Irwin Mitchell - True Picture

Irwin Mitchell training contract review 2026

The Firm

We all know the phrase variety is the spice of life — and as the UK’s largest full-service law firm, Irwin Mitchell dishes it up in generous portions. Founded in Sheffield over a century ago, the firm has grown from a local practice to a national heavyweight with more than 20 offices across the UK. Despite its expansion, the firm has never forgotten its roots: its head office remains in Sheffield, and for trainees, that mix of scale and history is a big pull: “I wanted to join a larger firm for the range of practice areas,” one trainee told us, “I had no prior legal experience, so I wanted to try everything.”

Irwin Mitchell covers a unique mix of both business and private client work, with particular prowess in clinical negligence and personal injury, bagging top Chambers UK rankings in both across the North East, North West, East Anglia, the Midlands and Yorkshire. There’s also a top nod in personal injury UK-wide.

“I wanted to join a larger firm for the range of practice areas. I had no prior legal experience, so I wanted to try everything.”

Irwin Mitchell takes on trainees in London, Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds, Southampton, Cambridge, Newcastle, Bristol, Birmingham, Chichester and Gatwick, and we heard that cross-office collaboration is part of the day-to-day.

The Seats

Trainees follow a 4x6 month seat structure, although in practice this often means three distinct seats followed by a repeat seat. Trainees liked the fact that it gave them a running start before qualifying into the seat: “I knew what department I wanted to qualify into, so it was great to be able to spend more time there.” There are no compulsory seats, though the firm is split into two broad pathways: business and personal, which may limit cross-over opportunities.

Insiders told us that the first seat is allocated prior to starting the training contract without extensive discussion. From there, the process becomes more collaborative, with early careers arranging informal calls to discuss preferences and availability. Trainees also get the opportunity to add comments alongside their choices to explain their reasoning. While some felt the process looked inflexible at first, many found that early careers were willing to listen and accommodate requests where possible. Our sources told us that some trainees may even qualify early if it aligns with business needs and the department gives the go-ahead.

“I really appreciated the client-facing aspect of the seat as it broadened my skillset.”

Irwin Mitchell’s corporate department consists of private equity, corporate advisory, equity capital markets, and mergers and acquisitions, and offers exposure to both asset purchase and share purchase transactions, often on a large scale. Trainees in the seat gain a strong grounding in transactional mechanics, with tasks including drafting and advising on supplementary documents, attending client meetings, and observing negotiations. One trainee we spoke to felt the level of client interaction was a highlight of the seat, telling us: “I really appreciated the client-facing aspect of the seat as it broadened my skillset.”

The work provides a clear insight into how deals are structured and executed, making it a valuable choice for those with a commercial mindset! The pace can be brisk when transactions are live, with one dubbing it a “sometimes intense but invaluable experience”. In one recent deal, the firm advised chemical safety software solutions company on its twinned acquisitions of Molecular Networks GMBH Computerchemie and Altamira LLC, in a cross-border deal involving Germany and the US.

Employment, we heard, is a popular repeat seat and offers a number of different work streams from insurance-funded employment matters to high-net-worth advisory work. As one put it: “It’s so varied and I’ve learnt a lot.” The team advises HR units on issues such as redundancies, grievances, disciplinary procedures, and implications during business sales. The firm recently successfully defended a large public company against claims related to the employment status of nearly 2000 individuals, a case which ultimately reached the Court of Appeal!

Trainees can expect a mix of claimant and respondent work, providing an all-round perspective on the practice area. The team atmosphere, we were told, is generally “buzzy” with a range of personalities and experience. Some trainees find the work methodical rather than fast-paced, but the variety of clients and issues keeps the seat engaging for those with an interest in workplace relations and people-focused law. Speaking to its breadth, the department also is the sole legal provider of employment law support to the Association of Colleges, providing training and networking events, and supporting the AoC’s Employment and HR conferences by delivering the keynote presentations.

Medical negligence is among the firm’s flagship practices, boasting a top-tier Chambers UK ranking. It’s a major draw for many, with one applicant telling us: “My interest in medical negligence encouraged me to apply for this firm due to their expertise and great reputation in this area.” Trainees assist with claims involving misdiagnosis, surgical errors and delayed treatment, often working on matters requiring extensive medical evidence and expert reports. The firm specialises in areas including birth injuries, orthopaedic injuries and cancer misdiagnosis claims, meaning trainees can witness the direct impact of their work on clients’ lives. Expect a fast pace – the department handles more than 1,000 cases at any one time!

One of the challenges that trainees approaching qualification face is weighing up whether it’s transactional or contentious practices that float their boat. Fortunately, for those who are yet to decide, restructuring and insolvency offers both! On the transactional side, the firm often works with banks to place companies into administration and facilitate asset sales, while the contentious side can involve disputes over alleged director misconduct.

We heard that the seat is hands-on, with opportunities to attend court hearings, mediations and settlement meetings, as well as interview directors and draft instructions to counsel. Trainees we spoke to consistently emphasised the breadth of client contact and advocacy exposure as highlights, and the variety tends to make it one of the more popular options on offer. One interviewee told us: “It’s a really well-rounded seat.” In one recent standout matter, the team advised Virgin Active on its contested restructuring plan.

“I loved it straight away. It’s a perfect mix of business and personal injury work while representing real people.”

Private client work sits at the intersection of business and personal law, with trainees handling everything from wills, trusts and lasting powers of attorney to complex estate management. We heard that the seat is well regarded for its strong supervision and supportive team culture, offering a balance between technical drafting and sensitive, people-focused client work. Matters range from advising high net worth individuals on tax planning to guiding families through estate administration.

