Irwin Mitchell

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on Irwin Mitchell

Irwin Mitchell’s trainees are drawn to the firm for its values-driven culture, broad offering, and strong work-life balance. Many highlight the firm’s “caring approach” towards clients and its “progressiveness,” while others are attracted to its large cohort size, national presence, and the “range of seats on offer.” Several trainees joined after working as paralegals, describing positive experiences with the firm’s client base and culture. Particular appeal lies in its leading clinical negligence practice, alongside its reputation for placing employee wellbeing at the heart of firm culture. When comparing their training to that of peers elsewhere, many point to better work-life balance and a higher degree of responsibility. Trainees report “more opportunities to work with senior members of the team” and significant client contact, with one describing being “trusted with more advanced work” than friends at other firms. However, some contrast this with “poor supervision in early seats” and frustrations with the management of the SQE apprenticeship, especially around study leave. Despite these issues, the level of training is widely regarded as “highly respected” and providing a solid foundation. The best thing about the firm is, predictably, “the people.” Trainees describe a culture where “everyone can talk to everyone, regardless of job title,” with supportive supervisors, a “no blame culture,” and constructive feedback. The responsibility offered to trainees is also praised, with early exposure to complex work and strong client relationships. Challenges include “billing and target pressures,” “pay,” and issues with “technology.” Several trainees expressed frustration at the lack of support for SQE study, with one noting the absence of proper study leave as a particular low point. Training highlights range from attending court hearings, mediations, and inquests to receiving strong feedback and award nominations. The lows are often linked to balancing demanding work with SQE preparation or unexpected seat changes. The firm’s hybrid-working policy is widely praised as “flexible, well applied,” with trainees enjoying a good balance of office collaboration and home-working autonomy. CSR opportunities are considered strong, with two volunteering days per year available, though pro bono is less prominent. Many note creative and well-supported CSR initiatives, from fundraising committees to community projects. If you want a trainee experience grounded in values, real client contact, and a supportive culture that still gives you responsibility, Irwin Mitchell delivers.

A day in the life of... Jess Woodrow, London Business Services Trainee

Departments to date: High Net Worth and International, Corporate, Real Estate

University: University of Exeter

Degree: Law LLB (First)

8am – Commute: I take the tube to London Blackfriars and enjoy the short walk to our office. It’s a great way to get some fresh air and steps in before the working day begins.

8.40am – Arrive and Settle In: I arrive at the office and make my way to my desk. As we work flexibly at Irwin Mitchell, we need to book our desks when we go into the office. My team have booked our desks in advance to ensure we can all sit together to ensure collaborative working.

8.45am – Morning Check-In: I review my emails and Microsoft Teams messages to identify any urgent tasks for the day. This morning, I’ve been asked to assist with the urgent appointment of new directors for a client. I’ll be drafting the necessary board minutes and Companies House forms to support the change.

9am – Team Meeting: I join the London Corporate team’s weekly meeting. Each week has a different focus—this time, our Knowledge team presented updates on recent developments in corporate law, including the introduction of compulsory director verification under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. These sessions are invaluable for staying current with legislative changes and understanding their practical impact on our clients.

9:30am – Drafting Task: I begin drafting the board minutes and Companies House forms required for the director appointments. I cross-reference the company’s articles of association and previous filings to ensure the documents are accurate and compliant. Once complete, I send the drafts to the client for review and approval.

10:30am – Coffee Break: I take a short break with fellow trainees and head to the coffee machine. It’s a great opportunity to catch up and hear about their experiences across different departments, which helps broaden my understanding of the firm’s work.

11am – Client Call: A Partner invites me to join an initial client call via Teams. We speak with an individual who is in dispute with his business partner and is seeking advice on winding down their partnership amicably. After the call, I draft an attendance note and prepare a follow-up email requesting a copy of the partnership agreement and outlining the next steps. The Partner encourages me to send the email directly to the client, which is a great opportunity to take ownership and build client communication skills.

12:30pm – Lunch and Gym Session: Lunch! I head to the gym located in the basement of our London office, which offers complimentary weekly classes. This week’s session is a full-body build class, which I attend with a few colleagues. It’s a great way to recharge and break up the day with something active and social.

