Irwin Mitchell employment lawyer Andy Boyde considers what AI and regulatory change mean for aspiring solicitors

“I think it was always the law that came first,” Andy Boyde, now a Legal Director at Irwin Mitchell, tells me, reflecting on an early career that unusually ran in tandem with high-level rugby. A University of Leeds law graduate, he even represented England at under-19 level while studying. Rugby was “an underlying passion alongside the legal career,” but ultimately law won out. In his late twenties, he made the call to step away from professional rugby and focus fully on his legal career. It seems that sacrifice has paid off. Balancing intense training sessions with law lectures and even a part-time Legal Practice Course required discipline. “Time management is a real skill and for any aspiring solicitor you’re going to always have to balance competing demands,” he says. “If you’ve got these small windows, you’ve just got to crack on and make best use of that time.”

After qualifying, Boyde gained a broad foundation in law at a regional firm before moving to a boutique practice. In January this year he joined national firm Irwin Mitchell as a legal director in the employment team. The decision to make the jump was driven by “the pathway for progression with a big firm” and, crucially, “the opportunity to keep that balance of acting for individuals and acting for employers.” He explains that at some large firms you “lose that acting for individuals work”...

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