Experience
Sara-Jane is an international insurance claims specialist, working on cross-border litigation arising from motor, products, travel, employers' and public liability claims, as well as catastrophic injury and large loss claims pre- and post-Brexit, whether under the Brussels Recast Regulation and the Rome II Regulation or otherwise.
Sara-Jane speaks fluent German and regularly represents German insurers and individuals in the UK and abroad. She is the Green Card correspondent for several overseas insurers.
She also speaks fluent French and has an excellent working knowledge of the French social system, specialising in claims brought under the Dintilhac classification and the Loi Bandinter. This expertise extends into Poland, where she represents a major Polish insurer, often defending claims arising in that jurisdiction and in the UK.
Sara-Jane is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) and is DWF's principal contact with ABTA.
Sara-Jane is also a member of DWF's Diversity & Inclusion Group.
Recent Cases
Her reported cases include Knauf UK GmbH v British Gypsum Ltd (2002) which involved a dispute over service of foreign legal proceedings; Katerina Cox v Ergo Versicherung AG (Supreme Court 2014) involving issues of applicable law in a wrongful death claim in Germany, Wink v Croatia Osiguranje DD (2013) and Panagaki v Minetta Insurance (2016) both of which involved the issues of domicile, jurisdiction and forum conveniens and Paul Jamieson v Württembergische Versicherung AG (2021) in relation to the issue of jurisdiction following an accident in Germany.
Testimonials
Sara-Jane is an expert in Private International Law and is ranked in the travel section of Chambers and Partners and is in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame. Commentators state: "Sara-Jane has very good judgement in terms of which point is going to work and which isn't. She is excellent to deal with when you're in a tight corner in a case" and is a "very experienced operator."
One client quotes that "she knows the international claims handling scene very well, is multilingual and is handling our cases to our full satisfaction", and other sources add: "She's everything you'd want in a solicitor" and "Sara-Jane is a leader in this field. She has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the technicalities of travel and foreign claims and an unparalleled knack for cutting through those complex issues with an effective litigation strategy tailored to each case. She is an absolute delight to work with and she runs a dynamic and impressive team."
By virtue of her well-established pan-European practice and her language skills she is frequently instructed to pursue and defend foreign liability claims especially those involving personal injury.