Irwin Mitchell named UK’s fourth largest litigation practice

Leading legal trade publication, The Lawyer, has ranked Irwin Mitchell as the UK’s fourth-largest litigation practice by lawyer headcount.

The Disputes UK Litigation 50 report shows that Irwin Mitchell has 735 litigation lawyers, including 142 partners, making it one of only nine firms included in the report’s ‘Giant’ category.

Irwin Mitchell increased its litigation headcount by 13% during the 2025/26 financial year, one of the strongest growth rates among the UK’s largest disputes practices.

The firm has also promoted 33 litigation lawyers to partner over the past three years, more than any other firm included in the report.

This expansion comes against a mixed picture across the wider disputes market. The total number of disputes lawyers employed by UK Litigation 50 firms fell by 1.1% over the year, while revenue growth across the group slowed to 6.6%, down from 9.7% the previous year.

Katie Byrne, partner and Head of Commercial Dispute Resolution at Irwin Mitchell, said:

 

“Being ranked as the UK’s fourth-largest litigation practice reflects the continued strength and growth of our litigation teams.

 

“Our double digit increase in headcount is particularly significant against a backdrop of falling lawyer numbers across the wider market. We are also proud to have promoted more disputes lawyers to partner than any other firm in the ranking over the past three years. It demonstrates our commitment to developing talent and investing in the expertise our clients need.

 

“Our scale, combined with the breadth of our specialist knowledge, enables us to bring together the right expertise to support clients through an increasingly complex disputes landscape.”

The recognition follows the launch earlier this year of Irwin Mitchell’s Leading Litigator Report, produced in collaboration with The Lawyer. Based on research involving 81 businesses, the report examined how general counsel are approaching dispute resolution, including the growing use of AI, attitudes towards alternative litigation funding, and the impact of geopolitical and cybersecurity risks.