How it started
1912 – 2009
Irwin Mitchell was founded by Walter Irwin Mitchell in Sheffield in 1912, concentrating on criminal law. The firm acted on behalf of various gangs during the Sheffield Gang Wars of the 1920s.
For most of the twentieth century, Irwin Mitchell was based solely in Sheffield. Over the course of this period the company evolved into a general practice, becoming particularly well known for its personal injury work. In 1989 the firm opened an office in Birmingham, with a Leeds office opening its doors in 1993 and a London office opening in 1995.
The company also made a number of acquisitions throughout the 1990s. Kershaw Tudor was acquired in 1994, then followed Teeman Levine (1995), Rigbeys (1996), and Braby & Waller in (1998). Irwin Mitchell continued its expansion in the early 2000s, opening a Newcastle office in 2003 as well as acquiring personal injury outfit Lorenzo Zurbrugg that same year.
In 2005 the firm opened two new offices in Spain. The year Irwin Mitchell moved internationally was also the year the firm's annual turnover broke the £100 million barrier for the first time. The next year Irwin Mitchell merged with personal injury and medical negligence firm Alexander Harris, which had offices in London, Solihull and Altrincham. This merger was quickly followed with the opening of a Manchester office in early 2007. 2007 also saw the firm get a foothold in Scotland when it acquired Golds, together with its Glasgow office.
Recent history (2010 – present)
From Wikipedia’s article on Irwin Mitchell, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2