National firm Irwin Mitchell has agreed a deal to take on the files of Manchester personal injury firm Donns which went into administration today. Some 50 staff members are thought to have been made redundant.

Irwin Mitchell confirmed this afternoon that an arrangement had been made with PwC as administrators for the transfer of personal injury files - believed to be several hundred - subject to clients’ consent.

Andrew Tucker, chief executive of Irwin Mitchell’s personal legal services, said: ‘We appreciate this will be worrying for many of the people affected and we are therefore writing to each client to advise them of the situation and to offer them the choice of appointing Irwin Mitchell, as a respected personal injury law firm, to act for them or to appoint another solicitor of their choosing.’

The firm has assured any clients who do not wish to appoint Irwin Mitchell that it will hold the files for their case, and any monies paid, safely until it has been informed of their wishes.

Donns, based in Manchester city centre, was established in 1969 and operated on a no win, no fee basis.

The firm’s website described it as ‘recognised as one of the leading specialist law firms in the UK, at the forefront of financial mis-selling and personal injury litigation dealing with claims both in the UK and abroad.'