Management shake-up at Cobbetts as Benson takes the helm

Cobbetts is undergoing a change in management as senior partner Stephen White steps down, to be replaced by commercial property partner Stephen Benson.

Benson takes over on 1 May this year. He is already on the national firm’s partnership board and has been a member of Cobbetts’ operational executive since 1996.

White, who has been senior partner for six years, is due to retire in April 2007 and will continue to be responsible for Cobbetts’ premises. The firm is due to move into new offices in Leeds and Manchester over the next two years.

As senior partner, Benson will oversee the requirements of Cobbetts’ clients as well as being involved in the firm’s development.

Corporate partner Maurice Cowan will become the chair of Cobbetts’ partnership board, which acts as a link between the firm’s management team and the rest of the partnership. Managing partner Michael Shaw continues in the role, with the firm’s internal management as his focus.