Law firm and Manufacturing Advisory Service sponsor Irwin Mitchell has announced that it is to become the main UK member of First Law International (FLI).
Established in 2001, FLI is based in Brussels and is a global network of over 80 independent national law firms, representing over 14,000 lawyers.
Irwin Mitchell has joined the network as part of its international growth strategy which involves establishing and consolidating a network of closely aligned law firms across the globe. Joining FLI will facilitate inward introduction of English legal work to Irwin Mitchell and it will also ensure it has a credible source of high quality law firms in most jurisdictions to which it can introduce clients requiring legal support outside the UK.
As part of the relationship, Irwin Mitchell Corporate partner and Head of International, Bryan Bletso, together with IP and Media partner Georgie Collins, joined a FLI delegation to the ACC Annual Conference in Austin, Texas.
The convention is the largest gathering of international General Counsels in the world. In addition, FLI also unveiled its newest IT innovations intended to provide clients with a smoother and faster experience in dealing with multi-jurisdictional projects online from their mobile devices.
Victoria Brackett, Chief Executive of Irwin Mitchell’s Business Legal Services division, said: “We have been hugely impressed with FLI and I am confident the organisation will play a big role in helping us meet our international growth aspirations. This is a key area for the firm and we are extremely excited to be joining one of the world’s most credible networks.
“FLI will not only help increase the amount of incoming work we generate from overseas, it will also offer a wide spread of jurisdictional coverage with firms of a size capable of supporting most queries that our client base could require.”
Orlando Casares, principal of First Law International, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Irwin Mitchell to FLI. The UK is a key territory for our member firms and their clients and I believe with Brexit on the horizon, it is vital that we have a highly credible, top tier law firm in place which can provide the necessary support and guidance.”
The FLI network is one of the largest in the world and has been ranked by Chambers & Partners as an Elite legal network for five years in a row now. The network was also recently Highly Commended by The Lawyer at its 2018 European Awards.
Irwin Mitchell is currently the one main UK member of The Bridge Group, a strong network of 12 US law firms. It is also a founder and board member of Avrio Advocati, a network of around 40 primarily European firms. Irwin Mitchell will continue its membership of both these groups in the future.
