Recognition For Irwin Mitchell’s Employment, IP And Sport Litigation Expertise

Irwin Mitchell’s expertise in the areas of employment law, litigation, and dispute resolution, have been highlighted by the news this week that four lawyers have been recognised as leaders in their field by wealth management and luxury lifestyle magazine, Spear’s.

Deborah Casale, who specialises in advising senior executives and directors within the financial services industry, acts on behalf of clients across a wide spectrum of issues, from unfair dismissal to whistleblowing, discrimination and pay gaps. The judging panel praised Deborah's ability to resolve disputes that ‘allow clients to move on with their lives’, adding she is not afraid to ‘litigate tenaciously where necessary’.

Shah Qureshi, Head of the Employment and Professional Discipline team in London, has been ranked ‘top recommended’ in the ‘best employment lawyer’ category for his expertise in discrimination law and professional discipline.

According to Spear’s review, peers were full of praise of praise for Shah, with one calling him ‘an exceptional lawyer’ with an ‘outstanding ability to consider and apply points of law that win him cases’.

In the best corporate lawyer category, Georgie Collins is ranked in recognition of her Intellectual Property expertise, whilst Tom Barnard is listed for his work relating to sports law disputes.

Spear’s describes Georgie as the go-to person for advice on the protection, exploitation and infringement of intellectual property rights worldwide. It adds that she's ‘deeply committed’ to helping clients develop their IP strategies, focusing on risk and reputation management.

Tom is described as a ‘rising star’ in the area of dispute resolution, highlighting his focus on the world of sports law, often dealing in high-profile cases – for example representing FC Benfica or writing laws for the International Netball Federation.

In selecting and ranking leading lawyers in both categories, the Spear’s Research Unit conducts extensive research of the market, including interviews with well-informed observers, industry insiders and of course the advisers themselves. These take place both face-to-face, and on video and telephone calls. In finalising its selections and rankings, the Spear’s Research Unit employs a proprietary methodology that includes a weighted scoring system. This takes into account factors including an adviser’s standing, reputation, client base, recommendations and testimonials, the firm they represent, their level of engagement with the process and certain industry-specific criteria.