Located in the heart of Northern Ireland’s legal district, McCartan Turkington Breen Solicitors have been providing a full range of legal services to individuals and businesses since 1977. In January 2021, Colin Mitchell assumed the position of Senior Partner having joined the firm in 1997. Colin spoke to Modern Insurance about lessons learned from the pandemic and how he will be applying them to his leadership style as he outlined what he hopes to achieve in his new role. 

Q. You became Senior Partner at McCartan Turkington Breen in January of this year; how will you be using your position to continue the high standards of professionalism and client services for which MTB have been renowned? 

A. I am privileged to be taking on the role of Senior Partner. Viv Harty has played an enormous part in the success of McCartan Turkington Breen, and led the firm with great gusto and a steady hand. I will be using my position to build on the legacy left by Viv, while creating an atmosphere of collaboration and further emphasising our firm’s values. 

 Our firm’s ethos has always been the provision of expert legal advice, tailored to address the individual needs of our clients in a timely and personable manner. By promoting our values of decisiveness, proactivity, efficiency, and personability, I hope to further emphasise, not only our dedication to our clients and people, but our reputation as a leading law firm. 

Q. What lessons have you learned from the pandemic and how have they influenced your leadership style when taking on the role of Senior Partner? 

A. I’ve learnt that you have to be more flexible and responsive, and that you have to listen, trust, and engage with your team. 

 A change in mindset has been the result for many during the pandemic. For example, previously we might have been quite dogmatic about working from home. We have had to adapt, for example remote court hearings are now the norm. It is mainly through feedback from the team at McCartan Turkington Breen, that I am learning about how the firm can adopt best working practices to make the most out of remote court hearings. Only by listening to our people and instilling trust in their decisions, can MTB continue to evolve and offer a comprehensive range of legal services to individuals and businesses. 

Only by listening to our people and instilling trust in their decisions, can MTB continue to evolve and offer a comprehensive range of legal services to individuals and businesses 

Q. MTB are committed to its people; how will you be continuing to evolve the business both to empower its people while engaging and supporting individuals and businesses in the community? 

A. As lockdown restrictions begin to relax, it will be important for us to continue with flexible working while re-engaging with both our people and the wider community on a more personal level. We need to re-energise those connections within the office, while re-engaging with our business network to enhance our development of the overall business. 

Q. What marks MTB out as one of the leading practices in Northern Ireland?

A. Our team is what helps us stand out as a leading practice. The expertise offered by the firm’s solicitors has been recognised by the prestigious Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 worldwide guides to the legal profession. Our solicitors’ expertise is but one of the reasons many of the firm’s clients have found us to be a trusted partner for many years. 

Q. What should we expect from MTB in the next 12 months?

A. We have a lot of exciting projects this year at MTB and I am looking forward to them coming to fruition. Many of our partners have put themselves forward for both challenging and rewarding work, and I am rooting for them all to take on those challenges and showcase their own leadership skills.

My aim for this year is to tell the story of McCartan Turkington Breen and to continue on that high regard that the team is known for, not only in Northern Ireland but in the wider business community. We have a good story to tell, and we should be confident in our telling of it. 

Colin Mitchell is Senior Partner at MTB Solicitors.