Irwin Mitchell Reflects On Leeds And Sheffield Success

Yorkshire based Irwin Mitchell has continued its impressive growth, re-affirming its place as a leading national law firm, and securing the number one ranking in six areas of law in the Legal 500; an independent guide published today.

The firm retained its longstanding ranking as the leading law firm in personal injury, clinical negligence and family services. The firm was also recognised for its significant growth in Business Law with the Commercial Litigation team moving up to become number one firm in South Yorkshire and a tier two firm in Leeds.  The firm also took the top grade for Crime, Fraud and Licensing and its Employment services in Sheffield.

In total, 28 individuals in Yorkshire were named and recommended, including Group Chief Executive John Pickering, and recent addition Paul Firth, who were named as leading individuals in the region.

John Pickering said: “This is another strong performance by Irwin Mitchell which reflects the effort of the teams throughout the past year. We have worked hard to bring in the highest quality lawyers in all fields across the firm and we are proud to be recognised by the independent Legal 500 guide.

“Irwin Mitchell is at the forefront of the industry taking on groundbreaking cases and fighting hard for our clients whether we are providing business or personal legal services. We believe our innovative approach will help us meet the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for all law firms in the coming years.”

Rankings

Within the Personal Legal Services department, Irwin Mitchell retains its impressive rankings for both personal injury and family legal work.

The Clinical Negligence team, led by David Body, is recommended, along with the Special Damages team led by Karen Codling. The ‘very professional and knowledgeable’ Personal Injury team, headed by Jane Wright in Leeds with Adrian Budgen in Sheffield, is very well regarded for its experience handling spinal and brain injury claims. Partners Mark Tempest and Neil Whiteley, along with associate Martha Sweet, are also recommended.

Irwin Mitchell’s family practice continues to receive recognition, with national head Martin Loxley and Peter Morris who heads the team in Leeds recommended for their work with high-net-worth individuals.

Craig Marshall is noted for leading on personal tax trusts and probate work with instructions by a number of major international financial institutions, including Barclays and HSBC.

In Public Law and Human Rights, Sheffield-based Partners Andrew Lockley and Yogi Amin are highly recommended for their advice on prison law and actions against the police, as well as assisting in mental incapacity cases, where it is often instructed by the Official Solicitor.

The Business Legal Services team at Irwin Mitchell has also enjoyed a strong year.

The Commercial Litigation team across both Sheffield and Leeds was hailed as “an impressive practice” with new Leeds Office Managing Partner Nick Bates recommended, while the Corporate and Commercial team received positive reviews for its ‘excellent all-round service’ and being increasingly involved in international deals.
Practice head Kevin Cunningham is recommended as “clear, concise, knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with”. The Corporate offering in Sheffield includes Laurence Gavin and James Bullock, who is also credited for his work in the banking and finance sector.

In the Crime category, Paul Haycock and Dan Stowers are recommended for their advice on complex criminal and serious fraud case, providing a ‘Rolls-Royce’ service to its clients. The Insolvency & Corporate Recovery team, led by Andrew Walker in Leeds, is rated as “excellent” with “a commercial, client-focused approach.”

Matthew Brain leads the ‘high-quality’ Irwin Mitchell Employment team in Yorkshire, which has many leading brands on its books such as Dr Oetker UK, Capita and Thorntons. Recent recruit Kelly Pattison is mentioned, while Irwin Mitchell’s work in the education and local government sector is also recommended, led by Michael Longden and Laurence Gavin.

The Real Estate team in Yorkshire is noted as a “wonderful team” and provides a “fantastic service”. The well-respected team is led by John Flathers in Leeds and Kevin Docherty in Sheffield, with Paul Firth a highly regarded recent addition.

Irwin Mitchell is listed for the first time in IT and telecoms, where the ‘very good’ team is headed by Joanne Bone. The team handles complex, high-value IP matters for a wide range of international clients with associate Helen Goldthorpe also mentioned.

The firm is also recommended for its work in the Sport, Charities, Professional Negligence and Pensions sectors.