Pictured above: Stuart Henderson, Regional Managing
Partner
The Midlands' offices of law firm Irwin Mitchell are the subject
of unstinting praise in Chambers UK: A Client's Guide to the UK
Legal Profession. This annual guide independently evaluates and
ranks the nation's law firms. Irwin Mitchell is once again ranked
number one in the Midlands for both clinical negligence and
personal injury and secures strong rankings across a range of
business and private client services
The firm's International Travel Litigation Group (ITLG) which is
based at the firm's Temple Street, Birmingham office, has also
ranked number one nationally. Clive Garner, Partner and Head of the
International Travel Litigation Group, is described as "the
godfather of claimant travel personal injury".
Irwin Mitchell has the largest clinical negligence team in the
Midlands and Chambers notes that some of the most effective and
highly experienced lawyers in the game are here". The Birmingham
practice is headed by Lisa Jordan, best known for her work on high
value birth injury claims.
Among her colleagues are Sara Burns who is described as a
"strong practitioner who is always very much in control of her
cases". Burns is well regarded for her work in obstetric and
wrongful birth claims. Up and coming Mandy Luckman has also won
praise for her work on hospital acquired infections.
Stuart Henderson, Managing Partner of the Midlands' offices,
heads the Personal Injury practice, which receives praise for its
high-volume and high quality work. Stuart has recently been
active on an RTA case which settled for £2.2 million, as well
as handling spinal injury and fatal accident cases. He is regarded
by observers as "one of the best claimant solicitors in the
country." His experience and profile in the field are such that
"insurers are wary of his reputation,".
The Irwin Mitchell Business & Private Client practices in
Birmingham also came out well in the survey. Acting for
high-profile and high net-worth individuals, the Family team
regularly handles heavyweight financial matters with international
aspects. Nicola Walker, who is known for her "calm
settlement-focused approach", is one to watch in this field and has
recently been made a partner.
Fergal Dowling leads the Midlands' Employment practice. He has
established a good reputation for dealing with complex tribunal
matters and advising on all aspects of employment law. He is
recognised for his "superb knowledge and ability to articulate
complex ideas." Another to stand out in this sector is Christopher
Piggott, who has been praised for his "innate commercial
understanding and analytical mind."
Irwin Mitchell Managing Partner for the Midlands' region, Stuart
Henderson, comments: "I am particularly pleased that we have
achieved these rankings not only because they reflect feedback from
peers and clients but also because we have retained those number
one slots for yet another year. Our expertise on the clinical
negligence, personal injury and international travel litigation
fronts has long been acknowledged and I am pleased that we continue
to maintain the high levels of success we demand of
ourselves.
"It is also very satisfying that other practices within the
Midlands' offices are flourishing and being recognised for the
expertise they offer to businesses and individuals on a regional,
national and international footing as required. It is our
objective to build on these results throughout 2011 as we wish to
hold onto or improve upon our rankings. This will benefit the firm,
our clients and the overall reputation of the legal expertise
available from the Midlands' region."