Spotlight: Irwin Mitchell
Irwin Mitchell is one of the UK’s largest full service law firms. Having been founded in Sheffield over a century ago in 1912, the firm today has over 1,000 lawyers in 24 locations across the UK and a reach across the globe.
This week, we were delighted to get know London partner Debbie Serota a little better, head of the firm’s Israel Desk.
After a challenging 18 months in Israel, which sectors have seen resilience and what transactions are you seeing taking place? Which areas of work regarding Israel would you like to highlight for your firm’s Israel Desk?
We have continued to work with our Israeli clients consistently throughout the last 18 months. The tech sector is still strong and we are still seeing incredible innovation from Israel. We have recently completed an M&A transaction – an Israeli fin tech company purchasing a UK competitor adding to the strength of the Israeli company.
We have also seen the expansion of Israeli companies into the UK (particularly in tech). we have also undertaken litigation where Israeli companies are becoming more conscious of collecting outstanding debts.
What challenges do you anticipate facing the Israeli legal and business sectors, and how do you plan to address them to maintain your competitive edge?
Until recently we have been unable to travel to Israel however we have our first trip booked in a couple of weeks and we are really excited to see our contacts and clients again.
One challenge is investment into Israeli VCs and startups and scale ups. We have hosted and attended events. It’s important that the message is clear that Israeli innovation is still at the forefront of the country and there are still exciting investment opportunities.
As someone leading the firm’s Israel-related work on the ground, what has been your most rewarding experience so far, and what personal goals do you have for the future development of your Israel practice?
The most exciting is working with early stage companies from early funding rounds and helping them grow and develop. We want to continue to grow our Israeli practice.
We are assisting UK clients from a business and a personal perspective (if they are intending to move to Israel) and continue to strengthen our existing relationships and make strong new bonds in Israel with both introducers and clients.
In your own experience, what is the best advice you would give to someone working with Israeli law firms or clients?
Be prepared to think on your feet and work at lightning speed.
How do you switch off outside of the law?
Walking my dog.
You can reach Debbie here.
