Hodge Jones & Allen

Hodge Jones & Allen
Headquarters London, NW1
United Kingdom
Offices London, United Kingdom
No. of attorneys Over 200
Major practice areas Criminal Defence
Civil liberties
Human Rights
Housing
Key people Vidisha Joshi, Nigel Richardson
Date founded 1977
Founder Henry Hodge, Peter Jones and Patrick Allen
Company type Limited Liability Partnership
Website www.hja.net

Hodge Jones & Allen is a London solicitors founded in September 1977 by Henry Hodge, Peter Jones, and Patrick Allen, initially specialising in legal aid work and favouring radical causes.[1]

In 2017, Patrick Allen stood down as head of the firm after 39 years and handed the managing position to Vidisha Joshi.[2] Vidisha Joshi at 38 became one of the youngest lawyer in the country to run a major legal firm. The firm has a strong reputation in a wide range of cases including human rights, family law, clinical negligence, social housing, civil liberties, dispute resolution, criminal defence, employment law, military claims, court of protection, personal injury cases and wills & probate.[3]

History

Mr Allen had been discussing the possibility of setting up a legal aid firm to offer services to people in dire need with fellow trainee Peter Jones. Working for Mayfair lawyers Offenbach, the pair were keen to finish their articles and take on radical law work, but they needed a third partner. In stepped Henry and the plan was sealed over a few pints of ale in Covent Garden's Freemasons Arms pub. They identified areas in which they could use their legal training in the pursuit of social justice, and Hodge, Jones and Allen's work in criminal, family and housing law begun

Camden New Journal, 2009[4]

In 1977, Patrick Allen was discussing the possibility of setting up a legal aid firm to offer services to people in dire need with fellow trainee Peter Jones. Working for Mayfair lawyers Offenbach, the pair were keen to finish their articles and take on radical law work, but they needed a third partner. In stepped Henry Hodge and the plan was sealed over a few pints of ale in Covent Garden's Freemasons Arms pub. Together they identified areas in which they could use their legal training in the pursuit of social justice. In the early days the firm, which is now one of the leaders of its type in London, got a loan of £2,500 from the Midland bank, which Mr Allen’s parents had to guarantee. Patrick Allen and Henry made a deal – if they were still in business after 12 months, they would treat themselves to a pair of season tickets at Highbury. They still hold them today.

The firm first had offices on Camden High Street, chosen because they were in an area of social deprivation and not far from the law courts.[4] Initially, the firm specialised in criminal defence, family law, private client work and general litigation which was mostly funded by legal aid.

In November 1997, Hodge Jones & Allen LLP moved to offices double the size in Twyman House, Camden Road, with 75 employees. The offices were opened by Cherie Booth, who worked for the firm early in her career.[5][6] The first website was launched shortly after the move.[7]

Throughout the years, the firm has been constantly recognised by independent experts, legal directories and others for its leading solicitors and trail-blazing approach. In 2017, Vidisha Joshi was nominated to take over as Managing Partner from Patrick Allen. Patrick Allen is still a Senior Partner.

The firm now employs over 230 people at its offices on North Gower Street, Camden. The firm now has 47 partners.[8]

Departments

Hodge Jones & Allen LLP offers a variety of superior personal law services. Their experienced top tier teams of solicitors specialise in a variety of sectors.

Criminal Defence: The team are recognised as outstanding criminal solicitors, who are ranked in the top tier by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. Moreover, the department and individual solicitors are consistently nominated and recognised for awards.

Serious Fraud:  The top white-collar crime team handles multimillion pound ponzi fraud and bribery cases. Public order work includes high profile London protests and riots e.g. Fortnum 145 and G20 protest.

Personal Injury: The award winning team represents the victims of injury. Some of the cases we deal with include inquests, catastrophic brain and spinal injuries, accidents at work and road traffic accidents. They also deal with multi-party cases such as defective hip prosthesis and Pandemrix (swine flu vaccine) claims and historically the Marchioness, Kings Cross Fire, and New Cross Fire inquests, Irish child abuse claims. The firm works closely with organisations and charities such as Headway, Spinal Injuries Association and Child Brain Injury Trust.

Industrial Disease: A highly specialist team handling all types of industrial diseases and illnesses, including mesothelioma, asbestos related lung cancer and dermatitis claims.

Clinical Negligence: A highly specialist and experienced team who deals with complex matters involving birth, brain and spinal injury and other medical negligence cases. The team consists of professionals such as doctors and nurses who have the benefit of extensive medical knowledge.

Family Law: The firm advises on all family law matters including divorce, civil partnership, matters involving children, international surrogacy and financial arrangements. The solicitors include members of Resolution and the Law Society’s children and family law panels.

Civil Liberties & Human Rights: The highly ranked team of solicitors represents families of soldiers seeking human rights in combat and has won sizable awards for many victims of injustice, including the Bridgewater Four and the M25 Three. The team has acted in a number of high profile cases, including representation of Neville Lawrence (father of Stephen Lawrence) and the family of Fiona Pilkington.

