Experience
Sara-Jane is a private international law specialist, with over 30 years' experience in dealing with cross-border litigation. Her primary focus is on catastrophic injury and large loss personal injury claims, applicable law, jurisdictional disputes and coverage/reinsurance issues. She regularly deals with motor, EL/PL, Product Liability, Aviation, Accident and Travel claims.
Sara-Jane speaks fluent German and regularly represents German insurers and individuals in the UK and abroad especially in Green Card and former Fourth Directive motor claims. She is the Green Card correspondent for several German insurers.
She also speaks French and has a good working knowledge of the French social system, specialising in claims brought under the Dintilhac classification and the Loi Badinter.
Sara-Jane has a long association with foreign statutory health and accident insurers and a wide range of expertise in travel and holiday law including claims brought under the Package Travel Regulations, the Athens and Montreal conventions and other related cross-border litigation. She works closely with DWF's Travel team.
Sara-Jane has handled many high profile cases over the years, which include:
- Defence of several cross-border catastrophic and fatal personal injury claims on behalf of Defendant insurers especially motor and travel claims.
- Defence of high value, well-publicised International Product liability claims including claims brought against a well-known bottled water manufacturer, electrical fires arising in boilers throughout Europe and the defence of prosthetic hip claims.
- The pursuit of serious injury and fatal claims on behalf of overseas Claimants and UK Claimants involved in accidents abroad together with recoveries for German statutory and accident insurers.
She also regularly acts in the defence of domestic Employer/Public and Product liability claims.
Memberships
- ABTA
- FOIL
- IETL
- PEOPIL
Recent Cases
Her reported cases include Knauf UK GmbH v British Gypsum Ltd (2002) involving a dispute over service of foreign legal proceedings, the Supreme Court case of Katerina Cox v Ergo Versicherung AG (2014) involving issues of applicable law in a wrongful death claim in Germany and jurisdiction and forum conveniens in the case of Wink v Croatia Osiguranje DD (2013), domicile/ jurisdiction in Panagaki v Minetta (2017), seisin and jurisdiction in Jamieson v Wuerttembergische Versicherung AG and Anor(2021) and Spanish applicable law in fatal claims in Chouza v Martins (2021).
Testimonials
Legal 500 - Hall of Fame - Travel
- "Sara-Jane is a states-person of this specialised area of law. She has wide contact, great knowledge and a real commercial nous"
Chambers & Partners - Travel: International Personal Injury
- "She is very good on the technical, commercially savvy, and has got a lot of experience and good judgement. Her language skills also mean it's easy for her to liaise with foreign clients."
- "Sara-Jane has an excellent network of clients which reflects her high standing. She is very well respected."
- "Sara-Jane is one of the most experienced travel lawyers around"
- "She's a pleasure to work with and knows which cases to push and which ones not to"
Recent Articles
- Voice-Edition-5-November-2024.pdf
- Post-Brexit overseas personal injury claims | DWF
- 5232 TLT Spring 24_final.pdf
- Section 75 claims and chargebacks through the pandemic and beyond | DWF Group
- Recent Case Law – Insurance: When interest is of interest | DWF
- High Court rejects jurisdiction challenge in Employer's Liability case