I had the misfortune to use Irwin Mitchell through Aviva Home Insurance and Arc Legal Expenses Administration. Overall the set up is approaching a scam factory, with Arc Legal willing to happily mislead you regarding your rights under the policy despite the fact that you are probably going through one of the most stressful periods of your life. ARC Legal pay Irwin Mitchell GBP1500 for handling your case if you think that is low you are right! You are basically paying for your case to be assessed with a minimum level of competence by a junior solicitor. After that, expect complete neglect and evasive tactics if you believe da boys at Irwin Mitchell are are actually going to engage with your case in any meaningful way. The GBP 1500 has effectively run out. Don't scratch your head wondering why your points don't seem to be taken on board, why the documentation you send is not read or responded to etc . Always request right at the start of your claim with ARC legal that you don't want to use IM. Remember that ARC Legal are part of this sorry piece of profiteering from the ruins of human misery. Arc will tell you that no one else will do it for GBP1500 they're right the problem is that IM will not do anything meaningful either. If your case requires anything more than a couple of solicitors letter from a recent graduate - really just forget it. Just take the paltry GBP1500 (under your so called GBP50,000 cover) and use it to cover at least the initial costs of a decent solicitor. Once I started to complain about the service to ARC and requested that my case be transferred, they contacted IM without my knowledge. I received a phone call from my solicitor.She was unusually nice, concerned and showed support and even offered meeting with counsel to raise all my concerns. Stupidly I fell for this. The meeting with counsel was nothing more than a barrister repeating IM's brief tellling me my case against my company for discrimination and victminisation was weak with arguments like "why would people lie " .My case was dropped and I was no longer provided with insurance cover. Job done. After reading through the other experiences of unfortunate clients if IM, I realize this is a tried and tested formula they use. Take on the case. Get money from insurance cover. Do nothing with the case. Tell you the case is weak. Drop the case. This way, IM save the insurance company GBP 50,000 by not proceeding the case to court. The insurance companies pass on the cases to IM. So the unholy alliance continues while the public remain clueless read more

I have had many dealings with Irwin Mitchell's over the years and feel that some other reviews are misleading. 1, Personal Injury was my first use of the company after a 44 side swiped me of a motorbike at 60mph; fortunately I managed to only get some minor injuries' including a slightly disfigured finger and after 3 years we got an agreed settlement (quite quick given personal injury claims) although I received the cost of replacing my bike within a few months. 2, Following a death in my family I used them for power of attorney as a family member died intestate (no Will) between Irwins and Winchester Court the whole thing was dealt with within 5-6 weeks. 3, After a Deed of Gift award to me was contested Irwins laid out a plan and made it quite clear that things could go on for some time. After some very clever solicitor-ing the whole thing has being completed in just over a year and in very complicated circumstances I expected 2-3 years to achieve the same.. Regarding getting all costs back, the courts will only approve about 60-80% of costs as they wont refund/award costs for a discussion about the case or similar none progressive communication between lawyer and client, and there are several test cases that are used in court to justify these things (I don't remember the specifics) take it up with the solicitor from the start!!! I can only say how fantastic they have been for me and I have used them for other things and they have proved to just as affective. If you are looking for what I think is the best service from the UK's best Solicitor firm employing some of the finest solicitors in the UK them be prepared to pay a little extra.. If you want Aldi quality don't shop here. read more

I have been using Irwin Mitchell for a whiplash claim which to date has taken 6 months. It is a pretty simple case and whilst the settlement has now been agreed I have found my 'case officer' slow, cumbersome and a little rude. When I call for an update the solicitor, Zameer Khan, is always very keen to get off the phone and is short with her answers everything I ask her is responded in a way that implies I am little more than a hindrance. It wasn't until I put her in her place and took a hold on the production of medical reports / physio invoices etc that her attitude altered and things began to move. She also told me to accept the first offer from the other insurer on the basis that it wont be increased and that it was a fair amount. Now we all know solicitors and insurance companies are not going to offer a fair or top offer straight away therefore i was very surprised at this comment. Needless to say I insisted that the offer was increased, which it was, and which I have now agreed. I therefore assume she was keen to meet certain targets before christmas hence her strange advice. My advice, if you have the patience and tenacity to keep pestering them then fine, otherwise go for a more reputable firm. Having dealt with professional solicitor firms as part of my work the service provided by IM came as a bit of a shock. But I guess you get what you pay for!! Good luck read more

