Unfortunately, Personal Injury Law hasn’t had the best history: in the past, unscrupulous compensation firms have taken advantage of those in need of their help, taking them for as much as they could get.
There have been the “ambulance chasers” who have bothered victims in hospital waiting rooms, encouraging the injured to make claims.
There have been companies who have promised that their client wouldn’t have to pay legal fees; who have then taken the lion’s share of any compensation paid out.
There have been those who, to ensure their clients remained unaware as to what was going on, baffled them with enough legal jargon to leave them in total mystery.
Such “cowboy” law firms have had to curb their unscrupulous behaviour, however, due to the formation of The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
APIL was established in 1990 by a small group of solicitors who had grown tired of the unethical behaviour of some compensation firms and wished to protect the rights of injured parties within the UK.
APIL can now boast over five thousand members and is recognized both by the government and the media. Its remit is to fight for better laws to protect those who have been injured through fault other than their own and to provide accreditation for lawyers specialising in personal injury law.
APIL have established a code of conduct for personal injury lawyers, so that clients of lawyers who are a part of APIL know they will receive fair and open treatment.
The basic tenets of this code are that members of the association will:
- Put the client’s best interests first.
- Provide clear, impartial, honest advice about a client’s case.
- Tell the client if he/she has to pay anything to pursue their case and, if so, how much.
- Charge the client a fair price with no hidden costs if he/she does have to pay to pursue their case.
- Explain the client’s legal position in plain language.
- Act only in the client’s best interests in suggesting a referral to another solicitor if they feel unable to deal with his/her case.
- Keep the client updated about all aspects of his/her case.
- Consider other appropriate remedies as well as financial ones.
- Not cold call.
- Only publish advertisements which are accurate and truthful.
In seeking help from an association member, a client knows that, with this code being followed, their personal injury lawyer will be treating them fairly at all times.
Thanks to APIL, the field of Personal Injury Law is no longer so dubious as it once was.
Share:
| Tweet | 
|
© Copyright 2012 Pearson Rowe - Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority No. 62920.