Irwin Mitchell

Personal Injury

National Head of Asbestos and Occupational Disease

I am the National Team Leader for Asbestos and Occupational Disease. I joined Irwin Mitchell in 1990 and became a partner in the personal injury team, based in Sheffield, four years later. Since then, I have dedicated my career to standing beside people whose lives have been devastated by serious injury and, in particular, occupational cancer, guiding them through what is often the hardest period of their lives.

I specialise in asbestos-related disease claims, particularly mesothelioma cases. This is an area of law that demands both technical expertise and empathy. I’ve written and lectured extensively on asbestos disease and personal injury litigation, helping to shape understanding and best practice in this complex and ever-evolving field. I am a Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and was a founding member of APIL in 1990.

I am very proud to have overseen the growth of a dedicated asbestos and occupational disease team since 1990; now the largest such team in the UK. We cover the whole of England, Wales and Scotland but also have close links to specialist firms overseas.

I’m listed as a Leading Partner for personal injury by The Legal 500, one of the UK’s most respected independent legal guides.

I was inspired to pursue a legal career because I wanted to help people when they are at their most vulnerable and to make a positive difference to their lives. That motivation continues to drive everything I do. For me, the law is not just about winning cases; it’s about accessing justice and ensuring my clients have the appropriate compensation and support they need.

One of the most defining moments of my career was representing June Hancock in the Armley environmental asbestos case. This landmark case gave a powerful voice to victims of mesothelioma, an incurable asbestos-related cancer.

The June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund and the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation (IMCF) were both established in 1997, and I am a founding trustee of both charities, which are very close to my heart. I am also the longest-serving trustee of the Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service (SOHAS).

I have also secured what was, at the time, the highest compensation sum ever awarded for an asbestos disease (fatal injury) claim: £4.37 million. I also successfully prosecuted the first hospital exposure case, for a former trainee doctor, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in later life. While these outcomes reflect legal success, what matters most to me is what they represent: justice, recognition, accountability, and financial security for those who’ve experienced immeasurable loss.

In 2026, I was awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honour’s List. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice stated: “This award recognises your work securing justice for victims of asbestos-related disease, combining legal expertise with sustained advocacy to achieve landmark judgments that have strengthened protections for individuals and communities.”

APIL; The American Association for Justice; Pan-European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers (PEOPIL); director and trustee of Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service; Asbestos in Schools Group; trustee of the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund; trustee and chair of the Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation; regional advisory board of Business in the Community; Sheffield Hallam University Clinical Advisory Board.

Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire; Oxford University (1985 MA Jurisprudence); College of Law, Chester (1986).

Family, supporting local charities, eating out, walking the dogs.