Personal injury lawyers and insurers have joined forces to produce a new code on catastrophic injury claims. The Guide to the Conduct of Cases Involving Serious Injury launched this week with the backing of 12 major insurers and 40 law firms. Those who sign up to the code commit themselves to speedy resolution of liability, early access to rehabilitation, and proportionate costs. Deborah Evans, chief executive of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, says: “It puts the injured person at the heart of the process.” Laurence Besemer of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers says: “I hope that this pragmatic and consensual approach can be used in other areas of dispute resolution where more work needs to be done.”
15 October 2015
New code for serious injury
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NEWS
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Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
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Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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