Manchester is one of the UK's most dynamic and cosmopolitan cities. It is also a city of contrasts… large but not so big as to be anonymous, glorious Victorian buildings set against state-of-the-art 21st century architecture, a thriving, ultra-regenerated city centre and yet with some of the most beautiful landscapes in Britain within easy reach.

With 56 museums and galleries, 132 cinema screens, 450 licensed premises, 60 miles of canals, eight professional football clubs, three professional orchestras, 42 traditional markets and thousands of acres of parks and countryside, the city and its surrounding area offers something for everyone.

The Manchester International Festival, for which Cobbetts is the official supplier of legal services, is billed as the world's first international festival of original and new work. It brings together large-scale events from world-class artists, musicians and academics.

Manchester also provides for those with a shopping addiction. There is an abundance of retail and fashion outlets in the city centre, ranging from the alternative Afflecks Palace to the designer shops on King Street. Manchester has been compared to the culturally rich and cosmopolitan city of San Francisco which, given Manchester's diverse ethnic mix and individual character, this is no surprise.