Irwin Mitchell employment lawyer Andy Boyde considers what AI and regulatory change mean for aspiring solicitors
“I think it was always the law that came first,” Andy Boyde, now a Legal Director at Irwin Mitchell, tells me, reflecting on an early career that unusually ran in tandem with high-level rugby.
A University of Leeds law graduate, he even represented England at under-19 level while studying. Rugby was “an underlying passion alongside the legal career,” but ultimately law won out. In his late twenties, he made the call to step away from professional rugby and focus fully on his legal career. It seems that sacrifice has paid off. Balancing intense training sessions with law lectures and even a part-time Legal Practice Course required discipline. “Time management is a real skill and for any aspiring solicitor you’re going to always have to balance competing demands,” he says. “If you’ve got these small windows, you’ve just got to crack on and make best use of that time.”
After qualifying, Boyde gained a broad foundation in law at a regional firm before moving to a boutique practice. In January this year he joined national firm Irwin Mitchell as a legal director in the employment team. The decision to make the jump was driven by “the pathway for progression with a big firm” and, crucially, “the opportunity to keep that balance of acting for individuals and acting for employers.” He explains that at some large firms you “lose that acting for individuals work” entirely, whereas Irwin Mitchell’s employment practice allows him to represent both companies and individual clients.
Culture was another draw: the team is known as “a very human set of people” who deliver advice “with a human touch” and aren’t “too corporate” in their approach. This down-to-earth environment, combined with the breadth of his client base, suits him well. In fact, being able to act on “both sides of the fence” in employment disputes is something he considers a major strength of his role. “I think it’s a real gift actually,” he says. Having insight into the motivations of employees as well as employers “definitely sharpens you” as a lawyer. Being able to step into each side’s shoes means he can anticipate their tactics, which helps him “cut through some of the bluff” in negotiations: “Look, they’re just trying this on this isn’t legitimate.”
Turning to the wider legal landscape, Boyde highlights significant changes on the horizon in employment law; chief among them, the Employment Rights Bill currently making its way through Parliament. One headline reform is the introduction of unfair dismissal protection from day one of employment (removing the current two-year service requirement). This expansion of rights could greatly increase the number of claims employees are able to bring against their employers. Another proposal would extend the time limit for bringing claims from three months to six months, a shift that would “open the window for more claims for employers to defend.”
He also points to plans for heftier penalties when large-scale redundancies aren’t handled by the book: the maximum protective award for failing to consult staff during collective redundancies is set to double from 90 days’ pay to 180 days’ pay. That means companies “just can’t take any shortcuts” with their redundancy processes without facing much steeper consequences. Understandably, many employers are keeping a close eye on the bill’s progress. In the meantime, Boyde is advising clients to get “back to basics” with good management practices rather than simply biding their time. “We don’t know what the actual detail is going to be, but we need to train people well,” he emphasises. By setting clear expectations and addressing issues early, businesses will be better prepared for whatever the new regime brings.
Another trend Boyde has observed is a “massive upsurge” in AI-driven grievances and claims in the workplace. With generative AI tools now readily accessible, employees are using them to craft detailed grievance letters at a rapid pace. “You can ask Copilot or ChatGPT to make it a 20-page grievance if you wanted to,” he notes. An HR team might send an employee a routine email, only to receive a lengthy, fully researched response half an hour later. The ease of producing such documents is piling pressure onto employers’ HR and legal teams.
What’s more, some individuals assume “AI is going to be 100% correct,” he explains, which can embolden them to trust the algorithm over human advice. In reality, these AI-generated complaints often contain errors or even “hallucinated” tribunal claims — references to legal cases or rights that either don’t exist or lack important context.
AI can churn out arguments, but it lacks the nuanced, “joined-up thinking” needed to balance multiple facets of a complex employment dispute. Boyde’s approach to these scenarios is to help employers cut through the noise. He encourages bringing the parties together in person to discuss the issues face-to-face. It’s easy for matters to escalate into a “war of correspondence” when people fire off AI-assisted missives from behind a keyboard. By contrast, a meeting can force a reality check: what are the employee’s actual concerns, and how can they be resolved?
With such a varied career and practice, Boyde has plenty of advice for those looking to follow in his footsteps, particularly aspiring employment lawyers. First, he stresses the importance of the fundamental skills. Attention to detail is paramount, since “one word out of sync in a contract can change the whole meaning of a clause.” Strong time management is equally vital; as he learned early on, junior lawyers must juggle deadlines and priorities and still “maintain high-work.”
He also highlights problem-solving ability. Simply saying “this is what the law says” has limited value; the real skill is presenting “options and level of risk” and guiding a client to a workable solution. Rounding out his list of must-haves are reliability and a growth mindset. “Do what you say you’ll do,” he says, being a person that colleagues and clients can depend on. And be open to learning: as a junior you will inevitably get things wrong, but each mistake is a chance to improve. Boyde admits “it’s a bit of a cliché” but firmly believes that “feedback’s a gift.” Rather than take criticism personally, he advises embracing it and using it to “make yourself better” — because, ultimately, “you’ll always learn more from the mistakes.”
Beyond technical skills, he identifies two standout traits that can help trainees thrive. Proactivity is one. It’s easy for a trainee to do only what’s asked, hand back a completed task, and wait for the next instruction. But those who really impress are the ones who think a step ahead. “If you’re going to be a really good trainee, it’s about thinking ahead for the next steps,” he explains. Even if some of those initiatives aren’t needed, taking that “conviction” to go beyond the bare minimum shows enthusiasm and foresight.
The second trait is having the courage to say what you don’t know, and to stick your neck out when forming a view. New lawyers sometimes worry about admitting ignorance but asking for clarification when you’re unsure is far better than muddling through in confusion. Likewise, when assigned to research an issue, Boyde urges juniors not to hedge their bets. “Don’t sit on the fence: I think just stick to your guns and say, ‘I think this is the best advice for the client and this is why,’” he says.
Even if your answer isn’t perfect, committing to a well-reasoned opinion gives your seniors something concrete to respond to. “You’ll get a lot more back from a supervisor” that way, he notes; they can correct or refine your view, and you’ll learn much more in the process than if you had presented an ambiguous “could be this or that” answer. He concludes, “Work hard and make the most of every opportunity.” And remember, in Boyde’s words, “feedback’s a gift” — if you embrace it with the right mindset, “you’ll always learn more from the mistakes.”
Andy Boyde will be speaking at next week’s virtual student event, ‘The Big Commercial Awareness Themes of 2025-26 — with DWF, Goodwin, Irwin Mitchell, Morrison Foerster, TLT and ULaw’ on Monday 10 November. Apply Now.
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