Firm Boosts Its Position In Latest Legal Directory
26/10/2011
Irwin Mitchell has once again performed impressively in the latest Chambers Directory – reaffirming its position as a leading provider of personal and business legal services within the UK.
The independent publication, which grades solicitors and barristers across 60 specialist areas of law in the UK, ranked Irwin Mitchell number one for personal injury work nationally and across its offices in Newcastle, Birmingham, London, Manchester Leeds and Sheffield.
The firm’s clinical negligence team also retained its top ranking across London, the Midlands and in Yorkshire. It also kept its number one position within Chambers’ ‘Product Liability’ category where Irwin Mitchell’s work against a major pharmaceutical, as well as its involvement in litigation surrounding major air and road traffic accidents, was praised.
The Family team, led out of Sheffield moved up the rankings to number one spot and saw Head of Department, Martin Loxley - along with other Partners Elizabeth Tait, Elizabeth Hicks and Alison Hawes - all being ranked in the top ‘leading individual’ category.
The firm’s fast-growing business legal services team also received national recognition. Here the firm was ranked number one in the ‘Tax: Contentious: Fraud’ category, whilst head of the firm’s Regulatory and Criminal practice, Kevin Robinson, was described as the “best of the best”.
New Head of Employment, Tom Flanagan, was deemed as ‘outstanding’, whilst Jon Vivian, who joined the firm last year from SJ Berwin to head up the firm’s national Real Estate team, was described as “hard-working, commercial and straightforward to deal with”.
Other national practice areas which performed strongly in the guide were Travel, Public Law and Environment.
Group Chief Executive at Irwin Mitchell, John Pickering, also named as a ‘Star Individual’ in the report, said: “Our rankings in the latest Chambers guide are extremely satisfying. I’m delighted that yet again we have been recognised as one of the finest law firms in the country. Not only has the firm retained its dominant position in relation to personal injury and clinical negligence, our family team has moved up into number one spot. I’m also extremely pleased that our investment in building a strong business services offering is paying dividends.
“Whether it is private individuals, international organisations, or small and medium-sized businesses, Irwin Mitchell prides itself on its innovative approach and always putting the needs of clients first. The firm has continued to go from strength-to-strength over the last twelve months and I’m delighted that this has been reflected in the comments in the Chambers guide.”
The Chambers UK 2011 report highlighted a number of other Irwin Mitchell lawyers for their national work.
Partner David Body was picked out as a “Star Individual” by the report, receiving praise from peers and clients for being “very clever, with a good track record, and very understanding towards the clients and their circumstances.” Partner and Chief Executive of Irwin Mitchell’s Personal Legal Services team, Andrew Tucker, was also praised for “taking care of the immediate needs of the victims.”
Head of Public Law, Andrew Lockley, was described as an “incisive, knowledgeable and thoughtful solicitor”. It was also said that “no one touched him over education reviews, tribunal work and planning decisions.”
In the area of Civil Liberties, Yogi Amin was praised for his “tenacious approach to work”, whilst John Dickinson was praised as an “innovative and outstanding approach to work”.
Irwin Mitchell’s national Travel team won applause for its “legal expertise, language skills and knowledge of overseas jurisdictions,” with Head of the department, Clive Garner, being described as “stratospherically amazing”.
Irwin Mitchell’s performance in Chambers follows its strongest ever showing in the Legal 500 Directory. Published at the end of September, Irwin Mitchell secured number one ranking in six areas of law. Earlier this month the firm also won an award for its innovative corporate strategy at the annual prestigious ‘FT Innovative Lawyers’.