Resources on Personal Injury

Personal Injury

A personal injury occurs when a person has suffered some form of injury, either physical or psychological, as the result of an accident.

The most common type of personal injury claims are road traffic accidents, accidents at work, highway tripping accidents, assault claims, accidents in the home, and holiday accidents. Indeed, there are a multitude of types of accident and the term personal injury also incorporates medical and dental accidents (which lead to numerous medical and dental negligence claims every year) and conditions which are often classified as industrial disease cases. Industrial disease type cases include asbestosis and mesothelioma, chest diseases (e.g. emphysema, pneumoconiosis, silicosis, chronic bronchitis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic obstructive airways disease), vibration white finger, occupational deafness, occupational stress, contact dermititus, and repetitive strain injury cases.

Where the accident was the fault of someone else, the injured party may be entitled to monetary compensation from the person whose negligent conduct caused the injury compensation.

In England and Wales, under the limitation rules, where an individual is bringing a claim for compensation, court proceedings must be commenced within 3 years of the date of the accident, failing which the claimant will lose the right to bring their claim. However, if the injured party was under the age of 18 at the time of the accident, then they have up until the day prior to their 21st birthday to commence proceedings. Legal Aid for personal injury cases was largely abolished in the late 1990s and replaced with "no win, no fee" arrangements

"Personal injury." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 4 Oct 2006, 13:08 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 24 Oct 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Personal_injury&oldid=79449271

Lawyer

A lawyer, or legal practitioner, is a person certified to give legal advice who advises clients in legal matters. Some lawyers represent clients in courts of law and in other forms of dispute resolution.

Law is a theoretical and abstract discipline, and working as a lawyer represents the "practical" application of legal theory and knowledge to solve real problems or to advance the interests of those who retain (i.e., hire) lawyers for legal services.

The role of the lawyer varies significantly across legal jurisdictions, and therefore can be treated here in only the most general terms. More information is available in country-specific articles (see below).

Terminology
The meaning of the word "lawyer" varies slightly between English dialects. In American English, the term is synonymous with licensed attorneys who practice law; attorneys who serve as judges, law clerks or legislators do not practice for the duration of their service. For consistency, this narrower definition is generally used throughout this article.

In British English, the word "lawyer" is used loosely to refer to a broad variety of law-trained persons. It includes practitioners such as barristers, solicitors, and legal executives; and people who are involved with the law but do not practice it on behalf of individual clients, such as judges, law clerks, and legislators.

In Australian English, the word "lawyer" is used to refer to both barristers and solicitors (whether in private practice or practising as corporate in-house counsel) but not people who do not practice the law.

In Canadian English, the word "lawyer" only refers to individuals who have been called to the bar. They may also be known as "barristers and solicitors", but should not be referred to as "attorneys", as that word has a different meaning under Canadian law.

Excerpt from "Lawyer." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 27 Oct 2006, 05:20 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27 Oct 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lawyer&oldid=83996438