Hudgell Solicitors’ founder and executive chairman Neil Hudgell has been shortlisted for another leading industry award on the back of his ‘run of landmark cases’ over the past 12 months.
Named the Law Society Legal Personality of the Year and the Yorkshire Lawyer of the Year in 2021, Mr Hudgell has now been shortlisted in the Legal Personality of the Year category of the LexisNexis Legal Awards for 2022, the voting link for the nominees can be found here.
He is one of six candidates selected by the New Law Journal editorial team, which used a combination of nominations submitted by the journal’s readership and their own assessment of the key events that have featured in their news coverage over the past 12 months. The award recognises ‘an outstanding contribution in the legal sphere in the past year.’
Also shortlisted at the event are Doughty Street Chambers, in the category of Case of the Year. This relates to the work they have done, instructed by Hudgell Solicitors, representing more than 50 of our clients at the Court of Appeal, where convictions relating to the Post Office Horizon Scandal have been overturned.
First established in 2013, the LexisNexis Legal Awards recognise and celebrate excellence and innovation across the legal sector, attracting an increasing number of high calibre entrants each year.
Summarising the reasoning behind his shortlisting, organisers said: “Neil grew up on a council estate in Hull, was a first-generation university graduate and is a champion of a socially inclusive law industry.
“He has had a run of landmark cases over the past 12 months, including clearing the names of a substantial number of former sub postmasters who were victims of the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK legal history, the Post Office Horizon Scandal.
“Neil was also part of the legal team who successfully made the request for exercise of the Royal Prerogative under which Steven Gallant was able to apply for early release from prison. Mr Gallant tackled a terrorist on London Bridge in 2019, while on his first day out on licence.
“The families of the victims of serial killer Stephen Port were also represented by Neil at the inquest into their deaths. The jury’s conclusions were damning of the Metropolitan police and Neil described it as “one of the most widespread institutional failings in modern history.”
Rachel Di Clemente, chief executive of Hudgell Solicitors, said “We are delighted that Neil is once again being recognised for his achievements over the past 12 months. He is at all times determined that we as a firm collectively make a difference in cases which have wide-reaching significance and impact.
“Neil is that first to recognise that his achievements are made possible because he is supported by fantastic legal teams – both internally and externally given our work with various sets of Chambers – when working on cases of such significance and profile.
“That has been no better reflected than how Neil and our team have worked alongside Tim Moloney QC and Kate O’Raghallaigh of Doughty Street Chambers on the Post Office Horizon cases, and we are of course delighted to see them deservingly shortlisted in the Case of the Year category.”
The award winners will be announced at JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London on March 30. The award for Legal Personality of the Year will be decided by voters from across the legal profession.