Michelmores in second Foot Anstey raid

South West firm Foot Anstey has lost a second team to local rival Michelmores, including board member Vanessa Priddis.

Family partner Priddis joins the firm as head of the childcare team, along with associates Rachel Cook and Sarah Back. Priddis ­specialises in childcare abuse cases, surrogacy and adoption work.

The departures come after Foot Anstey lost an insolvency team, which included partner Gillian Smith, part-time consultant Stephen Lawson and associates Sasha Pickering and Sue Bunning, to Michelmores in August (The Lawyer, 18 August).

Michelmores managing partner Malcolm Dickinson said it was an “opportunistic hire” that was intended to kick-start growth of the firm’s childcare work.