Top 25 UK law firm Irwin Mitchell is setting up shop in Cardiff and Liverpool, adding to its 15 offices across the country. 

The Sheffield-based firm said it already has a number of clients in the two cities and is actively recruiting in the regions, with the new offices set to open in mid-May. The Cardiff team will be led by Julie Lewis, regional managing partner for Bristol and head of the Bristol medical negligence team, while Jonathan Betts, personal injury lead partner for the Manchester office, will head the effort in Liverpool.  

The firm, which has adopted a ‘flexible by choice’ approach to hybrid working that allows employees to choose where and when they work subject to client need, said it was expanding its footprint to provide more flexible options for clients to meet and work with its teams. 

Andrew Tucker, Irwin Mitchell CEO, said: “For our existing clients in these regions we’re providing a better experience by moving even closer to them. It also allows us to accelerate our growth around Cardiff and Liverpool and work with even more people and businesses in these areas,” he said. 

He added that while the firm’s employees have “embraced our approach to hybrid or flexible working, we recognise the importance of office space, particularly in providing opportunities to meet with our clients.” 

The firm, which has a broad-based commercial practice and is ranked band 1 by Chambers for its clinical negligence, personal injury, product liability and Court of Protection work, also recently moved to a new office in Southampton kitted out for hybrid working. 

Irwin Mitchell doesn’t give a profit per equity partner figure but reported last August that it had seen a 47% jump in pre-tax profit to £34.8m for the 2020/21 financial year against a modest 2% increase in turnover to £275.8m, marking its 11th consecutive year of growth. The previous year turnover increased by the same rate of 2%, generating an 11% increase in pre-tax profits.

At the time the firm attributed its successful navigation of the pandemic to a ‘range of cost saving measures’ employed to mitigate potential adverse impacts on its business and singled out a strong performance by its complex personal injury team, as well as its teams servicing businesses and private wealth clients.