Recognition For Saoirse de Bont And Planning & Environment Team

Irwin Mitchell is celebrating having secured two awards at the 2025 Manchester Legal Awards -  Sustainability Champions of the Year for its Planning and Environment Team, and Solicitor of the Year for Saoirse de Bont.

Irwin Mitchell was honoured for its pioneering work in providing accredited Carbon Literacy training for clients and the firm’s Planning and Environment Team played a leading role with new Law Society guidance on climate risks for law firms.

Expert Opinion

“This is just the beginning. We are working with the Carbon Literacy Project to create a training toolkit for law firms to help make Manchester the UK’s first Carbon Literate Legal City”. This work underscores Irwin Mitchell’s growing reputation as a national leader in both legal innovation, climate action and environmental responsibility.” Keith Davidson, Environment Partner at Irwin Mitchell

In addition to the sustainability accolades, Saoirse de Bont was named Solicitor of the Year, recognising her outstanding contributions to legal excellence, client service, and community engagement. Saoirse is a newly appointed Partner who joined Irwin Mitchell in 2014 as a trainee solicitor. In 2016, Saoirse qualified as a solicitor in the Public Law & Human Rights team, specialising in Court of Protection and community care cases.

Jonathan Betts, Regional Lead Partner at Irwin Mitchell in Manchester, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our colleagues and the recognition they’ve received. These awards demonstrate the breadth and depth of services provided by our Manchester office, reflecting our ongoing dedication to meeting the varied needs of our clients.”

The award follows a series of high-profile individual accolades within the Planning & Environmental Law team. Pamela Chesterman was named Outstanding Lawyer of the Year by the Liverpool Law Society while Claire Petricca-Riding, National Head of the team, was named in a list of the UK’s most influential environmental professionals published by the ENDS Report.