Eversheds‘ litigation and dispute management group has taken on Jessica Mance of Essex Court Chambers as a secondee in its in-house advocacy team.

Eversheds’ in-house advocacy unit was launched in September 2006 with the appointment of Tom Keith from Fountain Court. It is yet to recruit any more full-time barristers.

Mance will join Eversheds on a six-month contract. Since she was called to the bar in 2002 her practice has focused on general commercial litigation and arbitration, specialising in insurance and reinsurance, company law and insolvency.

Eversheds and Herbert Smith are the only two law firms to have launched in-house advocacy units.

Barristers are forced to relinquish their membership of the bar when they join partnerships and this is seen as a major stumbling block for other firms looking to establish such teams.