1:30pm – Document Review: Back at my desk, I review a client’s Articles of Association. The client is transitioning to a not-for-profit model and wants to update their articles to reflect their new objectives. I prepare a mark-up of the current Articles, highlighting clauses that may need amending or adding in, and send it to my supervisor. I also schedule time in their calendar to go through the document together, as its 25 pages long and will require detailed discussion.

3pm – Research Task: Some colleagues and I are acting on the sale of a private limited company. I’m asked to research the effectiveness of ‘Drag Along’ provisions in a company’s Articles of Association. These clauses allow majority shareholders to compel minority shareholders to sell their shares during a business sale. I consult LexisNexis, Westlaw, and Practical Law, and summarise my findings in a concise email to my colleague, including practical considerations and recent case law

5.00pm – End-of-Day Wrap Up: I go through my inbox to ensure I have completed everything that I needed to for the day and update my to-do list ready for tomorrow. I also check in with my supervisor to ensure there is nothing I can support him on before finishing for the day.

5:45pm – Networking Event: I head out to a networking event hosted by the Enterprise and Investment Scheme Association, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes funding for SMEs. Irwin Mitchell is a member of the association, and the event provides a great opportunity to meet other corporate lawyers and junior professionals over drinks, share insights, and build connections.

About the firm

Introductory paragraph about the firm: Irwin Mitchell are legal and financial experts. We are one of the UK’s largest full-service law firms with offices in over 18 locations across the UK and can offer you an amazing start in your legal career.

As the leading personal injury and medical negligence practice in the UK, we are supported by a national public law team and the UK’s leading Court of Protection practice.

Our private client offering specialises in family, wills, tax, as well as trusts and estate disputes.

Our business teams are composed of 350 established experts, enabling us to collaborate with a diverse clientele on a national and regional level including corporate, litigation, commercial, real estate, and employment, across a variety of industry sectors such as media, retail, manufacturing, and education. The business teams take on around 10-12 trainees each year.

 

List of clients:  Puregym, Costa, Nando’s, panel for high-street banks, further education colleges.

List of deals/cases in which the firm has been recently involved: The restructuring and insolvency team advised on a deal which has seen more than 3,000 jobs being saved at a South Yorkshire facilities management and stadium security business; the banking and finance team advised ThinCats on a funding deal; the corporate team advised on a deal which has seen £3.6m invested by YFM Equity Partners into Spotless Water’s innovative self-service ultra pure water (UPW) distribution network; the corporate and banking teams have advised Risk Capital Partners on its recent investment in luxury tour operator Simpson Travel; employment lawyers have been instructed to defend Coventry University at the Court of Appeal; the property team has advised UK property investment and management platform Praxis on acquiring Birmingham’s Brindley place; the asbestos and occupational disease team secured an undisclosed settlement in connection with a client’s mesothelioma diagnosis and death; medical negligence lawyers investigated the death of a girl following her death after a hospital visit; a former British Olympic sprinter, who suffered life-changing injuries in a crash, was supported by our serious injury team; a number of Gaines’ survivors instructed our expert lawyers to help them access the specialist support they require to try and come to terms with the abuse; on behalf of Fredreko Nowak, whose pronouns are they/them, our specialist lawyers argued that the failure to investigate the serious sexual offences they reported amounted to a breach of their rights under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights; human rights lawyers have supported the mum of a teenager who died after spending five months on a psychiatric intensive care unit.

Managing partner: Craig Marshall

Other offices: Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Chichester, Gatwick/Brighton, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton.

Who we are: Irwin Mitchell are legal and financial experts that care – whether it’s individual or business clients.

Founded in 1912, we’ve grown from a small building in Sheffield to being recognised as one of the UK’s largest full-service law firms. We have offices in over 18 locations across the UK and with over 3,000 staff and a variety of legal services, we’ve supported one million clients to date. Our vast experience and knowledge are complemented by our dedicated approach to client care.

What we do: We work with individual and business clients and take the time to understand what matters most to them to deliver exceptional outcomes.

What we’re looking for: Trainees need to be flexible in their approach to everything, be resilient to change, and have a drive to solve problems.

What you’ll do: As a trainee you will work on challenging and complex tasks with a wide range of our clients on critical cases, deals and projects. Our training approach allows trainees to specialise in legal services for individuals or business and gain knowledge and skills across complementary areas of law.

