A London lawyer who studied for his law degree while working full time has landed a top role with a national campaign organisation.
Toby Konarzewski, aged 26, is a personal injury solicitor and has now been appointed to the executive committee of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
He studied for his law degree through the Open University, while working full time as a paralegal for a law firm in the south west. Toby qualified as a solicitor in 2024 and now works for London firm Anthony Gold Solicitors.
“I’m thrilled to be appointed to the junior seat on the executive committee at APIL. The association campaigns for the rights of injured people, who need compensation to help them rebuild their lives, which is something I’m really passionate about,” Toby said.
“I’m proud to be personal injury lawyer. My job allows me to make a tangible difference to people’s lives when they have been the victim of negligence and are at their most vulnerable.
“A key part of my work is ensuring injured people have access to early rehabilitation, which is crucial to them making better recoveries, so they can get on with their lives,” he went on.
“Successive governments have introduced policies that have undermined people’s access to justice and the principle of 100 per cent compensation. Access to justice and compensation, however, is exactly what people need to achieve better recoveries, help get people back to work, and reduce dependency on welfare payments. Those who have suffered injury as a result of negligence should be at the forefront of policy and should not have to suffer further at the hands of bad reform to our legal system.
“APIL lobbies policymakers to always put injured people first when drawing up legislation, and to not treat them as a burden. No-one expects, or asks, to be seriously injured, but the reality is it could happen to any one of us,” he added.
Outside of work Toby, who grew up in East Sussex, is involved in the Bal Polski charity event for the Polish community in the UK. It is held each year and raises funds for good causes, including for vulnerable women and children.