Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
Encyclopedia
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) is a not-for-profit organisation comprising nearly 5,000 personal injury
solicitors, barrister
s, academics and students.
The association was founded in 1990 by a group of barristers and solicitors who wished to improve the services provided for victims of negligence. Its four founders are Rodger Pannone, Michael Napier CBE , John Melville Williams QC and Simon Walton.
All APIL members are bound to abide by a code of conduct and consumer charter.
Personal injury
Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body, mind or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property. The term is most commonly used to refer to a type of tort lawsuit alleging that the plaintiff's injury has been caused by the negligence of another, but also arises in defamation...
solicitors, barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
s, academics and students.
The association was founded in 1990 by a group of barristers and solicitors who wished to improve the services provided for victims of negligence. Its four founders are Rodger Pannone, Michael Napier CBE , John Melville Williams QC and Simon Walton.
Accreditation
APIL runs an accreditation scheme which assesses personal injury lawyers according to their expertise and experience. Lawyers who gain this accreditation kitemark have at least five years' experience of handling personal injury claims, and are known as senior litigators, fellows or senior fellows, depending on the amount of experience they have. The scheme is overseen by an independent Academic Quality Council.All APIL members are bound to abide by a code of conduct and consumer charter.
Campaigns
APIL holds regular meetings with Government ministers, MPs, civil servants and opinion formers on campaigns for reform in the law, including:- Lobbying the Government to introduce a 'fund of last resort' for injured workers who are unable to trace former employers' insurers.
- Calling for regulation of the hairdressing industry.
Key aims
- Promote full and just compensation for all types of personal injury
- Promote and develop expertise in the practice of personal injury law
- Promote wider redress for personal injury in the legal system
- Campaign for improvements in personal injury law
- Promote safety standards and alert the public to hazards
- Provide a communication network for its members