I also had horrific times with Irwin Mitchell of Sheffield. I desperately tried to contact their Ben Ward many times and he ignored all my emails. I suffer from extreme unlawful direct discrimination arising from disability so I believe I had unlawful denial of service under the excellent Equality Act 2010 as well as failure to make reasonable adjustments, direct discrimination, victimisation, unfavourable treatment, lesser standard of service etc. I am under Autism spectrum (aspergers syndrome) born deaf, dyspraxia, adhd, clinical depression, asthma, need glasses to lip read and read, supposed to have a support worker, speech defrects, high stress & anxiety, only learnt in 2010 my face does not work properly and my mental age is 14 to 19 despite how clever I can be. I think Irwin Mitchell's webform is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010 as it is to difficult for vulnerable disabled people in all it's forms. AllenVincent489 read more

I also had horrific times with Irwin Mitchell of Sheffield. I desperately tried to contact their Ben Ward many times and he ignored all my emails. I suffer from extreme unlawful direct discrimination arising from disability so I believe I had unlawful denial of service under the excellent Equality Act 2010 as well as failure to make reasonable adjustments, direct discrimination, victimisation, unfavourable treatment, lesser standard of service etc. I am under Autism spectrum (aspergers syndrome) born deaf, dyspraxia, adhd, clinical depression, asthma, need glasses to lip read and read, supposed to have a support worker, speech defrects, high stress & anxiety, only learnt in 2010 my face does not work properly and my mental age is 14 to 19 despite how clever I can be. I think Irwin Mitchell's webform is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010 as it is to difficult for vulnerable disabled people in all it's forms. AllenVincent489 read more

I had the misfortune to use them about 8 years ago when I was on a coach that crashed,with many serious injuries and a fatality, in Germany. They lied to me , saying that my refusal to accept a really low award of £1400 was holding up the claim for the rest of the 20 odd claimants who had agreed to settle. When I pointed out that I had 4 other friends in the same accident, using IM and was in email contact with a few others on the coach, none of which had been made an offer of settlement, they suggested my friends were lying to me and holding back information. The Birmingham office are useless and only a complaint to Sheffield got anything moving. I would not use them if they were the only solicitors practicing. A guy on the coach got a better pay out than me within weeks of the crash just by approaching the holiday firms insurers direct and yet I had to wait years to be offered peanuts. read more

I am trying to progress a small claims case through my insurance policy with Liverpool Victoria. Unfortunately, LV subcontract their legal section of their policies to Irwin Mitchell, Solicitors. My experiences have been dire! Despite the usual promises in the Terms of Business in relation to swift responses, and good communication with the client, they fail miserably. It's almost non-existent. My small claims case is now 9 months old and I have got nowhere! Needless to say I am communicating with LV, my insurance provider telling them that Irwin Mitchell are failing both me and LV in providing a good and competent service. I must emphasise that my problem is not with LV, I hold them in high esteem. Irwin Mitchell take too much on, and fail to provide a personal service. read more

Have to admit to being deeply unimpressed. They pursued a financial advisor who had cost me a lot of money (my pension fund of nearly £50k) and ended up costing the same again. The case was a fairly straight forward pension mis selling and was won easily despite a very lack lustre solicitor on my side. Alas the judge said costs were disproportionate and I should pay some myself. Once the case was all over and settled (all the settlement eventually went on legal fees) I met with one of the partners to discuss the excessive fees and was actually threatened with more costs that they had not disclosed to the courts. Most definitely not a firm I would trust or ever use again, and one I have encouraged others to avoid read more

Horrendous, I left my previous represntation for Irwin Mitchell after they agreed to take on my case, 1 month later out of the blue it is dropped because they dont think they will have long enough to investigate it correctly. The result is I now have no legal representation and I am left with nothing all thanks to this firm, stay well away and do not touch with a barge pole. read more

IM were deceptive. Assessed my case for employment tribunal and took it on. As soon as I started to complain about their service, they suddenly dropped the case and now I have no funding from insurance. IM are scammers. They shoudlo be investigated but they know how to scam within the law. read more

IM took on my case after other company stopped PI claims. They seemed good to start with, but did not deliver. They did not represent me properly and even though i followed there complaints procedure they got away with shoddy work and lost me a lot of compensation read more

shit and a waist of time it took them 3 years to find any of my notes and then 12 months after they said they would call me they failed to do so after i made a complaint they told me i wouldn't win so y 3 years claiming legal aid read more

Am legally trained and so approached Irwin Mitchell to lodge a claim as they have a good reputation internally. Very friendly, efficient and helpful unlike alot of other Solicitors firms I have worked in !!!! read more

Everything bad you have ever heard about solicitors could be levelled against this outfit. Too big and only remotely interested inTHEIR bottom line their fees. read more

They are absolute rubbish. slow and only interested in using up the Legal Aid budget, be wary of this outfit, look around for others before you choose them. read more

I have used them for 2 house sales and a will, they have always been professional and courteous. I would recommend them.