The Legal 500

London based Hodge Jones & Allen LLP offers a superior service, specialising in personal injury compensation, medical and professional negligence, criminal defence, family and children issues, and civil liberties and human rights breaches.

The firm: Since it was founded in 1977, Hodge Jones & Allen has earned its unique reputation in the legal profession by representing ordinary people caught up in the most extraordinary events. Today, the firm is led by one of the founding partners, Patrick Allen, and employs 175 people. It remains committed to providing first-class legal help and access to justice to individuals and organisations, either as private clients or with the assistance of public funding. Lawyers have been involved in a series of cutting-edge legal actions which have made headlines and advanced the law. In April 2007, the office moved from under the railway bridge on Camden Road into a brand-new, state of the art office block on North Gower Street, providing employees with a superior workplace. Each year up to ten candidates are selected to enter the firm’s highly-regarded and well structured programme for trainee lawyers and the firm is accredited with the Investor in People and Lexcel standard.

Types of work undertaken: Crime and fraud: From the Broadwater farm and Philip Lawrence murders, to recent litigation arising from Operation Ore, Hodge Jones & Allen has handled many major cases. As a member of the Specialist Fraud Panel, the firm covers all types of white-collar crime, while terrorism experience includes defending alleged Real IRA members accused of bombing the BBC.

Personal injury and clinical negligence: headed by Patrick Allen, a past president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, the team acts only for the victims of injury. Cases range from trips, accidents at work or road traffic accidents to multi-party cases like the New Cross Fire inquest. The firm is approved by Headway, Child Brain Injury Trust and the Spinal Injuries Association as a specialist in handling catastrophic injury cases.

The clinical negligence team has significant expertise in obtaining damages for injured patients for brain injury, birth injury, orthopaedics, anaesthetics, psychiatry, cardiology, ophthalmology, general surgery and fatal claims.

Family law is a speciality. The large and experienced team advises on everything from relationship breakdowns to domestic violence and complex property disputes. Solicitors include members of Resolution, the Law Society’s children and family law panels, and the Lord Chancellor’s Child Abduction Panel.

Human rights: the firm handles the range of claims against the police, inquests, military claims and has won sizable awards for many victims of miscarriages of justice, including the Bridgewater Four and the M25 Three.

Housing: the firm advises on a variety of disputes, mainly for tenants, as well as cases relating to support for those with community care needs.

Wills, trusts and estate management: the firm assists with wills, trusts, probate and wealth management.

Breakdown of work %
Criminal defence 30
Personal injury and clinical negligence 30
Family law 20
Housing and landlord and tenant litigation 15
Wills, trusts and estate management 5

Number of UK partners 26
Number of other UK fee-earners 74