NSW Personal Injury Lawyers.

A personal injury claim is a legal claim for compensation when someone else's negligence causes you injury — physical or psychological. In NSW, claims are made against the at-fault party's insurer under legislation that depends on where and how you were hurt.

Road injuries run through the CTP scheme under the Motor Accidents Injuries Act 2017 (MAI Act), workplace injuries through the workers compensation system administered by icare under the Workers Compensation Act 1987, and injuries in public or private places through public liability insurance under the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW). The same injury can be treated very differently depending on which scheme applies — which is why the first thing we do in a free case appraisal is identify the right pathway for your circumstances.

Compensation can include medical and rehabilitation expenses, past and future loss of income and superannuation, the cost of care and assistance — including unpaid help from family — and non-economic loss (pain and suffering) where the relevant threshold is met.

In NSW CTP claims under the MAI Act, non-economic loss requires at least 10% Whole Person Impairment. Work Injury Damages claims under the Workers Compensation Act 1987 require 15% WPI and are only available where the claimant is not mostly at fault for the injury. Public liability and medical negligence claims under the Civil Liability Act 2002 require non-economic loss to reach at least 15% of a most extreme case. For most injured people, future economic loss is the largest component — the income, career progression and working years the injury takes away. Building that evidence properly, early, is where experienced personal injury lawyers earn their keep.

Most NSW personal injury claims follow a pre-court procedure: mandatory early notification to the relevant insurer, exchange of evidence and medical reports, independent medical examinations, and a compulsory settlement conference. The large majority of claims settle without a trial.

For CTP claims under the MAI Act, an Accident Notification Form must reach the CTP insurer within 28 days, and statutory benefits begin regardless of fault for up to 26 weeks. Merit (fault-based) claims for ongoing income loss and lump-sum compensation follow once liability is assessed. For workers compensation, the claim is lodged with icare and the process is overseen by SIRA (State Insurance Regulatory Authority). We manage every step — lodgement, disclosure, medico-legal appointments and negotiation — and we prepare every claim as if it will go to court, because that is what produces fair settlement offers.

The general limitation period under the Limitation Act 1969 (NSW) is three years from the date of injury — but much shorter notice periods apply first: 28 days for the CTP Accident Notification Form, 3 months for the CTP Notice of Claim, 6 months to lodge a workers compensation claim. For child abuse there is no limitation period under the Limitation Amendment Act 2016 (NSW). Children otherwise generally have until their 21st birthday.

Time limits are the single most common way good claims are lost. Even if you are unsure whether you want to claim at all, getting advice early costs nothing and preserves every option. Evidence — CCTV, witness memories, incident records — degrades far faster than the legal deadlines.

At AMK: nothing upfront, and nothing at all if your claim doesn't succeed. We pay outlays as we go and operate under the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW), which requires our No Win, No Fee arrangement to be set out in a written Costs Agreement before you commit to anything.

Our fee structure is deliberately leaner than the big franchise firms — we are a boutique team focused only on compensation law, without their overheads. The Costs Agreement sets out our fees, how success is defined, and what happens if the retainer ends early. Everything is in plain English, and we walk through it with you before you sign.