National firm Irwin Mitchell has announced the departure of some partners following a review of the ‘future needs of the business’.

The firm confirmed today that a ‘very small’ number of partners will be leaving. The firm declined to say exactly how many partners had been axed, or in what offices they worked, but figures of 10 to 12 have been reported. The firm has more than 300 partners nationwide.

A spokesperson said: ‘Following a review of the future needs of our business a very small number of partners from across our offices will be leaving Irwin Mitchell. Whilst these decisions are always difficult, it is an important part of our plan for continued profitable growth. We can’t comment further while discussions are ongoing.'

In its most recently published accounts, for the 2017/18 year, the firm reported profit before tax of £12.1m, down from £12.3m the previous year. It put this down to a number of ‘one-off costs which were designed to improve the business in the future’.

The firm declined to comment further but denied reports that all of the affected partners joined from Thomas Eggar, the firm Irwin Mitchell acquired in 2016.