The following procedure should occur when booking an in-house course or a consortium with The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL)

Booking a consortium:

• ‘In-house’ training refers only to direct members of staff from the host firm, attending the course. If external delegates are invited to the event, this becomes a consortium and a different pricing structure will apply. All firms must notify APIL as to whether the course is an ‘in-house’ course or a ‘consortium’ upon booking
• In the first instance, the lead firm will need to inform APIL of their chosen topic, together with any preferences they may have for the speaker, the venue, the potential number of delegates and a date
• APIL will make contact with the speaker and the date will be confirmed (close to the lead firm’s requirements), subject to the speaker’s availability. A number of potential dates will be sent for consideration
• If the preferred speaker is not available, APIL will be happy to suggest an alternative speaker to present the consortium
• The consortium will run from 9:30am – 5:00pm unless otherwise specified
• A development fee, paid directly to the speaker will be charged on all tailored courses. A tailored course comprises of one or more elements that do not appear in the public course.

Lead firm involvement

• The lead firm is responsible for sourcing a suitable venue and they will be responsible for covering the cost of any charges (including refreshment breaks)
• The lead firm must ensure that there is adequate space within the room so that delegates are comfortable
• All consortiums must include lunch for both delegates and the speaker, and suitable refreshment breaks
• APIL will provide a registration form to the lead firm (to send to delegates)
• Signed contracts must be received by APIL, no less than 8 weeks before the consortium is scheduled to take place
• The lead firm will be responsible for sending out invitations to attendees. APIL can help with a list of firms in the area, if required
• The lead firm will be responsible for a minimum payment of 20 delegates, which is equivalent to £2800 + VAT.
• The maximum number for a consortium is 40 delegates
• The lead firm will need to provide a map of the venue to APIL
• It will be the responsibility of the lead firm to chase any outstanding invitations
• The lead firm will be responsible for the running of the course, on the day – this includes preparing AV equipment for the presentation, handing out the course packs, taking a register of attendees, distributing evaluation forms and CPD signing lists
• Documentation will be distributed prior to the event

Post-event

• After the course, APIL will check the CPD list against the delegate list. If any delegates have not pre-registered, they will be invoiced accordingly
• APIL will send an electronic copy of the course pack to all registered delegates; including any non-attendees.

Consortium terms and conditions can be found here.