Housing: The independently recognised as leading housing solicitors who act in a wide range of landlord and tenant contentious matters such as possession claims, disrepair claims, and breach of covenant disputes. Although the team represents mainly tenants, it also acts for private and social landlords. The team also conducts public law challenges to decisions regarding homelessness and other housing issues.

Private Client: The team provides a full-service including wills, probate intestacy and estate administration, tax advice, lasting powers of attorney and court of protection work. They also have a special expertise in dealing with complex intestate estates with accredited STEP members.

Employment: The highly skilled employment solicitors advises employees and employers on the full range of employment law issues, from high-value discrimination cases to handling redundancies and director disputes. They are highly ranked on legal 500 due to their work and successes.

Deputy Department: The team provides a full Deputyship Service for clients with serious injuries to manage their award after settlement of their claim.

Dispute Resolution: The leading London dispute resolution solicitors provide a full service which includes professional negligence, contentious probate, property disputes, debt recovery, contract disputes and breach of fiduciary duty.

Notable cases

Sexual offences

Disasters

Health

I feel sad because it’s been a long struggle. And I feel sad that some can’t trust the answer that we’ve come up with. But it hasn’t been a close decision insofar as it’s been finely balanced. The fact is that we haven’t got the causation or the negligence.

—Patrick Allen on the collapse of the firm's Gulf War Syndrome litigation in 2004[10]

  • Healthcare workers, children and people in ‘at risk groups’ who alleged they had narcolepsy due to the 2009-10 pandemic H1N1 swine flu vaccine ‘Pandemrix’
  • Families of girls alleged to have been harmed by Cervarix, the cervical cancer vaccine.[11]
  • Gulf War veterans who claimed that they suffered from Gulf War Syndrome. The case collapsed in 2004.[12]

Military

  • The family of Scottish soldier Private Jason Smith, who died of heatstroke in Iraq in August 2003.[13]
  • The family of Private Phillip Hewett, who died in Iraq in July 2005 when the Snatch Land Rover he was travelling in was hit by a roadside bomb.[14][15]

Civil liberties & Human Rights

Family law

  • Philippa Vaughan, who successfully claimed a divorce settlement twenty-five years after her divorce.[20]

Housing law

  • Jayesh Kunwardia, head of the Housing team was successful in a Supreme Court challenge against the decision of Westminster City Council to accommodate a homeless family far from their home borough.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sir Henry Hodge". The Telegraph. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "Vidisha Joshi". HJA London Lawyers. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
  3. 1 2 3 Pugh, Andrew (21 June 2010). "Hodge Jones & Allen". The Lawyer. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  4. 1 2 Carrier, Dan (25 June 2009). "Sir Henry used legal expertise to fight for needy". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  5. ↑ "Legal aid lawyers becoming disillusioned, claims Booth". The Lawyer. 25 November 1997. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  6. ↑ The New law journal. 147. Butterworth. 1997. p. 1318. Hodge Jones & Allen's new premises in Twymen House, Camden Road, London, were officially opened by Cherie Booth QC at a reception held on November 17.
  7. ↑ "Hodge Jones' move takes it into the 21st century". The Lawyer. 9 February 1997. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  8. ↑ "Crime duo promoted to partnership at HJA". HJA London Lawyers. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
  9. ↑ Hodgson, Nichi (6 January 2012). "Michael Peacock's acquittal is a victory for sexual freedom". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  10. ↑ Robins, Jon (23 February 2004). "The blame drain". The Lawyer. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  11. ↑ Foggo, Daniel; Rosie Millard (4 October 2009). "What has cervical cancer drug done to our girls?". The Times. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  12. ↑ Dyer, Clare (5 February 2004). "Gulf war syndrome: the legal case collapses". Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  13. ↑ Peev, Gerri (3 May 2007). "Family hit out after soldier's heatstroke death blamed on 'obesity'". The Scotsman. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  14. ↑ Gibb, Frances (11 July 2009). "Soldier's mother wins court fight over Snatch Land Rovers". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  15. ↑ Rayner, Jonathan (11 March 2010). "Jocelyn Cockburn acts for families of soldiers killed in Iraq". Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  16. ↑ Dyer, Clare (29 January 2007). "Freed Bridgewater pair fight deduction of jail 'lodging costs'". Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  17. ↑ Rayner, Jonathan (7 April 2011). "Human rights partner acts for London Fortnum & Mason protestors". Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  18. ↑ Hughes, Mark; Andy Bloxham (18 May 2011). "Stephen Lawrence: two charged over murder". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  19. ↑ Curtis, Polly (22 August 2011). "Riots: Metropolitan police planned to hold all suspects in custody". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  20. ↑ Baksi, Catherine (9 April 2010). "Toby Hales and the divorce settlement 25 years after marriage split". Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  21. ↑ https://www.supremecourt.uk/decided-cases/docs/UKSC_2014_0275_Judgment.pdf
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