Cobbetts crosses Pennines to explore Read merger

Manchester firm Cobbetts is poised to ditch its one-office policy and merge with Leeds-based Read Hind Stewart.The two firms have entered into preliminary merger discussions and expect to reach a conclusion by the end of the year, says Cobbetts' managing partner Michael Shaw.'We believe there is significant potential to develop a practice area in Leeds,' he said.

'The move would purely be based on the opportunity to spread our pre-eminence in a certain area geographically.'Mr Shaw said Cobbetts would not be trying to 'compete across the board' by opening a full-blown service in Leeds, but rather concentrate on a particular field.

However, he refused to divulge which area of law the firm waseyeing up.David Hymas, managing partner at Read Hind Stewart, said: 'There are three stages to a merger: seeing if you are interested, looking at potential advantages to the firm and clients, and detailed discussions.

I'd say we are progressing through the second stage.'As a firm we want to develop and grow and I have never met a group of people in the law that I get on with so well as those at Cobbetts.'Read Hind is a commercial practice that claims to have a strong corporate, commercial property, commercial litigation and employment department.l Cobbetts and south-coast firm Blake Lapthorn have been appointed by Whitbread Restaurants to handle its acquisitions and property asset management.Andrew Towler