I’m passionate about ensuring our teams have the best insights and knowledge to deliver the highest service to our clients, partners and other stakeholders.
I’m also a firm believer in creating a culture which enables my colleagues to be the best they can be, where development is a central focus.
Get to Know John
John is part of Hudgell Solicitors’ Executive Management team with responsibility for the delivery of legal services from a strategic and technical level as Legal Services Director. This role involves a key focus on technical and regulatory best practices and procedures. Horizon scanning, knowledge sharing and ensuring our legal teams have the best possible insights are a key focus of John’s role.
John is a member of the firm’s risk and funding committees, and the client quality forum and works closely with Head of Risk and Compliance Lauren Dale to ensure the qualitative delivery of legal services.
The IT development team at Hudgells is also overseen by John from a management and strategic level.
The firm’s work experience, early careers, pro bono policies and strategies are also overseen by John.
John takes pride in being the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) registered Training Principal for the firm overseeing the training and development of the firm’s trainee solicitors and apprentices.
John has worked in the legal industry since 2009 in a variety of roles. As a solicitor, John has particular experience in personal injury, serious injury and general civil litigation including group actions and has also worked in corporate services, compliance and regulatory teams.
John initially joined Hudgells in 2020 in a newly created role aimed at ensuring the firm remains ‘ahead of the game’ in an ever-changing legal landscape. Outside of Hudgells, John also occupies a number of other roles in the legal industry:
He was appointed by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice to the Civil Justice Council as a solicitor member in January 2024 for a term of three years. John is currently a member of the Solicitors Act 1974 working group to review and provide recommendations for this important area of practice. John is also a Senior Advisor to the Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO) to which Hudgell Solicitors are a member firm.
Until John reached his maximum term in September 2024, he was also Vice Chair of the Law Society’s national Dispute Resolution Section Committee, helping to promote best practices and procedures for the estimated 25,000 solicitors working in civil litigation and dispute resolution.
John uses the above roles to share his passion for improving the civil justice arena, promoting access to justice and obtaining and sharing knowledge.
Career Highlights
Joining the Hudgell Solicitors executive management team in 2024 was a very proud moment for me. Being appointed by the Lord Chancellor to the Civil Justice Council in January 2024 has also been a significant career highlight.
Recognition
- Solicitor Member of the Civil Justice Council (CJC) – appointed by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice as a public appointment in January 2024
- Senior Advisor to The Association of Consumer Support Organisations
- Former Vice-Chair of the Law Society’s Dispute Resolution Section Committee 2019-2024
- Member of the Law Society’s Remote Hearings Working Group
- Winner – ‘Mentor of the Year Award’ – Hull and East Yorkshire People in Business Awards (PIBA) 2023
