Individual accreditation

APIL accreditation provides a quality mark of competence and specialist expertise for solicitors and barristers dealing with personal injury claims. This quality mark helps the consumer to recognise expertise and specialisms within the profession. The accreditation scheme demonstrates that an APIL lawyer has achieved a specific standard.

APIL has introduced competency standards for the three different levels of APIL’s accreditation, building on the former criteria for Litigator, Senior Litigator and Fellow.

The standards are business tools, best used for developing staff, but can be used for recruitment and promotion. In APIL’s case the standards are being used as entry to the accreditation scheme and for the development of CPD training programmes.

Benefits

With individual accreditation, you will:

• be able to use the accredited APIL logos and specialist logos
• appear in the APIL online personal injury lawyers search
• become linked to a major national information campaign, promoting the logo and directing the public to accredited APIL members, their organisation and offices
• benefit from APIL’s supporting press and PR activity to support APIL’s national public information campaign
• through APIL’s consumer website and advertising campaigns, receive independent recognition for you and your organisation’s:
     - expertise
     - competencies
     - high professional standards
     - high standards for client care
• ensure your practice/chambers is clearly differentiated.

Specialist accreditation

APIL has also developed competency standards for two specialist areas – brain injury and clinical negligence. Further specialist standards will follow in due course.

These schemes are open to members holding Senior Litigator status (or above), with demonstrated competence in these fields. The schemes require assessment of an applicant’s work, by reference to cases handled, in a manner similar to that used in the new schemes for personal accreditation as Litigator, Senior Litigator and Fellow.

Of the 16 hour APIL CPD requirement, applicants must fulfil at least 50% in each specialist field, i.e. a minimum of 8 hours.

For further information and the application documents for all levels of accreditation, including the new specialist standards for brain injury and clinical negligence, please see below.

Applications

NB: Only senior litigators, fellows and senior fellows are eligible to apply for specialist or corporate accreditation

Training requirements

Individually accredited members must accrue 16 hours of APIL accredited personal injury CPD training annually - Find out how to accrue APIL accredited CPD.

You can report CPD to APIL by completing your online training log or downloading a training log form.

Areas of work

Accredited members may amend their areas of expertise at any time through the members’ area of www.apil.org.uk by clicking on My details.

Revalidation

All individually accredited members will need to revalidate their accreditation status. Revalidation of an individual’s accreditation status is required every 5 years. Full details can be found on the Revalidation for individuals page.

From 1 April 2013, all accredited members will need to revalidate their accredited status every five years. This will apply to all current accredited members as well. Members will not, however, have to re-apply for accreditation but will be required to confirm that particular criteria have been and continue to be satisfied. Further information on the process will be circulated to members over the summer months.