Highly-experienced serious injury specialist Matt Brown feels Hudgell Solicitors’ dedication to ‘doing the right thing by people’ makes it a ‘perfect fit’ for him as he embarks on a new chapter in his career.
Having carved out a stellar reputation in catastrophic injury litigation over the past 29 years, he joins Hudgells as National Head of Serious Injury, working out of the firm’s Manchester office – and he says there was much that attracted him to his new employer.
“This felt right from the get-go, to be honest, a perfect fit, as Hudgells do the right thing by people,” he said.
“It reminds me of why I wanted to be a solicitor in the first place. Fighting the good fight. It might sound clichéd, but that’s what drew me to law right at the beginning.
“Another huge attraction to Hudgells for me was that they don’t dilly-dally. Because of the structure and the size, they’re able to be nimble and make quick decisions and focus on what clients need.”
Matt began his legal career when he joined a large national firm in 1997 as a trainee. Developing his expertise in the field of personal injury, he qualified in 1999, became an Associate in 2004 and a Partner in 2010.
An APIL accredited Senior Litigator, he is also a member of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel and the Training and Education Group of BABICM (the British Association of Brain Injury and Complex Case Management).
He also sits on the management committee of Headway Salford and has secured repeated high-ranking recognition in Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners, the legal sector’s leading legal guides.
‘Dealing with real people, making a genuine difference’
Matt’s caseload typically sees him representing clients in high-value head and spinal injury claims, along with complex orthopaedic injuries and amputations, and it’s a job he says he takes great satisfaction from.
“I knew from an early stage that I wasn’t the type of lawyer who’d enjoy battling over contractual disputes or acting for multi-millionaires in property transactions. I wanted to deal with real people, tackle real problems, and genuinely make a difference,” he said.
“In all too many cases, the insurer’s attitude to clients is that they’re just a number on a ledger. In those situations, people really need someone in their corner.
“There’s something about helping the underdog. The whole David and Goliath thing. Without that, there would be a segment of society who would be at real risk of being let down.
“It’s about being able to make a tangible difference to people who genuinely need it. I’ve got friends who work in corporate practice in London who would argue what they do makes a tangible difference. And maybe it does, but not in the same way.
“The real gratification is at the end of a case when the client says, ‘we wouldn’t have got here without you’. That’s just the best possible thing you can hear. It’s another cliché, but things like that have always been my reason to keep getting out of bed on a Monday morning.
“It’s the difference between someone having a really quite miserable existence and making a situation more tolerable. I’ve drawn a huge amount of satisfaction from being able to turn a dreadful situation into something more tolerable for the client and their family.”
Appointment reflects firm’s growth in serious injury
Rachel Di Clemente, Chief Executive of Hudgell Solicitors, said Matt’s recruitment will support the firm’s unprecedented growth in serious injury work and its commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for clients.
“I am fiercely proud of exceptional team of serious injury lawyers we already have at Hudgells, so any senior appointment has to add to that strength in the right way,” she said.
“It’s always a balance: you want to embrace positive change, but you also want to protect the strong, intimate, supportive culture that makes the team so special.
“Matt stood out straight away. After a few chats over a cup of tea, it took me a surprisingly short time to realise that Matt was exactly the kind of person we wanted to bring into the team.
“He is recognised as one of the strongest operators in the field because of his track record of securing the best possible rehabilitation and settlements for his clients.
“Many of our team know Matt well having worked with him previously. He supports his clients with compassion and approaches each and every case with complete professionalism.
“Most importantly, he is someone who shares our values: fiercely committed, down to earth and not afraid to stick his neck out to do the right thing.”
Image provided by Hudgell Solicitors
