Irwin Mitchell maintains its stellar reputation for handling the full scope of personal injury claims. Jonathan Betts heads up the practice, and is well-known for his longstanding expertise in catastrophic brain, spinal cord, and orthopaedic injury claims and inquests, and Matthew Brown is a seasoned litigator, who handles the full range of catastrophic injury cases. Asbestos claims specialist Geraldine Coombs is praised by clients for her ‘superb range of knowledge’, while Cheryl Palmer-Hughes is noted for her extensive knowledge of cross-border cosmetic surgery claims. Amanda Marsh is particularly adept at assisting injured military personnel with applications under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, and Carol Purang is known for her distinctive focus on noise-induced hearing loss, and bullying and harassment claims against the Ministry of Defence. Richard Biggs often assists clients with polytrauma and amputation related cases, while Liverpool’s Matthew Garson acts for both adults and children who have sustained severe injuries, and often handles fatal claims.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Geraldine Coombs stands out as as an excellent example of the high quality of individuals within the team. She is a respected authority in the field of asbestos litigation with a superb range of knowledge. Her feet remain firmly planted, allowing her to identify with her clients and remain loyal to the team. I respect her judgment immensely.’

  • ‘Cheryl Palmer-Hughes has long-standing expertise in this area, and in particular understands the complexities post-Brexit. Her client care skills are also exceptional.’

  • ‘Carol Purang is the driving force of Irwin Mitchell's military personal injury practice. She is tenacious and has no compunction on facing down ebullient defendant practitioners. Carol is highly intelligent with excellent tactical skills, and a down to earth approach. Carol is simply one of the foremost practitioners in this area of the law.’

  • ‘They are very capable and experienced, particularly in cases involving serious traumatic brain injury. They are entirely unafraid to take a case to trial. They pull the stops out for their clients and get fantastic results.’

  • ‘Matthew Brown is a really strong minded, indefatigable in promoting his clients case and very happy to take the fight to the other side. He has a very good strategic overview of the case and plans meticulously.’

  • ‘Probably the strongest team of industrial disease lawyers in the country with enormous experience and a dedication to pursuing cases, including the most difficult and demanding cases. This is a stand out team with strong leadership.’

  • ‘Jonathan Betts has decades of experience. He has a thorough understanding of his clients needs. Wherever possible he works constructively in collaboration with defendant representatives to ensure his clients have access to prompt rehabilitation.’

  • ‘This is the go-to team in the travel sphere. The team has an outstanding reputation and is at the forefront of cutting edge cases in this area.’

Lawyers

Hall of Fame
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Leading associates
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Leading partners
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Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Jonathan Betts

Other key lawyers

Matthew Brown, Cheryl Palmer-Hughes, Geraldine Coombs, Amanda Marsh, Carol Purang, Richard Biggs, Matthew Garson