Elkan Abrahamson

Elkan joined Broudie Jackson Canter in 2010 and is a Legal Director at the firm. Elkan began his career in Liverpool, with his earliest work on controversial cases arising from the 1981 Toxteth riots, going on to enable many of those wrongly arrested to bring claims against the police for abusing their powers. Elkan spent two years practising in Hong Kong before returning to work with a number of civil rights firms in Liverpool. Elkan specialises in major public inquiries and inquests, with a particular focus on challenging decisions made by authorities such as city councils and Government. Elkan currently represents the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group in the Covid-19 Public Inquiry, and represented 20 families during the Hillsborough inquests, continuing to support them in the aftermath. Elkan has also acted for families involved in the Birmingham Pub Bombings Inquest and the Manchester Arena Inquiry, and provided pro bono consultancy to one of the family firms involved in the Grenfell Inquiry. Elkan is also experienced in prisoners' rights, having argued for prisoners to have access to voting, condoms and artificial insemination. With over 40 years' experience in the legal profession, Elkan has a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Elkan takes the view that people struggling against powerful bodies need empowering, and that everyone should be able to speak truth to power without fear of the consequences. He is focused on achieving accountability for the families he works with, and continues to campaign for the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill also known as the Hillsborough Law, which would make it a legal duty for public authorities and public servants to tell the truth. Throughout Elkan's career, he has represented bereaved families, prisoners and those wrongly arrested, and he continues to act as an advocate in complex care and family proceedings. Elkan is a previous member of the Law Society Children's Panel and is Honorary President of The Bloom Appeal, a charity dedicated to helping patients with blood cancer. He also served as a Non-Executive Director of Clatterbridge Cancer Hospital from 2019 to 2025, stepping down after six years in the role. Elkan was named Law Society Gazette Legal Personality of the Year in 2013, received the Outstanding Achievement award at the 2014 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards and won the Rule of Law award alongside Marcia Willis Stewart at the 2016 Halsbury Legal Awards. Elkan was awarded an honorary PhD by the University of Liverpool in 2017 and the Freedom of Liverpool Honour by Liverpool City Council in 2022. Through his work with Hillsborough Law Now, Elkan was part of the campaign recognised with the Legal Aid Practitioners Group's Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2026 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards.