Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases

THE PI BIBLE FROM AND FOR THE JUDGES

This work first appeared in 1992, and at that time, Lord Donaldson wrote that there could be no doubt about the practical value of this volume. Since then, the work has become essential for practitioners and now I would not dream of advising on a personal injury matter without referring to the JSB Guidelines first.

The guidelines are always well received, and they have a clear and well received influence on the judiciary. Colin Mackay explains the current need for the work as a record of the levels of awards and settlements which we use as a starting point for our advocacy.

Updates are always difficult but I believe Mackay J and his team have produced the level of consistency needed for the making of awards which served the interests of justice as well as any person can. Lord Justice Waller, in his Foreword, welcomes the work and highlights the comments from the book�s readers together with all the different areas where reports are to be found which makes the working party�s job so difficult.

This is not, however, a �ready reckoner� but, as Mackay says, it distils the conventional wisdom contained in the reported cases, and supplements it from the collective experience of his working party, presenting the result in a convenient, logical and coherent form.

The work is now widely adopted as the starting point in negotiating levels of payment for general damages in personal injury cases. Contents cover the following: Injuries Involving Paralysis; Head Injuries; Psychiatric Damage; Injuries Affecting the Senses; Injuries to Internal Organs; Orthopaedic Injuries; Facial Injuries; Scarring to Other Parts of the Body; Damage to Hair; Dermatitis and a useful index.

The publishers send copies of these guidelines to all hearing PI cases, and it is an indispensible tool for all legal professionals involved in PI litigation, from lawyers to insurance companies, trades unions and medical defence organisations.

Today, I cannot be without my copy of the JSB guidelines, and I know the clients appreciate the wisdom they give!