When an accident, an assault or a medical error disrupts a life, compensation is a long, technical and often demanding road. My role is to support you at every stage — from the initial medical file to the actual payment of damages — so that the reparation matches the harm sustained.
The most common mistake is waiting. The earlier the attorney is involved, the stronger the medical foundation of the file, the higher the chances of obtaining fair compensation. If any of the following situations apply, please get in touch — an initial assessment meeting is offered free of charge.
Personal injury compensation is a field where medical-legal expertise comes first. I work with a network of independent medical advisors familiar with the Dintilhac nomenclature and the various heads of damage, and I intervene at every stage of the procedure: amicable, expertise, judicial.
Building the complete medical file, choosing an independent medical advisor, preparing every contradictory expertise in detail. No expertise without assistance — the presence of an attorney roughly doubles the amount allocated to subjective heads (pain and suffering, aesthetic damage, loss of enjoyment).
Systematic application of the Dintilhac nomenclature: temporary patrimonial damages (current loss of earnings, miscellaneous costs, health expenses) and permanent ones (future loss of earnings, professional impact, third-party assistance, adapted housing and vehicle). Extra-patrimonial damages: functional deficit, pain and suffering, aesthetic, loss of enjoyment, sexual, of establishment.
Direct negotiation with insurance companies and guarantee funds (FGAO, FGTI). If the amicable offer remains insufficient, referral to the judicial court or the CIVI depending on the nature of the event. Systematic request for provisional compensation so that the victim is not left without resources during the proceedings.
Three main families of cases structure the practice. Each is governed by a distinct legal regime, the mastery of which determines the outcome of the procedure.
The Badinter Act establishes a regime of compensation favourable to non-driver victims: they have a near-automatic right to compensation, even in the presence of fault. For drivers, fault may limit or exclude compensation, which makes early case analysis decisive. I intervene from the very first declaration to the insurer to set the strategy.
Where the perpetrator is insolvent, on the run or unknown, the victim can file a claim before the CIVI. The file must be lodged within a strict deadline (3 years from the offence, or 1 year from the final criminal judgment). The CIVI may award full or capped compensation depending on the nature of the offence and total incapacity for work.
A medical fault, an infection contracted at the hospital or a failure to inform the patient before treatment may give rise to compensation. Two paths coexist: amicable proceedings before the CCI (Commission of Conciliation and Compensation, formerly CRCI) — free, fast, recommended for damages of a certain severity — or judicial proceedings before the judicial court. The choice is made on a case-by-case basis.
All other cases where bodily harm gives rise to reparation: private-life accident (fall, burn, animal bite), school or sports accident, product safety defect, work accident in certain configurations (recourse against responsible third party). The legal basis determines the debtor and the appropriate procedure.
Every case is unique, but personal injury compensation follows a recurring structure. Here is the general outline; we will adapt it to your situation at the first meeting.
Full discussion of the circumstances, review of medical and insurance documents, identification of the applicable legal regime. At the end: a written note summarising the envisaged strategy and a clear fee agreement.
Recovery of the entire medical record (hospitalisation, consultations, imaging), connection with an independent medical advisor, preparation of the reference medical report. This phase is decisive: an incomplete medical record mechanically caps the compensation.
Systematic presence at every medical expertise. Critical analysis of the expert's report. Request for counter-expertise if necessary. Direct negotiation with the insurer or guarantee fund based on a detailed memorandum, head by head, following the Dintilhac nomenclature.
Referral to the judicial court (common procedure) or the CIVI (specific procedure). Representation at the hearing. Follow-up of the execution of the judgment and effective payment of compensation.
Personal injury cases are most often handled under a fee agreement combining a moderate initial flat fee and a success fee indexed on the amounts actually recovered — which allows the procedure to be initiated without prohibitive upfront cost. Legal aid is accepted, compatible with a complementary fee agreement under the conditions provided by law. All terms are detailed on the dedicated fees page.
It depends on the stability of your health. Final compensation can only be quantified once the medical state is consolidated (i.e. when sequelae have stabilised). For minor injuries, count 6 to 18 months. For severe injuries requiring rehabilitation, 2 to 5 years is common. During this period, provisional compensation can and should be obtained.
No, and it is essential to have it analysed before signing. First offers are structurally lower than what can be obtained after a contradictory medical expertise and a head-by-head valuation. Once accepted, the case is deemed closed — any subsequent worsening becomes much harder to compensate.
It is the reference list of compensable heads of damage in French law, drawn up by a working group chaired by Judge Jean-Pierre Dintilhac. It distinguishes patrimonial damages (financial: loss of income, medical costs, adaptation costs) and extra-patrimonial damages (pain and suffering, aesthetic, loss of enjoyment, sexual, of establishment). This nomenclature structures any serious valuation.
3 years from the offence, or 1 year from the final criminal decision. These deadlines are strict. In case of doubt, get in touch quickly: a relief from forfeiture for legitimate cause is sometimes possible, but exceptional.
Yes. Admitted to the Metz and Luxembourg Bars, I practise on both sides of the border. The legal regimes differ (Luxembourg law has its own compensation scheme distinct from the Badinter Act) and the cross-border analysis is integrated from the first meeting.
The first meeting is offered. It is without commitment and allows us to assess the strength of the file, the applicable legal regime and the chances of obtaining compensation matching the damages. Offices in Metz (Metz Bar) and in Luxembourg City (Luxembourg Bar) — cross-border practice France · Luxembourg without changing counsel.