Code of conduct

1.	Introduction:
1.1	The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) is a not-for-profit campaign group which has been committed to injured people for more than 30 years. Our vision is of a society without needless injury but, when people are injured, they receive the justice they need to rebuild their lives.
1.2	APIL is committed to upholding high standards of professionalism and promotes ethical behaviour. This code provides a strong foundation for APIL and its members, helping to protect the public and uphold the reputation of professions that support victims of negligence.

2.	Structure of the code:
2.1	All members of APIL subscribe to this Code of Conduct. This code sets out the standards of professional conduct and practice expected of all APIL members.
2.2	This code is based on 5 ethical principles. They are: 2.2.1  Integrity 2.2.2   Ethical Behaviour 2.2.3   Accountability 2.2.4   Competence 2.2.5   Confidentiality

3.	Integrity.
	Members, at all times, shall act and behave with integrity and uphold the standing and good reputation of personal injury law and APIL’s commitment to supporting victims of negligence.

4.	Ethical behaviour.
	Members shall avoid conflicts of interest and avoid any actions or situations that are inconsistent with their professional obligations.

5.	Accountability.
5.1	APIL members must accept responsibility for what is within their power, control and management, ensuring that they conduct their services in a transparent manner.
5.2	APIL's logo is a registered trade mark and shall not be used by any APIL member, either personally or through their firm, for advertising or marketing purposes. Accredited firms and individual accredited members are permitted to use the logo which correctly identifies their accreditation status. All members are permitted to identify their individual APIL membership without using the APIL logo.

6.	Competence.
6.1	Members shall carry out their professional work with due skill, care and diligence, keeping themselves informed, educated and up to date with current law and procedure.
6.2	Members shall ensure that they comply with the continuous professional development requirements of their professional regulator.
6.3	APIL members shall comply with all applicable competition laws and comply with any APIL Guidelines in relation to APIL meetings and initiatives and members’ dealings with each other.

7.	Confidentiality.
7.1	Members should respect the confidentiality of information obtained from working with APIL and should not disclose such information to third parties without proper and specific authority unless there is a legal or professional right or duty to disclose.
7.2	Confidential information obtained from working with APIL should be treated confidentially and should not be used for the personal advantage of the member or any third party.

8.	Further information:
8.1	Not every shortcoming on the part of a member, nor failure to comply with this code will necessarily give rise to proceedings. However, a failure to follow any guidance associated with the code is a factor that will be considered should it be necessary to examine the behaviour of a member. In such circumstances a member may be asked to justify the steps they took and this may be taken into account.
8.2	For further details about raising a concern about a member please contact APIL, all matters raised will be dealt with confidentially. Matters of fitness to practice should always be raised with the members professional regulatory body.

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Declarations

Legal Practitioner

I declare that I practise in the field of personal injury and that my practice in that field is predominantly for claimants.

By becoming a member of APIL I am providing confirmation that I will abide by APIL's Code of Conduct

Associate (including Academic Associate)

I declare that I am sympathetic to the aims of APIL and do not have any regular commitment to any organisation acting for or supporting persons or companies who act on behalf of defendants in personal injury litigation and/or I am a barrister and a significant proportion of my practice involves acting for the injured or victims of negligence and I am sympathetic to the aims of APIL.

By becoming a member of APIL I am providing confirmation that I will abide by APIL's Code of Conduct

Affiliate

I declare that I am sympathetic to the aims of APIL and do not have any regular commitment to any organisation acting for or supporting persons or companies who act on behalf of defendants in personal injury litigation. I further confirm that I work in a charity or supporting role and/or are currently non-practicing.

By becoming a member of APIL I am providing confirmation that I will abide by APIL's Code of Conduct