What are the rules about advertising for personal injury work?

These are found in the Personal Injuries Proceedings Act 2002 (PIPA), Chapter 3 Part 1 (sections 62 to 69).

The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is the regulatory body for PIPA and has issued a regulatory guideline that highlights various requirements and definitions: Advertising for Personal Injury Services.

Advertising of personal injuries services is not allowed on radio, television, cinema, or recorded telephone messages.

Advertising in print is limited to the legal practitioner and their law practice's name, contact details and your areas of practice or speciality. You are not permitted any pictures or "self-promotional statements". These same restrictions apply to advertising on a website other than your own.

However, on your own law practice’s website, in addition to the above, you are able to include statements about:

  1. the operation of personal injury law and a person’s legal rights under that law 
  2. the conditions under which you are prepared to act - this can include details of no win no fee arrangements.

There are certain restrictions on the use of pictures and photographs and on touting and referrals in PIPA.