In this month’s On the Record interview, TSR Legal’s Senior Legal Consultant, Ryan Pryce, sits down with Deborah Rose, Partner at Irwin Mitchell, to discuss the firm’s growth in Wales, its distinctive approach to client service, and its commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace.
Deborah shares insights from her own career journey within Irwin Mitchell, the opportunities and challenges of practicing personal injury law in Wales, and what’s next for the firm as it continues to expand its presence in Cardiff.
Q: Bring us up to speed with the growth of Irwin Mitchell in Wales; what’s happened in the past 12 months?
A: Our biggest and most exciting development this year has been the revaluation of the regional managing partner role, moving away from this being an office specific role and instead focussing more broadly on geographical footprints with the exciting introduction of the Regional Lead Partner role.
This more external-facing role will look to build upon the firm’s engagement with its regions to maximise the potential to work with and give back to communities, charities and organisations in a focussed way, bespoke to each region.
Q: In what ways does Irwin Mitchell distinguish itself from other firms – aside from its established national brand status?
A: People will recognise the Irwin Mitchell brand as offering expert technical advice combined with a client-centred approach.
We are not a ‘one size fits all’ law firm but a bespoke offering for each client, whether an individual or a business. This approach runs through the entire business. As the foundation of the firm, it is therefore part of who we are and our brand is a natural extension of that.
As a full service law firm we are also able to cater to a client’s wider needs, and always have these in mind to ease this process for them and add value wherever possible.
Q: For those who haven’t met you before, could you tell us a little about your career in law?
A: I joined Irwin Mitchell as a one-year qualified solicitor, working out of the Birmingham office. After six months, I moved to Bristol to help open that office and have loved watching it grow over the past 15 years. I’m very lucky to be able to do that again in Cardiff, which is a fantastic challenge and opportunity.
I joined as a solicitor and have moved up through the various levels, becoming a Partner in 2021. Having worked at all levels within the same firm, I am well-placed to offer support and guidance for those going along that path now and that is something I really enjoy.
Q: What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?
A: In short, all of it! I have a really varied role encompassing technical legal work, colleague management and business development activities. I love that each day is different with a new challenge.
I really enjoy working with people and so whether that be supporting clients through what can be an extremely stressful and upsetting time, helping them achieve the best outcome, supporting the career development of a junior colleague, or collaborating with senior colleagues to drive the business forward; I have great job satisfaction.
Q: What guidance would you offer to young individuals aspiring to become lawyers?
Within Irwin Mitchell, I’m the partner with overall responsibility for providing pastoral support to all early careers colleagues across our region. I participate in the various different assessment centres and interviews for the numerous roles we offer.
My advice is always to persevere and be open-minded. The path into law can be long and challenging for some but if that is your end goal, don’t blinker yourself to other opportunities.
At Irwin Mitchell, we offer a number of routes to qualification including solicitor apprenticeships for graduates and non-graduates as well as paralegal apprenticeships and CILEX qualifications.
We recognise that there are several different ways in to the law and we value the range of diversity and experience of individuals that these different options bring. And so, I always say whether it be routes to qualification or seats in your training contract, approach it with an open mind as you might be surprised!
Q: How is your firm actively fostering an inclusive workplace?
A: Diversity and Inclusion is really important to IM as a firm. This is led by our responsible business team and represented across the office. We have a number of internal networks, each with a specific D&I focus, from LGBTQ+ (and allies) and race to gender equality, age and working families, amongst others. These networks give colleagues the opportunities to meet and discuss relevant issues with like-minded colleagues and provide a platform to elevate these for discussion at board level.
Q: What is it like to practice Personal Injury, and specifically in Wales?
Being able to help people at some of the most desperate times of their lives is one of the most rewarding aspects of the work I do. This often requires lateral thinking in order to support a client to achieve their goals within the limitations of the litigation framework, whilst harnessing the opportunities that that same framework can offer.
One of the most important things is listening to your client and their network, whoever that might be. Families are always a crucial part of the picture and I find this especially true in Wales where family is of the upmost importance and those ties are often so strong – this can be a powerful resource.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working at Irwin Mitchell?
A: I have already touched upon the firm’s reputation and how that really stems from our DNA; you can feel this working here day-to-day but what really makes it unique is the people I work with.
Despite being a national firm, the Cardiff office has it’s own distinct feel, meaning you get the best of both worlds with the support and offering of a large firm and a small firm feeling working alongside like minded people.
Q: What notable developments should we expect for the firm in Wales for the rest of 2025?
A: With the impressive growth we have seen over the past three years, we have outgrown our current Cardiff offices and will have moved to new, bigger premises by the end of 2025.
This is a really exciting opportunity for all our Wales-based colleagues and will offer a level of future proofing as we continue to grow.
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