Monday interview: Instinct led to two decades at the helm for Neil Hudgell

Neil Hudgell started up his  law practice in September 1997 and 20 years on says it’s important to never be afraid of change.

Hudgell, who is also the chairman of Hull KR, was given the opportunity to take over three offices at the firm where he was employed, after it ran into difficult times. He made his decision on instinct, an approach which he feels has served him well over the past two decades.

The firm, Hudgells Solicitors, went from a local company operating in all areas of law but now specialises in personal injury and medical negligence, representing thousands of clients across the UK. In the past 18 months it has moved into three new freehold offices in Hull, Leeds and London, seen rapid growth in handling civil liberties and police misconduct cases, and forged its way to becoming one of the top 150 law firms in the UK with a turnover of more than £12m.

The recipe for success, according to Hudgell, is never being afraid to take an opportunity, and never being afraid of change. Hudgell said: “You can never stand still in this line of business, you have to be flexible and able to adapt to changes in the industry and respond to new opportunities.

“It is why we took a step back this year as a business and looked at how we were working, where we needed to be heading, and devised a new strategy. We weren’t content to just keep going as we were, despite our success.”

Hudgell insists the main priority remains the same, no matter how the firm changes over the years. “From day one I was of the mindset that my firm was going to be client led. In my opinion, lawyers and solicitors all too often are not focused on the customer service of their work and simply the legal side of things, but at the end of the day, that is what we provide,” said Hudgell.

Most recently the company secured a second successive shortlisting at the national Rehabilitation First Awards.
The firm has also continually campaigned for improved standards of health care, particularly in care homes, where it has called for greater compassion and dignity for the elderly.

The company has also grown its case load across civil liberties, human rights and police misconduct work over the past 18 months. Hudgell said: “We’ve seen rapid growth in that area of work and we have secured a number of cases of national significance, so that has been a fine example of us not being prepared to standstill and spotting a business opportunity.”

“There have been many challenges for us over the years, but I’d say the industry is more challenging now than in any of the 20 years previous with all the changes and restrictions coming in. Stand still and you’ll go backwards. That is my strongest message. We must keep moving forward.”