Hodge Jones & Allen

Personal Injury

Ken Brough is a Partner in the Personal Injury department at Hodge Jones & Allen. He has vast experience of dealing with all manner of injury claims over the last 26 years although he has specialised in the last few years in catastrophic and serious injury claims involving brain injuries or multiple trauma as well as those involving fatalities.

Ken combines a rigorous and analytical approach to cases with an empathetic and personable approach with clients, colleagues and opponents. He is calm and unflappable in the face of difficulties in litigation and is mentally very quick, having the ability to see the key issues in a case swiftly. He is very much a ‘safe pair of hands’ for even the most complex litigation.

Ken has a confident and down-to-earth manner with clients and is known for being able to put clients at their ease. He combines a friendly exterior with a steeliness where necessary, particularly when dealing with difficult opponents.

Over the past few years he has settled numerous high value (£1m+) claims involving severe brain injury or polytrauma, often in cases involving disputed liability as well as quantum disputes. He has been instructed in several difficult fatal cases involving complex issues relating to the costs of replacement care for minors.

Current or Recent Notable Cases

Case 1 56 year old male injured when a driver accidentally reversed and crushed him against a shop window. He suffered a left below knee amputation and severe fracture and vascular injury to the right leg. Liability admitted in full. A very good recovery has been made in the left leg thanks to a friendly and co-operative relationship with the insurer from day one, but the right leg continues to show non-union despite surgery in March 2022. Value likely to be around £3-4m

Case 2 20 year old woman working on demolition site struck by digger, suffered severe TBI. Liability not formally conceded and proceedings issued recently. Extremely complicated expert evidence as C exhibits the frontal lobe paradox – to clinicians and experts she appears to have capacity and insight but in real life situations she cannot cope and needs daily assistance with finances and decision-making, activities etc. Has had £400,000 in direct interim payments so far to enable MDT and support, as the Defendant declined to instruct under the Rehab Code. First independent living trial did not succeed (largely due to lack of engagement) and we are now seeking a further substantial payment to try with different agency. An application to the Court may be required. The case is pleaded at £15m.

Case 3 Acting for widower of a woman killed in a head-on collision with a stolen vehicle which was in a pursuit with police. The driver of the stolen vehicle cannot as yet be identified and the case has involved significant pressing of the Coroner to introduce evidence from the police on scene to enable the jury to reach a finding as to who was driving. The loss of services claim is large but complicated by the fact that the surviving Daughter has since been diagnosed with autism and the Claimant’s case is that the Deceased would have been more than capable of dealing with all of her additional care needs.

Ken is currently retained on several fatal cases involving complex disputes on liability or regarding loss of services or loss of financial dependency

Professional Comments

“Ken…is a very experienced solicitor who has great judgment and knows a winning case. He has a confident manner and is great wirth clients. Ken’s experience is invaluable in difficult cases. He does not get flustered and offers a clear-headed analysis in the most pressing of situations” Lionel Stride, Barrister

“Ken was calm under fire, courageous and had a keen eye for discerning the wood from the trees. He was able to manage an extremely demanding client with charm and deft control. He was a pleasure to work with and was on top of every procedural twist and turn in the case.” Marcus Grant, Barrister

Ken has worked exclusively in Claimant personal injury since 1997 when he started training to be a solicitor and qualified in 1999. He has been with Hodge Jones & Allen since February 2021 having previously headed up the Birmingham office of a well-known national firm.

Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)