Hodge Jones & Allen boosts crime team with partner duo

Hodge Jones & Allen has appointed John Hartley and Graeme Hydari as partners to its 31-strong criminal defence team.

John joins as head of financial crime from London firm Mackrell Turner Garrett, where he led the corporate crime and regulatory department, prior to this John worked with Malletts in Holborn.

Having been called to the Bar before qualifying as a solicitor, John has built up a strong corporate fraud practice having defended numerous Serious Fraud Office, HMRC, Financial Conduct Authority, Department of Business Innovation & Skills and Crown Prosecution Service cases. He also regularly advises clients subject to proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Among his most notable recent cases, John has successfully defended a client involved in a £100m ‘boiler-room’ fraud and succeeded in obtaining a judicial review of a search and seize warrant by the Serious Fraud Office targeted at the same client. He also acted in a £14m mortgage fraud case, which followed a BBC Panorama investigation into corruption regarding a block of flats in south east London, in which all defendants were acquitted following a 10-week trial.

Graeme Hydari has been promoted to partner having worked as a consultant with the firm for the past five years. A well-known court advocate, Graeme specialises in defending suspects charged with murder, grievous bodily harm, drug supplying, serious sexual offences, internet pornography, complex financial fraud and inner city gang-related offences. He has considerable experience of representing people with drug or alcohol addictions, mental health conditions, learning disabilities and special education needs.

Graeme has a special interest and knowledge of defending clients on the autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including Asperger’s Syndrome, and has lectured in national conferences on autism in the criminal justice system.

Nigel Richardson, head of criminal defence at Hodge Jones & Allen, says: “I am delighted to welcome John and Graeme to the Hodge Jones & Allen partnership. They bring some excellent expertise and will add new perspectives to our highly-regarded team – John through his connections with City clients, and Graeme with his considerable experience advising some of the most vulnerable people in society. I am looking forward to making further appointments later this year, which will help to further build on my team’s existing experience, expertise and reach.”

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Notes for Editors

Hodge Jones and Allen

Hodge Jones and Allen is one of the UK’s most progressive law firms, renowned for doing things differently and fighting injustice.

For almost 40 years’ the firm has been at the centre of many of the UK’s landmark legal cases that have changed the lives and rights of many people.

The firm’s team of specialists have been operating across: Personal Injury, Medical Negligence, Industrial Disease, Civil Liberties, Criminal Defence, Court of Protection, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Family Law, Military Claims, Serious Fraud, Social Housing, Wills & Probate and Property Disputes.

Co-founder Patrick Allen is still at the helm of the firm he co-founded in 1977.

In 2016 the firm launched Hearing their voices – a campaign to raise awareness and build conversations around the issues and the injustices we might all face.