Personal Injury · France
Find a personal injury lawyer in France who handles your claim
An accident in France should not leave you decoding a civil-law system on your own. Tell us what happened and we will match you, free of charge, with an avocat whose work covers bodily injury claims.
- Free, no-obligation matching with a French avocat
- Claims heard before the tribunal judiciaire and, on appeal, the cour d’appel
- Clear guidance on limitation periods and legal costs
Matching is free · Lawyers are registered with a French barreau · This platform does not give legal advice
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Why this page
Injury claims in France, explained plainly
An accident in France can leave you facing medical treatment, lost income and paperwork in a language that is not your own. Whether you were injured in a road traffic collision, at work, in a public place or during a holiday, French law treats bodily injury as a question of extra-contractual liability, and the route to compensation runs through a specific court structure with its own professional rules. A personal injury lawyer in France will assess your loss, gather the medical evidence and negotiate with insurers or, where necessary, issue proceedings before the tribunal judiciaire. We do not practise law ourselves: we listen to your situation and match you, free of charge, with an avocat whose practice covers the kind of injury and the forum your case requires.
France · In practice
How personal injury claims work in France
French injury claims sit inside a codified civil-law framework and a court structure that is unusual in Europe. The notes below set out the essentials: which order hears your case, who may represent you, what proceedings cost and which limitation periods apply.
Two parallel court orders
French justice is divided into two separate orders. The judicial order — tribunal judiciaire, cour d’appel and Cour de cassation — hears private-law disputes, including bodily injury claims between individuals, employers and insurers. Where the defendant is a public body such as a state hospital, the administrative order applies instead, and the Tribunal des conflits resolves any clash of jurisdiction.
Where the claim is heard
Civil claims start before the tribunal judiciaire, the general civil court of first instance. If either side appeals, one of the 36 cours d’appel re-examines the case in fact and in law. The Cour de cassation in Paris sits at the top of the judicial order, but it reviews questions of law only and does not re-try the facts.
When an avocat is compulsory
Representation by an avocat is mandatory for most civil claims above €10,000 before the tribunal judiciaire and for every appeal before the cour d’appel. Before the Cour de cassation, only specialised avocats aux conseils may act. By contrast, parties may appear in person before the conseil de prud’hommes, the tribunal de commerce and the tribunal de proximité.
Who may practise as an avocat
Avocats qualify through a Master 2 in law, the CAPA examination and an eighteen-month course at a CRFPA, then take an oath before a cour d’appel and register on the roll of one of France’s 164 local barreaux. The Conseil national des barreaux coordinates the profession, and each lawyer owes twenty hours of continuing education every year.
Timing your claim correctly
A claim based on extra-contractual liability for bodily injury in France is subject to its own limitation period. Deadlines elsewhere vary sharply — two months for an administrative appeal, twelve months for a dismissal dispute — so how your loss is characterised determines which clock applies. The table below shows the periods for the matters most often raised.
What proceedings actually cost
Court acts themselves are free, but filing a claim before a civil court of first instance or the conseil de prud’hommes requires a €50 fiscal stamp, and an appeal with mandatory representation requires a €225 electronic stamp. Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed in a convention d’honoraires, and aide juridictionnelle can cover all or part of the cost.
Key time limit — Consumer & Compensation Law
Consumer debt claim — 2 years. A shorter limitation period applies specifically to consumer debt claims.
The country-specific details on this page come from official French sources — the Ministry of Justice, the Conseil national des barreaux, Legifrance and justice.fr — consulted in 2025.
- Organisation of the courts and tribunals in France — Ministry of Justice
- Conditions of access to the profession of avocat — Conseil national des barreaux
- The French legal and judicial system (PDF) — Ministry of Justice
- Court costs and the cost of proceedings — justice.fr
- Civil Code — limitation periods (Legifrance)
The difficulty
What makes a French injury claim hard to run alone
Three obstacles appear again and again when an accident happens in France.
The clock is running
Bodily injury claims founded on extra-contractual liability are subject to a limitation period in France. If it expires before a claim is issued, the right to compensation can be lost, so timing matters more than most people expect.
Two separate court orders
France splits private-law disputes from those involving public authorities, so the same accident can belong to a different court depending on who the defendant is. Filing in the wrong order costs time, and the Tribunal des conflits settles jurisdictional clashes.
Fees and language
Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed rather than fixed by statute, and proceedings are conducted in French. Without local representation, negotiations with an insurer can stall, and it is easy to settle before the full extent of the injury is known.
How we help
Matched with the right avocat, without the guesswork
You describe the accident once; we do the filtering.
Matched on the type of accident
Tell us how the injury happened and whether a public body was involved. We then propose avocats whose practice covers bodily injury work in the relevant court and jurisdiction.
Representation where it is required
For most civil claims above €10,000 before the tribunal judiciaire, and for every appeal before the cour d’appel, an avocat must represent you. We match you with one who can.
Costs discussed before you commit
French lawyers set fees by agreement, often in a convention d’honoraires, whether by the hour, as a fixed fee or with a success element. Legal aid can cover all or part of the cost for eligible claimants.
One request, several options
You describe your situation once, free of charge, and compare the lawyers suggested before deciding whom to instruct. There is no obligation to proceed with any of them.
Coverage
Where our matching service operates
We help clients across Europe whose accident, contract or family matter belongs in another country’s courts. If your case sits in France or in a neighbouring jurisdiction, we can look for a lawyer there.
Questions
Personal injury claims in France: common questions
How do I find a personal injury lawyer in France?
You can search the roll of a local barreau yourself, or send us a short description of your accident. We match you free of charge with avocats whose practice covers bodily injury claims, and you decide whether to instruct one of them.
Do I have to instruct an avocat to claim compensation in France?
Not always. Representation by a lawyer is mandatory for most civil claims above €10,000 before the tribunal judiciaire and for all appeals before the cour d’appel. Before the conseil de prud’hommes, the tribunal de commerce and the tribunal de proximité, parties may appear in person.
How long do I have to bring a bodily injury claim in France?
Claims founded on extra-contractual liability for bodily injury carry a ten-year limitation period in France. Other matters move far faster — a dismissal claim must be brought within twelve months, for example. Because the period depends on how your claim is characterised, it is worth checking early.
Which court decides a claim against a French public hospital or authority?
France keeps two separate court orders. Disputes involving public authorities, including public hospitals and state bodies, go to the administrative order — tribunal administratif, cour administrative d’appel and Conseil d’État — while private-law claims stay in the judicial order. The Tribunal des conflits settles conflicts of jurisdiction.
What will a lawyer cost, and can I obtain legal aid in France?
Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed between you and your lawyer, usually set out in a convention d’honoraires, with no statutory tariff outside the legal-aid scale. Court acts are free, though a €50 fiscal stamp applies to first-instance filings. Full aide juridictionnelle is available to a single person whose reference taxable income does not exceed €12,862 (2025).
Can someone living abroad claim for an accident that happened in France?
Where you live does not change the framework: a bodily injury claim arising from an accident in France is handled under French procedural rules, and proceedings are conducted in French. A lawyer registered with one of the French barreaux can act for you, so you may not need to travel.
Next step
Tell us what happened and we will look for the right avocat
Send a short description of the accident, the injuries involved and any correspondence you have received from an insurer or employer. Matching is free and without obligation, and you remain free to instruct whichever lawyer you choose.