Osborne Clarke's (OC's) partnership has approved proposals to restructure its management team, creating an eight-partner committee with representatives from each of its five offices to act as the firm's primary strategic body.

Managing partner elect Simon Beswick and senior partner elect Leslie Perrin will sit on the senior board, alongside chief operating officer Chris Bull and a representative from its Bristol, London, Reading, German and Silicon Valley offices.

The changes were voted through by OC's partnership on 1 April and at the time of Legal Week going to press, soundings were being taken to choose the local office representatives.

Beswick said: "Under the old system the day-to-day issues were getting caught up with the policy and strategy issues and it was becoming unmanageable."

Beswick, who starts his term as managing partner on 1 May, is the driving force behind the shake-up, which comes as the corporate technology specialist moves to regain the initiative after 18 months dominated by partnership exits and falling profits.

The firm had previously operated with a management board of about 20 department heads, although Perrin, as managing partner, is perceived to have dominated the firm's decision-making.

The decision to formalise office representation is also designed to end claims that OC's London and Reading arms are being ignored by the larger Bristol practice.

In the past, strategic decisions have been run out of the firm's Bristol base, an issue that is known to have caused tension within OC's UK network.