No 5 goes to Edward Lewis

A PARTNER from City firm Penningtons, Andrew Irvine, has joined London firm Edward Lewis.

Irvine is the fifth Penningtons partner to join Edward Lewis over the past three years.

He joins the commercial litigation department, headed by another ex-Penningtons partner, Brendan Murphy.

The recruitment of Penningtons lawyers started in February 1993 with insurance litigation partner Barry Lewis, according to Edward Lewis corporate partner, Michael Breen.

Breen said Murphy was the next to join, followed by insurance litigation partner Kieron West and property partner Dominic Giacon.

The addition of Irvine, an insolvency specialist, brings the firm to 15 partners.

Breen said Penningtons' partners were attracted to the firm because it has "grown at a rate of knots" despite hard financial times.

He said the firm had grown from a staff of 90 to 150 over the past three years.

"At the end of the day, you're going to join a firm that's going places," he said.

Breen said the lawyers also felt comfortable going to a firm where they knew partners they could trust.

"It probably says something about us that people are sufficiently happy here to recommend the firm to their friends."

Penningtons is currently undergoing an internal cost-based review. It has been hit by a series of high-level resignations this year.