triple loss its head of banking Andrew Knight, and head of insolvency Andrew Visintin are to join Edge & Ellison in London, while regulatory partner-designate Maeve Bromwich has left after only two months to go in-house at Merrill Lynch.

Manches recruited Andrew Knight from Hammond Suddards two years ago amid great fanfare. Visintin had joined a few months earlier from Wilde & Partners and worked on a number of deals at Manches, including the administration of Lola Cars.

The two, who were each independently introduced to Edges via intermediaries, would not comment on their move. Both are still negotiating their departure date.

But it is understood Knight and Visintin, who are salaried partners, felt they brought in more work for other parts of the firm than other departments, particularly corporate, were bringing in for them.

Edge & Ellison is spending heavily in London to build up a large corporate commercial practice and has put the bad publicity of failed merger talks with Pinsent Curtis and Dibb Lupton Alsop, which led to the departure of senior partner Digby Jones, behind it.

Bromwich only joined Manches in November from Ashurst Morris Crisp, where she was a senior associate. She was made a partner in the new year, but started at Merrill Lynch last week. She would only say: "I'm delighted to be here at Merrill Lynch."

Manches issued a terse statement, confirming Knight and Visintin's departures. "We wish them well," it said.

Recently made-up insolvency partner Lorinda Peasland has been made head of insolvency, while Mark Douglas replaces Knight as head of banking.

The firm added Bromwich's regulatory work was "not a core discipline of Manches".