Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
APIL: committed to injured people for 30 years and beyond
In its 30th anniversary year, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers sets out its vision for the future.
About the author: Mike Benner is APIL’s chief executive.Everyone can agree that life in 2020 is looking very different to how it looked back in 1990, when APIL was founded. This year marks the association’s 30th anniversary.
In those 30 years, the world of personal injury has been subject to enormous change. Where injured people used to be able to turn to legal aid, there are now conditional fee agreements, and where ongoing professional development and training was lacking, APIL’s training and accreditation programmes enable injured people to find personal injury specialists with the experience and expertise they need.
Fighting battles, winning wars
APIL has been involved in every battle on behalf of injured people. Some of the key events which have led to progress on behalf of injured people and bereaved families can be attributed, at least in part, to APIL’s tenacious work. Through relentless reforms, APIL has never backed down in doing what it can to give needlessly injured people a voice and protect their rights. The respect the organisation garnered through its measured approach has meant there has been representation of injured people through reforms - from the abolition of legal aid to the introduction of MedCo. It also played a part in batting away three threats of an increase in the small claims court limit.
Bereavement damages
The association’s proactive campaigns are long-fought, and successes are hard-won. The level of bereavement damages in England and Wales has increased four times, and APIL was instrumental in pushing the government for all the increases, as well as being largely responsible for an increase in Northern Ireland.
Reviews of the discount rate
From as early as 1992, APIL lobbied for regular reviews of the discount rate for personal injury claims across all UK jurisdictions. The association even issued a judicial review against the Lord Chancellor, in 2011, which eventually resulted in a dramatic decrease in the England and Wales rate in 2017, and subsequent reviews in 2019 and 2020.
Campaign on ‘corporate killing’
APIL’s influence through its campaign on ‘corporate killing’ led to the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.
Periodical payments
In 2003, APIL worked on the Courts Act, which allowed courts to impose periodical payments, as it passed through the House of Lords. Previously, defendants had to agree to periodical payments, which they rarely did.
Fund for mesothelioma claims
After years and years of campaigning and consultation, the government finally introduced a fund of last resort for mesothelioma claims, for those who cannot find their former employers’ insurers.
Refusing to rest on our laurels
Be assured though, that at APIL we are not resting on our laurels. Looking ahead, we hope that our new strategic plan, launched in this 30th year, will mark a new era, not just for APIL but for the whole sector of personal injury law. What sets it apart is that we are facing up to the long-term challenges faced by the whole sector.