MERGER: northern firm gains public company work specialists

Manchester and Leeds-based firm Cobbetts is continuing its rapid expansion, absorbing five-partner local practice Fox Brooks Marshall.

Fox Brooks is best known for its work with mining companies, especially from Australia, and has completed 12 Alternative Investment Market (AIM) and OFEX admissions during the past year.

It adds corporate, commercial property and private client strength to Cobbetts, now a 93-partner firm.

Some 28 staff in total are moving across.

Cobbetts' managing partner, Michael Shaw, will continue to head the firm, with Fox Brooks senior partner Andrew Wright taking responsibility for establishing a public issue team.

Mr Shaw said: 'Fox Brooks Marshall has developed a fantastic reputation in public company work, particularly in bringing overseas companies to AIM and OFEX.

We have been very keen for some time for the team to join us to strengthen the corporate and private client practice areas and I am delighted that the deal has now been agreed.'

While the deal will add around 2 million to Cobbetts' 30 million turnover, Mr Shaw said the move was 'not simply about putting figures on our bottom line or increasing staff...

Our real aim is to create a firm that has a strength and depth of resource that local firms just can't match, but without a London cost structure'.

He said he wanted to put 'clear blue water' between Cobbetts and other local firms.

Last year, Cobbetts merged with Read Hind Stewart in Leeds, while talks with Birmingham's Lee Crowder are ongoing.

Cobbetts is currently ranked 63rd in the top 100 law firms, and its stated intention is to become a top 50 firm by May 2005.