Commercial litigation law firm

National law firm Irwin Mitchell has further strengthened its substantial practice by appointing new partner Nick Bates head of commercial litigation in the north.

Based at the firm's offices in Queen Street, Leeds, and Riverside, Sheffield, Mr Bates, 41, has joined from Walker Morris in King Street, Leeds, where he trained and was a partner for four years in the commercial dispute resolution team.

In his new role, Mr Bates will lead a team of 20 and be responsible for building on the practices reputation in dispute resolution and litigation, and spearheading growth across the region.

He has brought with him solicitor Judith Hopper, and Emma Buncher, his secretary of 11 years.

Commercial litigation solicitor

Mr Bates said "I'm delighted to be joining Irwin Mitchell and heading up the dedicated commercial litigation team. The firm has a strong and broadly based litigation practice, combined with an established presence in the region, which will serve as a springboard for further growth.

"I'm confident this will be an exciting and challenging career move as we strive to further lift Irwin Mitchells profile and extend the reach of our services across the north."

A Manchester University English and American Studies Graduate, Mr Bates completed his Law Society finals in 1992 at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Ms Hopper, 27, trained at Walker Morris and qualified into their commercial dispute resolution team in 2004 after completing the Law Society finals at the University of Chester.

Commercial litigation experts

Welcoming Nick and his colleagues, David Knaggs, managing partner with Irwin Mitchell in Leeds, said: "Nick is a highly skilled and experienced litigator of complex, high value disputes, with extensive negotiating and trial experience, including successful trips to the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords. We're delighted he and his team are joining the firm.

"Our commercial litigation department is going from strength to strength and our growing presence within the north is a major factor in our being the fifth largest litigator in the UK."

Father-of-three Mr Bates lives in Bilbrough, near York, with his wife, Alison. He is a keen sportsman and has played football and rugby union at representative level.

He still plays cricket and will be a keen addition to Irwin Mitchell's team that plays fixtures against clients throughout the summer.

Irwin Mitchell's commercial litigation team provides specialist advice on a wide range of disputes, including breach of contract claims, shareholder and partnership disputes, banking and insolvency-related litigation, construction and property disputes, product liability, professional negligence, intellectual property, licensing, defamation, debt recovery, fraud and asset tracing.

The team can be contacted on 0113 394 6799.

Can we help you? If we can help you or someone you know with a similar case, please visit our Commercial litigation pages.