Cobbetts was headquartered in Manchester and was one of the city’s largest law firms until it filed notice in late January 2013 of its intention to appoint administrators.
DWF, also based in Manchester and with several other regional offices, stepped in to buy the Cobbetts business and has now completed the acquisition. According to the firm, Cobbetts’ UK workforce comprised just under 500 people, of whom 72 were partners, and they are now being integrated into DWF’s Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, and London offices.
However, a conflict of interest issue means Cobbetts’ finance litigation team was not included in the buyout or the office-space integration effort, and instead became part of the Leeds-based law firm Walker Morris.
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 occupied 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.
As of October 2026, DWF remained based at 1 Scott Place, 2 Hardman Street, in Spinningfields.
On October 21st 2026, Insidermedia published an article about DWF in which the global law firm explains how having a Manchester base had been central to DWF’s growth.
DWF’s London office was in The Fenchurch Building, also known as the ‘Walkie-Talkie’ at 20 Fenchurch Street, EC3.