Lex 100 - Hodge Jones & Allen

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Hodge Jones & Allen

180 North Gower Street, London NW1 2NB

Favoured by 3 users (Register to add this entry to your favourites)

The trainee verdict

The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'Excellent reputation'; 'big criminal department but also a range of other areas to try out as well which is unusual'; 'opportunity to do civil liberties'; 'firm's ethos of righting wrongs and fighting injustice'; 'broad range of seat options, covering private and public-funded clients'; 'it has its own bar'

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'I am given constant feedback on my work'; 'more responsibility'; 'more real legal work'; 'better work/life balance'; 'responsibility for running your own files from day one'; 'hours are reasonable'; 'lots of opportunities to meet existing clients and attend court'

Best thing about the firm? 'Good variety of work'; 'excellent supportive supervision'; 'friendly firm'; 'plenty of social events'; 'nice offices'; 'own bar!'; 'partners are committed to the training and development of the trainees'; 'great opportunities to widen experience even if not chargeable time'

Worst thing about the firm? 'Can be stressful in certain departments'; 'opportunities can vary with supervisor'; 'low level of natural light in the building'; 'air conditioning issues'; 'can be a bit cliquey'; 'little socialising between teams'

Best moment? 'Winning a prison adjudication'; 'attending a murder trial at the Old Bailey'; 'attending a joint settlement meeting and seeing a worthy client receive the compensation that they deserved'; 'working regularly with the elderly at a neighbourhood advice centre'; 'attending the Court of Appeal'; 'getting a warrant of eviction stayed on the day it was due to be executed'

Worst moment? 'Explaining to a client that they have little prospect of success in their case'; 'networking events'; 'being in the office at weekends!'; 'getting the pagination wrong on a trial bundle and having to do it all again'

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

One of the first legal aid firms, Hodge Jones & Allen is well known for its service to disadvantaged members of the community, with human rights work at the top of its agenda. The mainstays of the practice are crime, family, social housing, personal injury, judicial review, civil liberties, wills and probate. Clients say the firm 'offers a more personable and bespoke service than some of the other larger firms'. Fifty per cent of work here is still legal aid-funded.

The star performers

Civil liberties and human rights; Clinical negligence: claimant; Crime; Family; Personal injury: claimant; Social housing.

The deals

Represented 11 defendants who were accused of imitating police officers during London's G20 summit; complex murder cases; representing a senior executive in the SFO's investigation into BAE; acts in inquests into the deaths of soldiers overseas.

The clients

Personal injury claimants; victims of professional negligence.

The Verdict

Trainees are drawn by Hodge Jones & Allen's 'excellent' reputation and the opportunity to work on a broad range of work from civil liberties to crime and family. With an interesting range of seat options (including 'strong personal injury and clinical negligence departments), the firm has a real commitment to 'fighting injustice' through its legal aid work. A Lex 100 Winner for client contact, you will also have considerable responsibility and you might find yourself running your own files from day one. You could also very easily be 'attending a murder trial at the Old Bailey' one day then 'getting a warrant of eviction stayed on the day it was due to be executed' the next. You might experience 'doing advocacy at an emergency hearing at the RCJ' or 'attending a joint settlement meeting'. With this responsibility and adrenaline rush come a few unsurprising negatives such as the occasional 'weekends in the office', but it helps that the work is 'genuinely rewarding'. Current trainees moan about the air-conditioning and 'low level of natural light in the building' and say 'the experience and quality of work can vary depending on the seat'. However, thanks in part to the firm having its own bar, it is a Lex 100 Winner for friendliness ('a very friendly firm with a genuine open-door policy') and social life ('there are also plenty of social events'). A firm with a real 'ethos of righting wrongs', Hodge Jones is an exciting place to train.