Lawyers holding APIL’s clinical negligence accreditation standard will now have access to legal aid for their clients, the Legal Aid Agency has announced.
The move follows earlier recognition of the quality of the association’s accreditation scheme from the Legal Services Consumer Panel, which praised the scheme for good practice in its progress report on accreditation schemes published in April. A YouGov personal injury report also published earlier this year found that more people who pursued a personal injury claim used an APIL’s accredited lawyer than any other scheme listed.*
“We’re delighted that APIL’s accreditation scheme, and particularly its specialist clinical negligence standard, is increasingly being recognised as an important indication of a lawyer’s experience and expertise,” said APIL chief executive Deborah Evans.
“When we originally set up our accreditation scheme 15 years ago, we did so because we had always believed injured people needed the very best independent legal advice available. The continued drive to provide quality legal advice remains one of APIL’s key objectives."