There has been a steady trickle northwards over recent years as lawyers seek a fresh challenge in the provinces. Now Stephen hopes to accelerate the exodus, which he believes would have a big impact on Manchester's professional services community.
"We think there will be quite a few people, who perhaps originated from the regions, who are thinking of relocating after years of slogging away in the capital but have not taken the step yet," he said today.
"They are people who may be thinking of a change in their career and seeking a better quality of life.
"I think it would be very useful for Manchester to attract those sorts of people. We can offer an equal, if not better, calibre of work and we want to emphasise the benefits of coming here.
"We shall be putting this strategy into action over the next few months, to promote Manchester as a high-quality centre of legal excellence, a good place to work and live."
Stephen, a married father of three who lives in Urmston, has succeeded Green & Co's Maria Healey in the hotseat of the 1,000-member organisation, the country's largest local law society.
Cycling
A former church organist, Stephen was a keen runner for 25 years until a few months ago when he quit to take up cycling. He remains treasurer of the Manchester YMCA Harriers running club.
He became involved in the law society in 2002 and joined the council the following year.
Stephen, who qualified in 1977 and worked at Gorna & Co until it merged with Hill Dickinson in 2002, is also seeking to encourage more lawyers from larger firms to join the society.
"We need to expand our membership," he said.
"Members tend to come from medium or smaller-sized firms, and we need to get out into the marketplace and appeal to those lawyers in the larger practices.
"I think the larger firms feel that when it comes to the representation and services we can provide, they are big enough to do it for themselves.
"But we can offer networking opportunities they would not necessarily have, and we want to include them in our legal education and recruitment services. With our chief executive, Fran Bech, I've already started going out and speaking to them."
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