Cobbetts was headquartered in Manchester and was one of the largest law firms in the city until it filed notice of an intention to appoint administrators in late January 2013.
DWF, which is also based in Manchester and has several other regional office bases, stepped in to buy the Cobbetts business and has now completed the acquisition. According to the firm, Cobbetts’ UK workforce comprised just short of 500 people, of whom 72 were partners, and they are all now being integrated into DWF’s Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and London offices.
A conflict of interest issue however means that Cobbetts’ finance litigation team has not been included in the buyout or the office space integration effort with that particular unit to become part of the Leeds-based law firm Walker Morris instead.
The Manchester office of the professional services company Deloitte provided strategic advice as DWF looked to integrate Cobbetts’ business and workforce into its own. Deloitte’s restructuring services partner Bill Dawson said: “This has been a difficult time for Cobbetts, a highly regarded national law firm with a proud history. However, we are pleased to have helped achieve a transaction which gives partners, employees and other stakeholders the best outcome in the circumstances.”
“Both firms agreed that this was the best route forward and so the process was a smooth one, with the two parties working towards the same outcome,” said Andrew Leaitherland, DWF’s managing partner and chief executive.
The purchase of Cobbetts’ business comes just days after DWF confirmed it had completed the acquisition of the professional indemnity legal practice Fishburns LLP. That deal added to DWF’s presence in London and gave it new offices in Bristol and in Dublin.
Editor’s notes: In 2023, DWF occupy space at Scott Place on Hardman Street – an office in the Spinningfields district.
The 20-acre district was developed by Allied London and has attracted other high-profile occupiers such as Barclays, HSBC, Deloitte and flexible workspace provider Regus.