WHAT IS APIL?
(The Association of Personal injury
Lawyers)
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This association was established in April 1990 by a group of barristers and solicitors working on behalf of injured people, dedicated to the improvement of the services provided for those who have suffered from accidents and disease.
APIL's objectives are: -
- To promote full and just compensation for all types of personal injuries
- To promote and develop expertise in the practice of personal injury law
- To promote wider redress for personal injury in the legal system
- To campaign for improvements in personal injury law
- To promote safety and alert the public to hazards wherever they arise
- To provide a communication network for members
The number of legal practitioners, students and academic lawyers joining APIL has risen steadily creating a strong members' association, with specially designed services and activities. APIL now have over 4,000 solicitors, barristers, legal executives, students and academics.
THE APIL CODE OF CONDUCT
Members of APIL Subscribe to a code of conduct and support APIL's main
objectives.
Membership is on the basis of a commitment to APIL's objectives and this
code. The objectives are set out below.
APIL members recognise the need to:
- Provide a professional service
- Keep their clients informed
- Proceed expeditiously with all personal injury claims
- Keep themselves informed, educated and up to date with the current law and procedure
- Share information with other APIL members
- Give independent advice
- Maximise the amount of compensation receivable in the hands of the client
- Ensure that client is fully aware of, and fully and professionally advised, on all the costs issues, including legal aid
- Ensure that the clients have the opportunity to receive advice on investment and/or use of damages
CODE OF CONDUCT
- APIL members will act in the best interests of the client.
- APIL members shall at all times behave and act in a manner which will uphold their standing and good reputation of plaintiff personal injury lawyers and APIL.
- No APIL member shall pursue a frivolous claim issue or position. However no APIL member should refrain from taking or pursuing any claim issue or position that is believed to have merit.
- No APIL member shall make excessive or unnecessary monetary charges to the client.
- No APIL member shall personally or through an agent make representations of experience or specialist skills which they do not possess.
- No APIL member shall knowingly make any statement, whether in publicity material to a prospective client, an existing client, or otherwise which may give the client false information.
- No APIL member shall undertake false deceptive or misleading advertising.
- APIL's logo shall not be used by any APIL member, either personally or through their firm, for advertising or marketing purposes. Members are however able to identify their individual APIL membership.
- No APIL member shall personally, or through a representative, directly contact a potential client except through permitted advertising, where there has been no request for such contact. "Permitted advertising" is defined as "advertising which complies with the Code of Practice of the Advertising Standards Authority and with the rules of the member's relevant legal professional body".
- Save where permitted by rules of the members relevant legal professional body, no APIL member shall pay or receive a fee for the introduction of clients.
- No APIL member shall knowingly accept a referral from a person, whether an APIL member or not, who obtained the representation by means contrary to this code.