TOP MARKS FOR IRWIN MITCHELL FROM INDEPENDENT REPORT

24th September 2012

Chief Executive Praises Staff For Strong Performance in Legal 500 Rankings Irwin Mitchell's Group Chief Executive John Pickering says it is testament to the hard work of its staff that the firm has once again received impressive results in the Legal 500 independent rankings.

Irwin Mitchell, which celebrates its centenary this year, has been named as a top tier firm in 21 practice areas and is recommended in a further 58 practice areas covering legal advice to both consumers and businesses. Fifteen lawyers at the firm are listed in the elite "Leading lawyers" list, highlighting the most outstanding lawyers nationwide while in total 106 lawyers from across the country are also recommended in the guide. The rankings see Irwin Mitchell cement its position as the market leading provider of Personal Legal Services, while the Business Legal Services division continued its impressive growth with improved rankings for 11 teams. Group Chief Executive at Irwin Mitchell John Pickering, named as one of the 'Leading Lawyers', said: -These latest Legal 500 results are extremely impressive. They cement our position as one of the leading law firms in theUKand provide an important platform as we continue to develop the business toward our vision of becoming the legal brand of choice. Irwin Mitchell recently announced that it has become one of the first companies to be approved as an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and the first to be granted multiple ABS licences. At the same time the SRA also approved the appointments of Glyn Barker, the former Vice-Chairman UK of PricewaterhouseCoopers, as Chairman of Irwin Mitchell's parent company, IMCO Holdings Ltd, and Mel Egglenton as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the company's Audit Committee, a role he previously held with accountants KPMG.