Perks:  25 days’ holiday and buying scheme, health plan, recognition scheme, two volunteering days a year, sports team sponsorship, season ticket loan, contributory pension scheme, death in service cover, critical illness cover.

Sponsorship

From 2024 we began the transition to the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). If your application is successful (and you haven’t already completed the LPC), we will meet all the fees associated with your SQE and, if applicable, your PGDL if you have not started or completed your studies when offered a training contract.

Seat options

Birmingham 

LSB – Commercial

LSB – Employment

LSB – Litigation

LSB – Restructuring & Insolvency

LSI – Asbestos & Occupational Disease

LSI – Court of Protection

LSI – Family Law

LSI – Private Client Advisory

LSI – Medical Negligence

LSI – Public Law

LSI – Serious Injury

LSI – Wills, Trust & Estate Disputes.

Bristol 

LSI – Asbestos & Occupational Disease

LSI – Court of Protection

LSI – Family Law

LSI – Medical Negligence

LSI – Public Law

LSI – Serious Injury

LSI – Wills, Trust & Estate Disputes.

Cambridge 

LSI – Asbestos & Occupational Disease

LSI – Court of Protection

LSI – Medical Negligence

LSI – Public Law

LSI – Serious Injury

Chichester 

LSI – Family

LSI – Private Client Advisory

LSI – Wills, Trust & Estate Disputes

Gatwick 

LSB – Construction

LSB – Corporate

LSB – Litigation

LSB – Planning

LSB – Real Estate

LSB – Restructuring & Insolvency

LSI – Private Client Advisory

LSI – Public Law

LSI – Wills, Trust & Estate Disputes

Leeds 

LSB – Banking & Finance

LSB – Commercial

LSB – Corporate

LSB – Employment

LSB – Litigation

LSB – Pensions

LSB – Real Estate

LSB – Restructuring & Insolvency

LSI – Asbestos & Occupational Disease

LSI – Court of Protection

LSI – Family Law

LSI – Private Client Advisory

LSI – Medical Negligence

LSI – Public Law

LSI – Serious Injury

LSI – Wills, Trust & Estate Disputes

London 

LSB – Banking & Finance

LSB – Commercial

LSB – Construction

LSB – Corporate

LSB – Employment

LSB – Intellectual Property

LSB – Litigation

LSB – Pensions

LSB – Real Estate

LSB – Real Estate Disputes

LSB – Regulatory & Compliance Group

LSB – Restructuring & Insolvency

LSI – Asbestos & Occupational Disease

LSI – Court of Protection

LSI – Family Law

LSI – International High Net Worth

LSI – Private Client Advisory

LSI – Medical Negligence

LSI – Public Law

LSI – Serious Injury

LSI – Wills, Trust & Estate Disputes

Manchester 

LSB – Construction

LSB – Corporate

LSB – Employment

LSB – Litigation

LSB – Planning & Environmental

LSB – Real Estate

LSB – Real Estate Disputes

LSI – Asbestos & Occupational Disease

LSI – Court of Protection

LSI – Family Law

LSI – Private Client Advisory

LSI – Medical Negligence

LSI – Public Law

LSI – Serious Injury

LSI – Wills, Trust & Estate Disputes

Newcastle 

LSI – Asbestos & Occupational Disease

LSI – Court of Protection

LSI – Family Law

LSI – Private Client Advisory

LSI – Medical Negligence

LSI – Public Law

LSI – Serious Injury

Reading 

LSI – Private Client Advisory

LSI – Wills, Trusts, and Estate Disputes

Sheffield 

LSB – Employment

LSB – Real Estate

LSB – Real Estate Disputes

LSB – Regulatory & Compliance Group

LSB – Restructuring & Insolvency

LSI – Asbestos & Occupational Disease

LSI – Court of Protection

LSI – Family Law

LSI – Medical Negligence

LSI – Private Client Advisory

LSI – Public Law

LSI – Serious Injury

LSI – Wills, Trust & Estate Disputes

Southampton 

LSI – Asbestos & Occupational Disease

LSI – Court of Protection

LSI – Family Law

LSI – Medical Negligence

LSI – Public Law

LSI – Serious Injury

Tips from the recruiter

1. Do your research about the firm and show your passion for the type of work we do.
2. Understand your motivations for wanting to apply and convey them convincingly.
3. Consider what you have done/will do to grow and develop your career at Irwin Mitchell.