Personal injury lawyers can expect significant growth in the number of claims brought by European motorists as the UK becomes an increasingly attractive jurisdiction for 'forum shopping' claimants, an industry expert said this week.


Maurice Nichols, consultant at Browne Jacobson in Birmingham, said the UK was a popular place to sue because of the high levels of damages awarded here, and the wider heads of claim available.



Vehicle accidents with an international element - for example, a ?German driver of a Spanish truck colliding with a French tourist in ?London - are becoming increasingly common. Nichols said that where there is a choice of jurisdiction, personal injury claimants are now most likely to sue in the UK.



'It is terrific news for UK lawyers and the courts system,' he said. 'But it is not good news for insurers - who will be asked to pay these claims with the higher rates of damages that will flow if claimants seek to sue in the UK - or for the premium-paying public.'



Nichols added that English lawyers would increasingly need to familiarise themselves with the 'impenetrable' EU legislation governing international accidents.



Rachel Rothwell