Irwin Mitchell

IM’s London office handles much of the firm’s corporate work, and is very much what you would expect from a City law firm, though the office is also renowned for offering a variety of legal services to individuals as well. The Sheffield office –– which is the firm’s headquarters, having been founded there in 1912 –– is the nerve centre for the wide-ranging personal injury practice that IM is probably best known for. It’s also home to insolvency, litigation, employment, construction, regulatory investigations and real estate teams. Private client work is done across the Birmingham, Bristol, Chichester, Gatwick, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Reading and Southampton offices and all offices are now solely focused on legal services, as IM recently sold off its asset management arm.

When it comes to training, the consensus is that trainees generally feel “very well supported” by partners, management and early careers. “Fantastic variety of work provided. Consistent feedback given for improvement. Consistent reviews to identify gaps in training”, reports one insider. Another says that the “training is first rate and you get to be involved in all aspects of the case”, including “decision making”. As with most firms, this can vary between teams –– one rookie speaks of “really direct supervision” in one seat and “average” training in another –– but overall, rookies rate the training here as “very good”.

The work at Irwin Mitchell is described as “fascinating” and sources tell us that “there is a lot of responsibility given” to trainees (though this is equally department-dependent). “Work is very varied both in terms of urgency and type,” one source explains. “I’ve been exposed to a broad scope of tasks at various stages of a matter”. Another insider tells us: “Contentious departments tend to give more stimulating work but generally I feel you are given a wide range of tasks and trusted to get on with the task and feedback given. You are always thought of when there is a meeting with clients, Counsel or experts and given this exposure which is a key part of learning during your TC.” Trainees do sometimes end up with the “usual grunt work” that is to be expected early on, but “if you prove you are up for it and competent”, the quality of the work can be “really great”.

What unifies this all is a very supportive culture, both among trainees and emanating from supervisors and partners. “Everyone is always extremely happy to offer help and advice”, a survey respondent tells us. “There is a genuine willingness for trainees to succeed and get involved as much as they can, and people are always willing to help if tasks are difficult. I’ve also found that people are very supportive in a personal capacity too, and have been quick to offer support (whether that be picking up workload or pointing me in the direction of further help) when it comes to wellbeing matters as well”. Another describes the approximately 100-strong trainee cohort (split across two years) as a “very supportive, tight-knit group”, with “supportive” and “friendly” being popular adjectives to describe fellow juniors.

Fortunately, ‘competitive’ is not a word that describes the trainee cohort here: “there never felt like a combative ‘Hunger Games’ atmosphere with people competing for seats”, quips one trainee. “All the juniors are very friendly and down to earth”.

Tensions arise less from interaction between fellow humans than with the firm’s problematic IT, with one noting: “2004 called it wants one of the 100 case management systems back.” IT issues, according to one insider, are “frequent and a frustration”. Others recall “many hours spent on the phone to IT”. Improvements are being made and some sources mention that even “AI is being incorporated to a greater degree” but the firm still can’t shake complaints of its case management and time recording systems.

The perks are private healthcare (including private GP video access), shopping discounts through a corporate deals website, and cheap cinema tickets. But who needs barista-poured coffee and lavish socials when you have a life? Perhaps the greatest perk of working at Irwin Mitchell, aside from the friendly team and interesting work, is the work-life balance, which is pretty much “as good as it can get” according to our insiders.

Trainees report that it is “rare to do overtime” at Irwin Mitchell, with one insider reporting 6pm or earlier leave times whilst another adds “if there isn’t work nobody has an issue with you logging off”. Rookies do acknowledge that trainees in some departments regularly work considerably later –– particularly those in the “public law and human rights team” which has “unsustainable billing targets” according to one despondent trainee. However, others are more positive, particularly on the topic of the firm’s flexible working policy.

The firm operates a “flexible by choice” policy, which basically means individual teams set their own WFH policy. One trainee reports on what it means for them: “flexible by choice policy is well-implemented and there is support when working from home. It is less than ideal as a trainee to spend the majority of time working from home, but this is not a reflection on the firm, and I suspect the benefits of home working are felt more by those who need less oversight.” Another junior adds that the policy “means I get to drop off my daughter at nursery and pick her up at the end of the day without any issue, even if it means I have to supplement my hours in the evening.” Trainees still generally report attending the office around three days a week, with attendance strongly encouraged to aid development. But, when WFH, you’re provided with a £350 budget for equipment and the “tech infrastructure (VPN etc.)” is apparently often more efficient from home than in the office.

Another rookie describes their home-working experience as such: “At first, I missed the engagement in the office however, most colleagues make an effort to go into the office once a week and the flexible nature of the way the company works means I can work when it suits me, which enables me to go to medical appointments/ the gym throughout the day and then work earlier in the mornings or later in the evenings.”

Those in the office send mixed feedback depending on which location they’re operating out of. It’s not quite rooftop swimming pools, but the firm’s newer hubs are all said to be “modern and impressive”. Newcastle and Liverpool have recently enjoyed upgrades, whilst those in Birmingham are happy enough with their “really nice” digs. Chichester is said to be a “lovely regional office” but the star of the show is the firm’s new London office in the Northcliffe building. IM’s lawyers roam the entire third-floor of this newly-renovated space, which comes equipped with a gym, social spaces, rooftop terrace and a “stunning glass atrium”. Unfortunately, the “outdated” HQ in Sheffield doesn’t get the same praise with one insider’s final scorecard reading: “London office is a 10, Sheffield office is a 0”.