Personal Injury Lawyers Canberra

Serious injury specialists

United Legal began as a small practice taking on only serious injury cases: clients with brain injuries, paraplegia and quadriplegia, amputations and major spinal surgery. That's still the core of what we do. Today we act in personal injury claims of every size, but every client gets the same approach: three lawyers on every case, and each claim prepared to get its full value, not settled quickly to keep up turnover.

What your claim is made up of

Compensation, or "damages", is made up of several parts, called heads of damage. The main ones are:

• Pain and suffering (non-economic loss). Compensation for pain, loss of enjoyment of life and inconvenience. Amounts vary between states and with how serious the injury is.
• Loss of earning capacity. Not just lost wages, but the effect of your injury on what you can earn for the rest of your working life, often to age 67. For young and middle-aged clients, this is usually the biggest part of a claim.
• Medical and treatment expenses, past and future.
• Care and assistance, including help from family members.

We work with doctors and other experts to show exactly how your injuries will affect your future. See what damages you can claim for an injury.

Where personal injury law began: a snail in a bottle

Modern negligence law, the basis of almost every personal injury claim, traces back to a snail. In 1928, May Donoghue drank a bottle of ginger beer in a café in Paisley, Scotland, and found a decomposed snail in it. She became ill. She hadn't bought the drink herself, so she had no contract to sue on, and she sued the manufacturer, David Stevenson.

In Donoghue v Stevenson (1932), Lord Atkin, who was born in Brisbane, set out the "neighbour principle": you must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions you can reasonably foresee would be likely to injure your "neighbour", meaning people so closely and directly affected by what you do that you ought to have them in mind.

That idea of a duty of care is why you can claim today when a driver, employer, hospital, shop or property owner fails to take reasonable care and you are injured as a result.

Personal injury claims in Canberra: which rules apply?

In the ACT, the type of claim you can make, and the insurer you claim against, depends on how you were hurt. Getting this right at the start matters, because each scheme has its own forms, deadlines and limits on compensation.

It's common to have more than one claim from the same injury, for example workers compensation and a car accident claim if you crashed while driving for work, or a TPD claim alongside either one. We look at every claim you may have, not just the obvious one.

How much compensation can I get for a personal injury in Canberra?

There's no fixed amount. Personal injury compensation in the ACT is worked out from your own losses: how serious your injuries are, how long they'll last, what you've lost in income and will lose in future, and the treatment and care you'll need. Minor injuries that heal quickly may be worth a modest amount; serious injuries such as brain injury, spinal injury or amputation can be worth hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

Each scheme also has its own rules. Some pay set benefits, some cap pain and suffering, and some only allow a full damages claim once an injury passes a seriousness threshold. That's why a free claim check with a Canberra personal injury lawyer is the quickest way to get a realistic figure. Read more: what is the compensation for personal injury? and compensation payouts and how they're calculated.

Time limits for personal injury claims in the ACT

The general time limit to start court proceedings for a personal injury in the ACT is three years, but many claims have much shorter deadlines for giving notice or lodging forms, especially workers compensation and motor accident claims. Different rules apply to children and to some abuse claims. Missing a deadline can cost you your claim, so get advice early, even if you're still in treatment.

How much does a personal injury lawyer in Canberra cost?

Our personal injury claims are run on a No Win, No Fee basis. In plain terms:

• Your first conversation is free, with no obligation to go ahead.
• No upfront fees. You don't pay our professional fees while the claim is running.
• If your claim isn't successful, you don't pay our professional fees.
• If it is successful, our fees are paid out of your compensation at the end, as set out in your costs agreement.

Before we start, we give you a written costs agreement in plain English that explains our fees, any out-of-pocket costs such as medical reports, and an estimate of the total. Ask us anything about it. You should never be surprised by a bill.

Personal injury lawyers across Canberra and the ACT

Our Canberra office is in Fyshwick, and we act for people right across the ACT, including Belconnen, Gungahlin, Woden, Weston Creek, Tuggeranong, the inner north and inner south, as well as Queanbeyan and the surrounding NSW region. We are a Canberra law firm, here since 2004, and we know the local insurers, doctors, courts and schemes. You can meet us in person, or do everything by phone and video call if it's hard for you to travel. If your injuries mean you can't get to us, we can come to you.

Injuries and accidents we help with

• Car accidents
• Motorbike accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Cycling accidents
• Truck accidents
• Bus and light rail accidents
• Slip and fall
• Supermarket and shopping centres
• Restaurants, hotels and cafes
• Parks and playgrounds
• School injuries
• Landlord negligence
• Cruise and airline injuries
• Back and spine injuries
• Head and brain injuries
• Chronic pain
• Hand, wrist and finger injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Amputation and limb loss
• Leg, knee and foot injuries
• Psychological injuries

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Personal injury FAQs