A BURY woman has brought to an end more than 200 years of female-free partnerships at a local firm of solicitors.

Mother-of-four Mrs Margaret Mahon has become the first woman ever to be appointed a partner with Manchester Road-based Woodcock and Sons.

And the 42-year-old hopes she can provide a distinct "female slant" to the overall management of the company.

Also appointed partner with the firm is Mr Berin Mark Jones.

Margaret, who is the only local female solicitor to serve on the Law Society's national Childcare Panel, said: "I feel it's quite an achievement and I'm very happy indeed with my appointment.

"Obviously, my being a woman partner doesn't alter the law but hopefully as far as the management side of things is concerned, I can provide a female slant."

Margaret originally worked as a radiographer before deciding to enter the law profession a year after the birth of her fourth child. She obtained her law degree at the then Preston Polytechnic and joined Woodcock and Sons in 1992, securing her articles two years later.

"I had an interest in doing a degree and decided that law was appropriate, given that is is relevant to a lot of things which happen in life."

The mother of one boy and three girls lives in Greenmount. She originally worked at the company's office in Rawtenstall - one of its five bases - before transferring to Bury.

Berin Mark Jones (30), head of the personal injury department, joined Woodcock and Sons in 1991.

Earlier, he had obtained a law degree at Hull University and studied at Chester Law School for a year, achieving honours.

He began working at the company's Bury office and was involved in personal injury cases.

Berin then went to the Rawtenstall office where he carried out matrimonial, crime and general law work before returning to Bury in 1994 - a year after becoming a fully-qualified solicitor.

He is a member of the Law Society's Personal Injury Panel. A former pupil of Derby High School, Bury, and an ex-student of the town's Peel College, Berin is married and currently lives in Whitefield.

The two new appointments bring the number of partners in the company to nine.

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