HUGHES WALKER SOLICITORS LTD

Telephone  0845 094 1288 or 0161 763 3388 (or from outside the UK  00-44-161-3388)

Email:  markwalker@RTAFrance.co.uk

Fax 0161 763 7558 (or from outside the UK 00-44-161-7558)

Have you or a member of your family been involved in an auto-accident (RTA) whilst visiting France during the last 10 years? Perhaps you were vising France in your own car or driving a hire car, or even taking a ride in somebody else's car or in a bus or coach? We can help you get compensation for your road traffic accident in France.

Would you like to have your case dealt with by a lawyer based in England, and avoid the potential headache, language difficulties and worry about instructing a French lawyer? If you use French lawyers, who will you turn to if things go wrong and would you be able to understand their advice and feel easy about communicating with them?

We provide a specialist service to UK residents requiring representation for Road Traffic Accidents in France.

For your complete peace of mind we are regulated by the Solicitors' Regulation Authority and we are members of the Law Society of England and Wales. We carry £3,000,000 professional indemnity cover. Any client moneys which we receive are held in a separate  client account operated according to strict safeguards governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. We also contribute to the Solicitors Compensation Fund which is administered by the Solicitors' Regulation Authority.

For free and confidential advice without obligation, or to make a claim please either telephone Mark Walker, or click here to  complete a claim form

Some questions you may have about your accident in France:
  • Don't I have to use a French lawyer? Answer  - Thanks to on-going EU reforms (which include the 4 & 5th EU Motor Insurance Directive, Rome II, and the European Small Claims Court procedure), it is increasingly possible for such claims to be dealt with here in the UK using the English Court system
  • Can you act for me on a No Win No Fee basis? Answer  - Usually we will be able to agree a No Win No Fee arrangement to cover our charges (insurance and other costs may apply).  We will go through all the options, and explain matters in detail should you decide to instruct us.
  • Can I claim out of pocket expenses such as hire charges or treatment costs? Answer  - Yes, but you may find the French insurer trying to argue that certain limits under French law should apply in order to limit your recovery. We will argue this on your behalf should the need arise.
  • Will the amount of my compensation for pain and suffering be decided according to English legal principles or French? Answer  - It is likely that the French insurers will make any offer in Euro according to French principles. However the balance of opinion is that if the case is decided in an English Court, the English Court will make any award according to English principles. This point may be important because traditionally English compensation awards are often but not always more generous than awards given in French courts for the same injury. However all of this is may change in favour of French principles applying once Rome II comes into force for accidents on or after 11 January 2009.
  • Can I instruct my local solicitor to make my claim rather than using Hughes Walker? Answer - yes, but please make sure they have sufficient experience and knowledge in dealing with cross-border personal injury claims. Cross-border claims involve increased complexity. For example French rules of the road and other aspects of French law will apply to the claim, there can be technical complications deciding whether any legal proceedings should be issued here or in France. Serving the legal proceedings on the French insurer requires careful compliance with the provisions of special regulations, for example we are normally required to instruct French Hussiers to effect legal service even if the case is being dealt with by the English court and we are required to provide to the French insurers certified translations of the English court documents.  The French insurers are likely to jump on any mistakes which it is very easy to make and at the very least this could delay your claim. We also have contacts with French lawyers to help make sure that all bases are covered.   Many if not most English solicitors have little or no experience dealing with such procedures; this is quite important because you will probably be up against a French insurance company expert on French law and insurance procedures who will be backed-up by UK based representatives who specialise in dealing with and defending such cases.
  • Will I have to visit a French medical expert or go to a French Court.  Answer  - French insurers often try to insist on this in order to put Claimants off pursuing their claims, however in our experience this can usually be avoided altogether.
  • How long will my claim take? Answer  - theoretically, under EU law, if liability is not disputed then the French insurers' UK representatives should make a "reasoned offer" in settlement within 3 months of the full claims details having been presented, in practice our experience is that they often take much longer than this. Whilst some allowance should be made for the increased difficulties which the French insurer may face dealing with an overseas Claimant, we will do all that we can to speed things up and where appropriate we shall commence legal proceedings if  you agree. 
  • If liability is disputed, will the case be dealt with in France? Answer  - not necessarily, although this is still subject to some legal argument, and depending on various factors, the balance of opinion is that UK courts may be able deal with the claim even if liability is disputed.
  • Will the French insurers pay my legal costs? Answer  - We can almost certainly guarantee that they will refuse to do so! We are used to dealing with these arguments and we will do everything we can to recoup any legal costs from the French insurers.
  • Will I have to pay anything in advance on account of my legal costs? Answer - we do not normally require any up-front payments.
  • It all sounds very complicated, is it really worth making a claim? Answer  - Yes, you can be assured that we will do everything to keep your claim as simple and stress free as humanly possible. Please be assured that the vast majority of cases do get settled by agreement.
  • Can I instruct Hughes Walker if my accident took place in England or Wales rather than France? Answer  - Yes - we also very experienced in dealing with such cases!

You can contact us throughout your claim either by e-mail, telephone or fax.
 
In the unlikely event that you have any complaint regarding our service you can complain to us under our complaint procedure, if we are unable to resolve your complaint you can then complain free of charge to the Solicitors' Regulation Authority and we will be bound by their decision.

We look forward to being of service to you.

Your truly,
Mark Walker, Solicitor

PS We have a selection of free tools which you may find useful: currency converter, universal language translator, time-around-the-world, and free e-mail.

Click here to visit www.hughes-walker.co.uk

tele: 00-44-161-763-3388
fax:  00-44-161-763-7558
enquiry@hughes-walker.com

Hughes Walker Solicitors Ltd
Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
Registered in England under company number 4801072
Registered address: 82 Bolton Street, Bury, Lancs., BL9 0LL
Managing Director: Mark Walker (solicitor)
'Hughes Walker' and 'Hughes Walker Solicitors Ltd' are registered trade marks.

VAT number: 803247653

Important: We exclude all responsibility and liability for any loss of whatsoever kind arising from your use of this web site, any internet services accessed through it, and in respect of any inaccuracy of information published on our web pages or for any omission.