Founding Partner and Senior Partner 1977 – 2025
About Patrick Allen
Patrick Allen planned the creation of Hodge Jones & Allen with Peter Jones and Henry Hodge in 1976 when he was an articled clerk. The firm commenced work as Hodge & Jones on 5th September 1977 and was renamed Hodge Jones & Allen on 1st December 1977 when Patrick was admitted as a solicitor. He was the firm’s managing partner and became senior partner following Henry’s retirement in 1998 until Patrick’s retirement in September 2025.
The ethos of the firm, from its foundation to this day, is to help individuals assert and defend their rights and correct miscarriages of justice. Many of the first cases were funded by the legal aid scheme, and legal aid continues to support a proportion of the firm’s work in criminal defence, civil liberties, and housing cases. HJA now has 280 staff members and operates from modern premises located close to Euston Station.
For many years, Patrick specialised in complex personal injury and multi-party cases. He played a lead role in the King’s Cross Fire and Marchioness Litigation on behalf of claimants. He was the leader of the HJA team that managed the Gulf War illness claims for UK veterans and the New Cross Fire inquest. He managed the Sheep Dip and Kerrin Point multi-party actions and acted in many claims for compensation for miscarriage of justice cases against the Home Office. He later assisted clients in obtaining compensation from the Irish government for ill treatment in industrial schools and assisted claimants in the Magdalene Laundries scheme.
Patrick served on the Executive Committee of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) from 1993 to 2006, was President of APIL 2003-2004 and APIL Law Society Council Member 2002-2006 and until 2025 a member of the Forum of Complex Injury Solicitors (FOCIS).
Patrick sat as a Deputy District Judge from 1998 to 2014. He has acted as a Deputy for many brain-injured clients.
Patrick has written and lectured on personal injury law, costs and management. He is a New Law Journal columnist.
In June 2017, Patrick was awarded the Solicitors Journal 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Patrick was recognised in the Legal 500 and recommended as a ‘Senior Statesman’ in Chambers UK, A Client’s Guide to the Legal Profession.
In 2018, Patrick founded the Progressive Economy Forum. The Forum brings together a Council of 20 eminent economists and academics to develop a new macroeconomic programme for the UK. It publishes research and policy proposals, runs a wide variety of events, and manages a blog featuring authoritative analysis from progressive economists and academics. Patrick is the Chair of the Council.
Patrick retired as senior partner and from all active roles in Hodge Jones & Allen on 30th September 2025. He remains a partner in an advisory capacity.
"Patrick is a very established personal injury solicitor." - Chambers UK, 2024
"Patrick Allen is one of the most experienced claimant lawyers practicing in personal injury. He has an interest in justice and also a deep interest in law and law reform, he inspires confidence and has a good rapport with clients." - Legal 500, 2023
"Experienced and knowledgeable." "Reputable in the field. He looks for angles others might not see." Chambers UK, 2022
Notable Cases
- Instructed by families committee in the second New Cross Fire Inquest, February 2004
- Gulf War Illness and Kerrin Point group claims 1998 – 2004
- Member of Steering Committee in the Kings Cross Fire and Marchioness litigation
- Sheep Dip litigation 1998 – 2000
- Hatfield train crash – compensation for a senior member of the train catering staff
- Head of generic team MMR litigation 1998 – 1999
- Magdalene Laundries 2003 to 2005 – acted for a number of the women that were incarcerated as slave labour workers in the so called Magdalene laundries who have now been awarded compensation by the Irish government
- Irish Industrial School claims – assisted with all aspects of these claims, acting for over 520 clients in the Irish Redress scheme 2002 – 2008 Multi-party claims
- Miscarriage of justice claims to the Home Office including acting for the Bridgewater Four
Memberships & Appointments
- 2018 Founder and Chair of the Progressive Economy Forum a council of economists and academics
- Senior Fellow APIL
- Forum of Claimant Injury Solicitors (FoCIS)
- Deputy District Judge 1998-2014
- Society of Labour Lawyers
Past appointments
- Law Society Civil Justice Committee 2002 – 2006, 2008 – 2017
- President of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) 2003 – 2004
- Member of the Law Society Council 2002 – 2006
Career & Personal Interests
Career
- Senior & Managing Partner, Hodge Jones & Allen
- Senior Partner, Hodge Jones & Allen – 1998 to date
- Managing Partner, Hodge Jones & Allen – 1977 to date
- Co-Founder Hodge Jones & Allen – 1977
- Chair of Hodge Jones & Allen Trustees Ltd
Education
- St. Catherine’s College Oxford 1969 – 1972 BA (Hons)
- College of Law – Law Society Finals 1977
- Articles – Offenbach & Co 1974 – 1976
Personal Interests
Playing the piano, windsurfing, growing vegetables, Arsenal FC.
“I am a fan of nearly every kind of music, from classical to opera, jazz and rock. My passion at university was the Grateful Dead. Now it is mainly Mozart, Chopin and Bill Evans. I started learning the piano from scratch about 15 years ago. Tackling some Bach or Debussy is a great way to take your mind off legal work.
“We have acquired a Yamaha grand piano for use at the concerts and this is now available for weekly piano lessons for HJA staff provided by the amazing Stefania Passamonte, a brilliant teacher and concert pianist.”