If you or someone you know has experienced a serious injury, illness or medical negligence, you want to be able to protect what matters most, without feelings of guilt when looking to make a compensation claim. The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) is a not-for-profit organisation and their campaign, Rebuilding Shattered Lives hopes to challenge the misconceptions many face when the unexpected happens and they need legal support.
Rebuilding bit by bit
APIL created the Rebuilding Shattered Lives campaign to try to refocus the attention on the fact that people who suffer needless injuries that are preventable deserve empathy and support. When the worst does happen, you should, feel supported and have access to funds to help you and your family rebuild your lives, without a stigma attached to it.
In the society we live in, many can still experience feelings of shame or guilt when making a claim following an injury or illness caused by someone else’s negligence. APIL’s campaign, which we’re proud to support, has been launched to redress this imbalance and create a fairer and more empathetic society towards injured people. Any compensation following a successful claim is not a ‘win’ but rather money to ensure you have access to the best possible rehabilitation, medical care and support.
APIL’s campaign aims to put the needs of injured people at the heart of Government policy-making and help people get back on track.
Insight from APIL’s CEO
Chief executive of APIL, Mike Benner, enjoys leading an organisation that is committed to doing their best for needlessly injured people. He says “I’m passionate about overcoming the deeply entrenched misconceptions that enshroud personal injury law and my ambition is to build a greater understanding and empathy for injured people in our society.”
APIL is leading the way for this movement with Rebuilding Shattered Lives, but Mike Benner is under no illusion that APIL can succeed in changing perceptions alone. Mike says “I want to engage our members, legal firms, relevant charities and the wider rehabilitation and services sector to actively back the campaign and spread the word. Real life stories of lives shattered through needless injury and how they have been rebuilt with the help of specialist personal injury lawyers at the centre are very powerful; the campaign provides a home for these stories to be told.
“I’m delighted that we have already had very strong support from many members and law firms, including Irwin Mitchell. I think, now more than ever before, people are focused on health and wellbeing and this provides a good foundation for the campaign.”
Individuals, law firms, charities and organisations are encouraged to share stories of how personal injury solicitors and support services have helped an injured person using the hashtag #RebuildingShatteredLives. You can also support the campaign on social media or share your case studies with APIL by emailing getintouch@rebuilding-shattered-lives.org.uk and ask for the social media toolkit.
A closer look at APIL accreditation
Jonathan Scarsbrook, a partner in our Personal Injury team always knew qualifying as a solicitor was the career for him and he thrives on supporting people who finds themselves in unforeseen circumstances. Jonathan is also the vice president of APIL, a role which allows him to ensure all accredited solicitors are acting in their clients’ best interests.
Jonathan said “APIL accreditation is a comprehensive and meaningful mark of quality. There are some practising solicitors who may take on a case which is outside of their expertise, which can compromise the quality of service and rehabilitation the injured person may receive. It pays to seek out a trusted and accredited lawyer.”
There are different levels of accreditation a solicitor can achieve with APIL based on their competence and expertise. Accreditation is based on criteria, knowledge, understanding and skills. Evidence must be provided from a solicitor’s caseload that all of these criteria have been satisfied, so you can be rest assured that an APIL accredited solicitor is a specialist in their area of expertise.
Jonathan explains: “APIL accredited solicitors do so much more than just seek compensation. They will help with so many aspects following a serious injury, from treatment and rehabilitation to money worries and care challenges. We’re there to help someone, and likely their family as well, through often an incredibly difficult time in their lives.”
The benefits of choosing an APIL-accredited solicitor
APIL is an organisation that continually campaigns for the rights of injured people by protecting and improving their access to justice. By becoming APIL-accredited, a solicitor or firm is committing themselves to always acting in your best interests, and promoting improvement of personal injury law and public safety.
If you think you need to make a compensation claim after a serious injury, then it’s crucial to pick the right solicitor. You need someone who'll think about everything from your rehabilitation to your accommodation. We’re an APIL-accredited firm, so whether it’s your finances, your family or your future, we pride ourselves on being able to offer everything you need to protect what matters most.
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