Fergal Dowling

Fergal is the Managing Partner of the Business Services Group at Irwin Mitchell.

He has considerable experience across all aspects of employment law and human resources but has a particular focus on contentious matters.  He also advises on non-contentious matters, including advising on TUPE, re-organisations, contracts of employment, directors’ service agreement agreements. His forte is delivering strategic advice at board level.

He also heads the 'Centre of Excellence' for volume employment tribunal work, based in Birmingham. His team handles over 1,000 Tribunal instructions annually, delivering volume based contentious employment advice to agreed Service Level Agreements, using case management processes to drive efficiency, while maintaining high standards of quality service.

Recent highlights:

• Leading product development for the national employment group and being responsible for driving relationships with affinity partners to include insurers, brokers and other professional service organisations.
• The lead relationship Partner for a number of the firm’s key employment clients.
• Helping to manage the firm’s innovative employment law retainer service, IMhrplus.
• Speaking regularly at seminars as a keynote speaker and covers a variety of employment law and HR topics.

Market view:

"Fergal Dowling at Irwin Mitchell leads a dynamic team that advises clients across a broad range of sectors such as retail, financial services, education, manufacturing and healthcare. Other strengths include the charitable and not-for-profit sector, healthcare as well as advising individual clients. The practice has particular expertise in advising on confidentiality and restrictive covenants and Dowling has a wealth of experience in tribunal litigation." - Legal 500, 2022

"Fergal Dowling of Irwin Mitchell demonstrates experience across the full range of employment law matters." - Chambers & Partners 2016

"A good operator." - Chambers & Partners, 2014

"Particularly recommended for contentious matters." - Legal 500, 2013

Fergal qualified as a solicitor in 1994.