(Photo: LinkedIn)
July 3, 2018
The Queensland Law Society (QLS) has called for claim farming to be stamped out, saying it is ‘a stain on the legal profession’.
Claim farming involves the unsolicited contacting of people about an accident they may have been involved in.
Once they receive a positive response, claim farmers provide details of these people to solicitors.
President Ken Taylor said the QLS had been working with stakeholders such as the State Government and Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC) on legislative reforms to make claim farming illegal in Queensland.
“Claim farming is not something that we endorse,” Mr Taylor said.
“Claim farming of any kind – be it directly or through a consultancy model – is unethical for solicitors, and in some cases, prohibited by legislation.”
Mr Taylor said the Personal Injuries Proceedings Act 2002 prohibited conduct relating to claim farming, such as restrictions on the advertising of personal injury services and touting.
“We have been consulting with stakeholders on the actions that can be taken to rid Queensland of claim farming, and we are getting even closer to a resolution,” he said.
“We have made our submissions to MAIC in the 2016 review, met with MAIC and the Government, and are now working with them to progress proposed reforms.
“We continue to alert our members to the dangers and consequences of claim farming and we urge the public to always speak to a solicitor directly when making a claim.
“It is paramount that the public is protected from these practices, and we continue to encourage the public to forgo dealing with non-legal firms who may be farming their details, and go direct to a qualified Queensland solicitor.”
