Accredited specialist or general lawyer for injury claims in Queensland (2026)

Choosing an accredited specialist or general lawyer comes down to a checked credential. A QLS Accredited Specialist in Personal Injuries has met Queensland Law Society entry requirements, must keep practising in the area and completes extra training each year. However, no official data shows that specialists get better results, so accreditation is a useful signal, not a guarantee.

Written and fact-checked by Marshall Fenech, Editor. Legal rules checked against official Queensland sources on 21 October 2026. How we check facts.

Accredited specialist or general lawyer? How they differ

Any solicitor with a current practising certificate can act in a personal injury claim. That is what we mean by a general lawyer here. An accredited specialist is a solicitor who has also passed the Queensland Law Society’s Specialist Accreditation program in personal injuries.

QLS says the programs recognise solicitors with “enhanced skills, superior knowledge, significant experience and a high proficiency”. It currently recognises 10 areas, and personal injuries is one of them. QLS runs the scheme, so it is a professional credential rather than a requirement of any Act.

So the accredited specialist vs general lawyer question is really about evidence. Accreditation is evidence that QLS checked a solicitor against set standards. It is not evidence about how your own claim will turn out. Our fees guide and methodology explain what else to compare.

What QLS accreditation requires

The entry rules are on the QLS how to apply page. Then the Specialist Accreditation Board considers each application. Applicants also provide three referee reports and complete an assessment program.

Be a full member of QLS (or an associate member, for government legal officers).
Hold a current Australian practising certificate, or work as a government legal officer.
Have practised full-time as a solicitor for at least 5 consecutive years (or equivalent) by 1 January that year.
In each of the 3 years before the program, have spent at least 25% of full-time practice in the area.
Satisfy the Board of enough Queensland-specific experience, if the area requires it.

What specialists must do to keep it

Accreditation is not a one-off badge. According to the QLS page on maintaining accreditation, specialists must re-accredit every year. To do that, they must stay full members, hold a practising certificate and keep substantial involvement in the area. That means at least 25% of full-time practice.

They must also complete 15 CPD points each year, with at least 10 in the area of accreditation. In addition, they pay an annual fee. A solicitor can hold at most two accreditations at once, according to the QLS FAQs.

Programs do not run in every area every year. For example, QLS lists only a family law program for 2027. So an experienced injury lawyer may lack accreditation simply because no program ran when they were eligible.

How to check the QLS register

Don’t rely on a website badge alone. Instead, check the name yourself on the QLS Register of Solicitors. It takes a few minutes.

First, open the QLS Register of Solicitors and choose the Accredited Specialist option.
Next, pick Personal Injuries Law as the practice area, and add a location if you like.
Then, open the solicitor’s profile and look for “Specialist Accreditation: Personal Injuries Law”.
Finally, note that specialists may use the post-nominals AccS, but the register is the record to trust.

Does an accredited specialist get better results than a general lawyer?

No official source shows that accredited specialists get better results in injury claims. We could not find any QLS, court or regulator data comparing outcomes. So we do not claim that a specialist will get you more money or a faster result.

What accreditation does show is checked experience, recent focus on injury work and ongoing training. Those are useful signals. So the accredited specialist vs general lawyer choice should rest on more than a badge. Results also depend on the facts of your claim, the evidence and the scheme involved. A general lawyer with long injury experience may suit you well, while a specialist may still be a poor fit.

Also, accreditation is voluntary. A lawyer has to apply, pay fees and complete the program. So the absence of accreditation does not mean a lawyer lacks experience. It means you need other ways to check, such as asking how many claims like yours they handle.

How our rankings treat an accredited specialist or general lawyer

Our scoring method gives a firm 25 of 100 points for a named accredited specialist. That solicitor must appear on the QLS register as an Accredited Specialist in Personal Injuries Law. A firm’s own claim is not enough. However, the score does not measure results in individual cases.

If accreditation is important to you, our list of firms with an accredited specialist is a starting point. Then use the questions below, whether you are weighing an accredited specialist or a general lawyer. Our guide to national vs local firms covers other factors.

Questions for an accredited specialist or general lawyer

Ask a specialist and a general lawyer the same questions. Then compare the answers, and the written costs disclosure, side by side.

Who will handle my file day to day, and are they accredited?
How many claims under this scheme (CTP, WorkCover or PIPA) do you handle?
What do you charge, and what is your written estimate of total costs?
How often will you update me, and how do I reach you?

Frequently asked questions

No official source shows that. We found no QLS, court or regulator data comparing outcomes for an accredited specialist and a general lawyer. Accreditation shows that QLS checked a solicitor’s experience and that they keep training and practising in the area. Results still depend on your claim’s facts and evidence, so compare the person and the costs as well.

AccS is the post-nominal QLS lets accredited specialists use. It shows the solicitor holds QLS specialist accreditation in at least one area. However, check which area on the QLS Register of Solicitors. For an injury claim, the profile should show Specialist Accreditation: Personal Injuries Law.

A solicitor needs at least 5 consecutive years of full-time practice, or equivalent, by 1 January of the program year. They also need at least 25% of their practice in the area in each of the 3 years before. Then they must complete the QLS program, which does not run in every area every year.

There is no official data on that. The same Legal Profession Act rules on costs disclosure, uplift fees and the 50/50 cap apply to every Queensland solicitor. So ask an accredited specialist or a general lawyer for a written estimate of total costs. Then compare the estimates line by line.

No. QLS accredits individual solicitors, not firms. A firm may have one or more accredited specialists on staff. However, that person may not handle your file. So ask who will run your claim, and check that person’s name on the QLS Register of Solicitors.

Accredited specialist or general lawyer: a reader checking lawyer details at home

Key takeaways

Personal injuries is one of 10 areas in which the Queensland Law Society accredits specialists.
To apply, a solicitor needs at least 5 consecutive years of full-time practice and 3 recent years with at least 25% of practice in the area.
Specialists must re-accredit every year, keep 25% of their practice in the area and complete 15 CPD points, 10 of them in that area.
You can check any name on the QLS Register of Solicitors using the Accredited Specialist filter.
No official source shows that accredited specialists get better results, so compare the person and the costs too.

Related guides

Sources

This page is general information, not legal advice. How we rank lawyers · Queensland law firm directory.