Comments on: Former Irwin Mitchell associate billed 23 hours in just one day https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/ Legal news, insider insight and careers advice Sun, 31 Aug 2025 16:32:09 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 By: Lesley https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1231263 Sun, 31 Aug 2025 16:32:09 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1231263 I see this as most soliciters especially in family law claim ridiculous amounts for so called bundles.im sure this is normal practice scamming the system with legal aid boards

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By: Philippa https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1231011 Fri, 29 Aug 2025 23:57:54 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1231011 In reply to Adam.

You’ve got to wonder what time recording software is being used. If it’s so poor that anomalies like this don’t jump out, the firm have chosen the wrong software (which means surely they’re liable for insufficient supervision). Something tells me, if she’d only booked 5 hours per day, they’d have noticed and would have been investigating. And 400% compared to target should have said something too!

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By: Philippa https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1231010 Fri, 29 Aug 2025 23:51:58 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1231010 In reply to Chatgptlawyer.

They may have a 30 minute minimum charge. The interruption, put down and pick up the task they were on, or, if the call was out, then prep required before the call….30 mins minimum is not terrible.

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By: Costs Lawyer https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230976 Fri, 29 Aug 2025 19:11:40 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230976 15 minute unit of time recording has been held illegal. Precisely because if every telephone call or email is logged on time records the Lawyer can record 10 hours when he/ she has spent no more than say 4 hours….I proved this on one case involving a large London firm and the Judge , at a stroke struck out 800 hours and replaced the figure with 400. He then invited me to address him on further reductions which I did. The firm subsequently reprogrammed their computer time recording to standard 6 minute units.

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By: Sigh https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230877 Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:01:15 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230877 Irwin Mitchell would have been fully aware of the amount of time she was recording, in fact it would have been viewed in her favour when it came to decide her promotion. The only reason they have reported her is that they clearly did not realise, until much later, that they needed to look at her utilisation and would have realised that she was writing off a significant portion of her time. She would have been applauded for recording such a ridiculous amount of time, albeit she was not actually completing the work. How many more lawyers are going to be thrown under the bus by Irwin Mitchell before the SRA look into the actual firm.

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By: Oz Barrister https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230741 Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:57:17 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230741 As a barrister, the occasional all-nighter is unavoidable. I am sure there are solicitors who do the same. Given that solicitors charge in 6 minute increments, sometimes two minutes per email & reply can add up. I charge by 15minute increments, rounded up. If you bother me with constant emails, you will be charged a minimum of 15m. If they are on the same day, I will add them up for a total of actual time.

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By: Oz Barrister https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230740 Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:54:27 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230740 In reply to Chatgptlawyer.

It’s not compulsory for you to use them. Good luck acting for yourself.

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By: Oz Barrister https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230738 Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:52:16 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230738 In reply to Lewis Silk-Cut.

Hire junior barristers, they are cheaper and more experienced than solicitors.

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By: Oz Barrister https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230736 Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:50:25 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230736 In reply to BusyRoly.

Was this translated by AI???

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By: RS https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230701 Thu, 28 Aug 2025 20:25:23 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230701 Why does this sort of lawyer-behaviour surprise anybody. This one got caught and that’s the difference between her and those many others who are still committing this type of fraud.

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By: David https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230692 Thu, 28 Aug 2025 19:00:33 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230692 I use to bill 20 hours a day regularly, head of debt recovery and insolvency, use to receive instructions in bulk, charged 3 units per new file, one for reading and down loading instructions, one for letter acknowledging instructions, one for 7 day letter, 3 until amounted to 18 mins but whole job took less than 5 mins

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By: Cowboy https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230628 Thu, 28 Aug 2025 11:58:21 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230628 In reply to Chatgptlawyer.

Then you need to choose a Solicitor more carefully or avoid AI unless of course you are a robot !

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By: Cowboy https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230626 Thu, 28 Aug 2025 11:54:10 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230626 In reply to Report them immediately.

Well said “Report them immediately .” In a world that increasingly seems to think that honesty and integrity is somehow an optional extra in any work place (especially Parliament,) it is important to call out bad behaviour and complain formally regardless of whether you think action will be taken. How else do we encourage our younger / newly qualified colleagues / law students that it’s not ok to behave badly and that there are more important things than greed for money and power over others ? It’s what being in a Profession should be about .

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By: Anon https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230612 Thu, 28 Aug 2025 10:24:20 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230612 In reply to Club Urope.

Me too
25 hours without a break
Followed by 21 hours without a break
Followed by 18×7 for months
Welcome to my world ….

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By: Senior practitioner https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230573 Thu, 28 Aug 2025 07:18:12 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230573 Back in the days my supervising partner told me that I can bill even when I’m driving, cooking or exercising, as long as I’m “thinking about” the matter. The use of brainpower forms part of the legal service that should be chargeable.

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By: Chatgptlawyer https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230548 Thu, 28 Aug 2025 02:53:50 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230548 In reply to Adam.

I got charged half an hour for a literal 2 mins zoom call. Most lawyers are blood sucking cowards

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By: Chatgptlawyer https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230547 Thu, 28 Aug 2025 02:50:05 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230547 In reply to Mike.

I got charged half an hour for a literal 2 mins zoom call. Most lawyers are blood sucking cowards

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By: 1PQE https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230525 Thu, 28 Aug 2025 00:44:10 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230525 In reply to Justice Prevails.

Yes and partners review all time entires. You dont think the partner saw 23 hours in a day? At my rate its north of 20 grand…. IW is probabbly 1/3 of that but still the point stands.

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By: 1PQE https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230524 Thu, 28 Aug 2025 00:41:38 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230524 I love all of the clearly uni students acting shocked and saying report this report that to the comments.

Hate to break it to you kid, but this is what happens in large law firms. You may be even more shocked when you get into practice to see that the largest padders usually get (i) the most praise and (ii) the biggest bonuses.

If you want to get into private practice and raise hell – go for it. Yes, it isnt right. However, everyone has always done it. Some to different levels than others. Just note that if they find out you said anything you’ll be fired for some random reason and never work in big law again.

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By: Club Urope https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230479 Wed, 27 Aug 2025 16:01:59 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230479 On a day travelling back from Hong Kong I billed well over 24 hours.

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By: Yikes https://www.legalcheek.com/2025/08/former-irwin-mitchell-associate-billed-23-hours-in-just-one-day/#comment-1230476 Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:37:29 +0000 https://www.legalcheek.com/?p=223581#comment-1230476 In reply to gordon.

The fact it took 3 years to discover the first egregious timesheet raises serious questions about the management at the firm.

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