Civil Liberties & Human Rights Solicitors, Compensation Claims

Civil Liberties & Human Rights Solicitors

If your rights have been infringed or you have suffered injustice at the hands of the State you don’t have to suffer in silence. For over 39 years, we have been at the vanguard of challenging unlawful actions by the State.

Chambers UK Leading Firm 2017 Hodge Jones & Allen is ranked in Chambers & Partners 2017 for Civil Liberties and Human Rights law in the UK. Our lawyers have an exceptional track record of holding authorities to account, including police forces, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the Prison Service, Coroners, the Ministry of Defence, the Crown Prosecution Service, immigration detention centres and healthcare providers.

Download our Civil Liberties leaflet.

How can we help?

Our mission is to seek accountability from the state and redress for those whose rights have been infringed. We passionately believe in helping clients from all walks of life, irrespective of their resources. Here are the types of cases we can help you with:

Pursuing civil actions against the police or other detaining authorities including immigration detention
Police complaints
Pursuing Judicial Reviews of decisions taken by public bodies
Bringing challenges under the Human Rights Act
Equality and Discrimination claims
Challenging failures to investigate crimes
Holding authorities to account following deaths or injury in detention
Human Rights in Healthcare claims

Recent case

Clair Hilder and a client who was strip searched spoke of her ordeal in an interview on the BBC Victoria Derbyshire show.

This video was posted with kind permission from the BBC.

Find out more about how we can help by visiting the other Civil Liberties pages in this section.

Our Civil Liberties Solicitors are backed by nearly four decades of experience. Our legal practice and team of London Solicitors have a strong track record of achieving favourable client outcomes. For expert legal advice use our contact form or call us on 0808 250 6017 today.

Top Ranked Civil Liberties Team

Our Civil Liberties team is ranked as one of the top 10 firms in the UK for this area of law in Chambers UK 2016 and the Legal 500 2015.

Susie Labinjoh co-heads the firm’s civil liberties team. She is regarded by market sources as “very well prepared, has a good manner with clients and is very experienced,” She specialises in civil actions against the police and public authorities and related human rights claims; including related public law challenges and professional negligence claims. Chambers UK 2016

Jocelyn Cockburn co-heads the firm’s civil liberties team. She is described as a “renowned leader and an expert in the fields of Civil Liberties and Actions Against the Police.” Legal 500 2015

Sasha Barton represents clients in claims for miscarriages of justice, such as failure to investigate and protect. Commentators say: “Her legal analysis is great, she is very bright and always well prepared.” Chambers UK 2016

Award Winning Team

Our Civil Liberties solicitors have been recognised for their pioneering work on some of the most sensitive and high-profile cases over many years.

We launched the judicial review that helped secure the reopening of an investigation into Stephen Lawrence’s death, and which helped bring about the conviction of two men for his murder.

We won a landmark case in June 2013 at the Supreme Court on behalf of families killed in Iraq in poorly armoured Snatch Land Rovers. The ruling established that the Ministry of Defence has a duty to protect the human rights of soldiers, even when they are on the battlefield.

We are renowned for our work on miscarriage of justice compensation claims, our team has unrivalled expertise in this highly specialised field. We are currently challenging the restrictive eligibility criteria for entry to the statutory scheme for compensation for miscarriage of justice in the Court of Appeal.

Our lawyers have represented clients in all of the major protests in recent years, including the G20, Critical Mass, TUC day of action, UK UnCut, anti – Dsei and Dale Farm protests.

All of our lawyers are passionate about their work and have a reputation for fighting tenaciously for their clients no matter what obstacles they face. Several of our solicitors have achieved notable recognition for their outstanding work:

Jocelyn Cockburn:

Winner of Partner of the Year 2012 (The Lawyer Awards)
Highly Commended for Legal Personality of the Year 2013 (Law Society Excellence Awards)
Hot 100 Lawyers 2013 (The Lawyer)
Jocelyn is a well-known and respected media commentator.

Natalie Sedacca:

Shortlisted for Legal Aid Newcomer Award 2013 (Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards)

Sasha Barton:

Young Legal Aid Solicitor of the Year 2012 (Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year)

What's the process?
Whatever your needs, our team of highly experienced Civil Liberties lawyers can provide you with the help and advice you need. The steps to take to get the advice you may need:
1. Contact one of our experienced team, either by telephone or email.
2. We will arrange a time to meet to discuss your needs and particular situation in greater detail.
We’ll ensure that the solicitor you deal with is the right match for your specific situation, helping you find the best possible resolution during a stressful and often sensitive time.
FREE
0800 437 0322 9am to 6pm – Mon to Fri
Submit enquiry
Meet the team
FAQs
My son was arrested and says that he was mistreated by the policemen who took him into custody. Can I make a complaint and claim compensation?
Although your son may feel he was mistreated this doesn’t necessarily mean he will be able to claim compensation. If your son is over 18 then he will need to make a complaint himself, but this should be relatively straightforward with the support of a specialist police complaints solicitor.
So if he makes a formal complaint, who decides whether the policemen should be prosecuted?
The decision rests with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who will be given a copy of the investigation report and other evidence.
How much compensation will he be able to claim?
If he has a strong case, then he will be entitled to claim damages. The amount of damages varies depending on the severity of the complaint.
Is there a time limit for making a complaint and claiming damages?
Yes, and you need to act quickly since the time limits are strictly enforced. If you are making a claim under the Human Rights Act then you need to issue your claim within a year of the incident. If your claim relates to negligence, then the time limit is three years. For other claims, the time limit is normally six years.
I lost my job as a result of being arrested. How can I afford to fund my claim?
Funding a legal action through the courts yourself can cost a lot of money. You may be eligible for public funding (‘Legal Aid’) for your case against the police if you meet the Legal Services Commission’s financial criteria. Alternatively, if we think you have a strong case, we may be able to agree a no win no fee agreement with you.
A close family member died in police custody. Before being arrested he was perfectly health and I’m sure it must have been cause by the way he was treated. What should I do?
We can help you deal with the initial investigations and inquest before the Coroner’s Court. We can also help you request the relevant information, such as witness statements, to enable a thorough investigation to be carried out.

Testimonials

We just wanted to say a big ‘thank you’. Although it is probably a blessed relief to see the back of us, we will miss you. You have given Barney an amazing opportunity for a fresh start in this life. We cannot thank you enough for this. But also we thank you for your support over the years, going the extra mile to help our son in his distress.

I found all of the staff I encountered to be friendly, helpful and professional. I felt very well looked after on a personal level throughout the cases progress. I felt I could trust the team to be fighting for my case to get the best outcome and that their ethics were good, both professional, and with values in line with my own.

Thank you for updating me about the recent offer, hats off to you, it’s all your hard work and determination, we’ll always remember what you have done for us, you have made life very easy for a very distraught old mother, you have done an amazing job and may god bless you with everything you ever wish for, thank you are our guardian angel.