It’s a popular repeat seat, valued for its blend of intellectual challenge and the clear, tangible difference it makes in clients’ lives. One trainee we spoke to thoroughly enjoyed this seat, telling us: “I loved it straight away. It’s a perfect mix of business and personal injury work while representing real people.” In one recent case, the firm acted pro bono for a sexual assault victim to contest an alleged excessive request for data by the CPS – a case that underlined the deeply human impact of the team’s work.

Trainee Life

From the 7th-floor skyline views in Birmingham to the bustling café in Manchester, trainees here are spoiled for choice when it comes to workspaces. Our sources crown the basement gym in Birmingham as the “best perk” of office life, a close race with the laundry service! The firm’s Sheffield HQ is also rumoured to be awaiting a move, with a plan to obtain an office as swanky as that in Manchester on the horizon. Cross-office collaboration is part of the culture, so even if your seat is rooted in one city, we heard that there’s a good chance you’ll be pulled into interesting work elsewhere.

The firm’s hybrid working model is, in a word, flexible. Most teams do around three days in the office and two from home, though it can swing depending on department and client needs. Anchor days (whole office attendance days every couple of months) add opportunities for office drinks and a chat with those who you may not cross paths with on the day-to-day.

Our interviewees also flagged the humane working hours, with the average workday ending at 5.30pm. One trainee told us that “they understand we have a social life and have let me leave early for personal commitments – they trust I’ll make up the time elsewhere.” Late nights are rare, and their weekends are their own, and as one trainee put it: “We aren’t the highest paid, but we don’t work ridiculous hours” – a trade-off that everyone we spoke to seemed to be happy with. The current cohort was indeed broadly happy with the salary at the firm, which was highlighted as particularly competitive in the Midlands, where it starts at £31,500 as a first year: “It’s good considering how long you work!”

Culturally, the consensus was that Irwin Mitchell is a friendly, approachable place. Open-plan offices mean partners are within easy reach, and trainees report a refreshing lack of hierarchy. One trainee we spoke to told us: “There’s no barriers to who you can speak to and everyone gets on.”Socials vary by department – we heard that corporate litigation may be quieter on the pub front, while employment has its monthly ‘Thursday Club’ for juniors. Firm-wide away days, charity rounders matches, and junior networking events keep things lively, and while WFH has dialled down the social buzz, the Christmas and summer parties are still a fixture.

“It’s great for our mental health and work ethic to be supported to spend time on a cause that’s important to us.”

Our interviewees also spoke very highly of the firm’s pro bono and community work. Trainees get two paid volunteering days a year, which many turn into team-building outings, from 15-mile charity walks to helping on an alpaca farm! We were told that “It’s great for our mental health and work ethic to be supported to spend time on a cause that’s important to us.”

Most trainees get daily informal feedback from supervisors, alongside monthly one-to-ones, with constructive criticism given in a way that helps rather than stings. Training is a mix of department-specific sessions, junior-only seminars where you can ask “silly” questions safely, and firm-wide updates on changing legislation.

Qualification is generally informal: if a team wants you, you’ll know early and with plenty of time to plan. Retention is strong, hovering around 90%, and there’s even the opportunity to qualify early if the fit is right. Some trainees felt the early careers team and supervisors could coordinate better, but overall, the message is clear, as one trainee put it: “If you prove yourself, you’ll get excellent and high-quality work, and the opportunities will find you.” In 2025, the firm retained 48 of 53 qualifiers.

How to get an Irwin Mitchell training contract

Training contract deadline: 1 December 2025

Vac scheme deadline: n/a

Application and video interview

Irwin Mitchell receives over 5,000 applications each year for its 50 or so training contracts that are up for grabs. For Stage 1 of the recruitment process, the firm uses an anonymised screening approach where a short initial registration (data is used for reporting purposes only) is immediately followed by an invitation to complete an online strengths-based assessment and a strengths-based video interview, which they advise takes up to 90 minutes to work through and you have seven days to complete it.  When you register be sure that you are ready to complete the online strengths-based questionnaire and have researched the firm which aims to assess a candidate's “passion for the role and firm, with questions designed to assess potential and what motivates you; rather than any previous experience,” early careers manager Alex Burgess tells us. There are usually some IM-specific questions too, so be sure to brush up on your knowledge of the firm's practice areas, geographical coverage, and why you’ve made an application.

Assessment centre

At Stage 2, roughly 250 people go through to the assessment centre, which involves a discussion and decision-making exercise, a written task, and an interview, plus a Q&A with the current trainees.

The discussion and decision-making exercise varies each year, but IM always looks closely at “how candidates collaborate and interact with one another to achieve the desired objective.” For the written exercise candidates are provided with a question and are asked to prepare a written document giving their thoughts. Then there's the interview, which is carried out by two members of the firm, who could be either partners or senior associates. This involves a mix of questions covering the candidate's motivations, their knowledge of the firm and how they would approach a given scenario.

Vacation scheme

Going forward IM are no longer having a vacation scheme.  Instead, for Stage 3 of the process, everyone who passes the assessment centre will need to attend a one-day, in-person, insight day. This ensures all candidates get to experience life at IM to discover what the office is like they’ve applied to, meet the people they’ll be working with, and understand more about IM and the trainee role.  There will be some assessed elements (group discussion and final interview) to this last stage and a chance for candidates to ask questions to ensure they feel Irwin Mitchell is the right place for their career.

How to wow

“As a firm we are looking for high achievers,” says Burgess. “We look for candidates who can display a whole array of positive qualities. We want to give applicants the opportunity to sell those skills, whatever their background and experiences through our recruitment process.” 

It's particularly important to demonstrate interpersonal skills too, as Burgess adds: “You'll be dealing with clients and colleagues on a daily basis, so interpersonal skills are incredibly important towards succeeding.” The firm looks to provide opportunities to those who have a passion for the law and who want to make a positive difference to their clients and their future careers.