Philip Hodder LL.b (Hons) - CSIA

Membership Status: Barrister - Full Member

General Information

Philip is a civil barrister (Bargyfreithiwr) and mediator (cyfryngwr) who was called to the bar in 2005 after a successful career as a solicitor in South Wales. He was a member of the Law Society Personal Injury panel from 1998 until 2005 on his transfer to the bar. He is based near Abergavenny in South Wales but has a nationwide practice. As a former Law Society-appointed monitor of training contracts, Philip has a keen interest in the practical training of all professionals.

With a proactive and reasoned approach to cases, Philip communicates in plain language, is commercially astute and advances sensible solutions to complex issues. Throughout his career, he has advised and represented clients in personal injury and clinical and professional negligence cases. He has assisted clients in difficult emotional cases involving children in public and private law proceedings and bereaved clients at inquests.

Areas of law

• Personal Injury
• Clinical Negligence
• Professional Negligence
• Family Law - Children
• Inquests

Costs

Philip is regularly instructed in high-value costs cases for both paying and receiving parties, from attending detailed assessments and preliminary issue hearings to oral hearings and appeals. He frequently appears before regional costs judges and before Masters in the Senior Court Costs Office.

Inquests

Philip has appeared before coroners sitting alone and with a jury in cases including:

• Fatal RTAs
• Death in a care home
• Fatal accidents in outdoor activities 
• Fatalities in the workplace/construction sites
• Fatalities in hospital/treatment
• Suicides from mental health issues

Personal Injury

• Road traffic/motor claims with fraud and contrived accidents (including motorcycle claims)
• Employer’s liability/Health and safety
• Highways Act matters
• Fast and multi-track trials

Credit Hire (Defendant only)

Professional and Clinical Negligence

• Professional negligence in property transactions
• Personal injury actions for failure to issue within the limitation period and the undervalue of the claim
• Matrimonial ancillary relief cases
• Clinical negligence pursuing actions against GPs, surgeons and NHS trusts for negligent diagnosis, prognosis of conditions and negligent surgery

Education

• LL.B (Hons)

Personal Interests

Married with three daughters, Philip is an avid skier and assists in coaching with his local ski race club. He is a former junior and senior county squash player and a Welsh Squash Rackets Federation qualified coach and referee.

Feedback

CPD

Road Traffic Accident Litigation Skills. 1 Hour CPD. Free.

CPR Update Talk. 1 Hour CPD. Free.

Drafting Witness Statements. 3.5 - 4 Hours CPD. Free.

Publications

 Barr -v- Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

This involved a clinical negligence claim, where a ‘never event’ occurred during surgery. The Claimant’s solicitors entered into a CFA and incepted an ATE policy to cover liability and causation experts reports, with a view that the costs of the ATE policy premium would be recoverable under SI 2013 No.739. Defendant’s counsel, Philip Hodder, raised issues at the oral assessment that it was unreasonable for the Claimant to enter into such an ATE policy at the stage it was incepted and therefore the Defendant paying party should not be burdened with the costs of the ATE. DJ Phillips found in favour of the paying party. Philip Hodder was instructed by Acumension Ltd for the Defendant.

Malone -v- Birmingham Community NHS Trust

Philip Hodder was responsible for the original claim before DJ Marshall Phillips when Claimant's costs were struck out. The attached ruling relates to a second Appeal which was also struck out. He was again instructed by Acumension Ltd.

phone01823 247 247

hodder@clerksroom.com

Qualified in 2005