Mexlaw attorney testifies as an expert on Mexican law in an English court in a personal injury case
If a foreigner is injured while in Mexico, their only recourse is to claim compensation before Mexican courts, usually in the district where the incident occurred. MexLaw has acquired significant expertise on the subject. We are the only dedicated personal injury lawyers of Mexico with an integrated team of lawyers, experts and investigators that assist foreigners in obtaining compensation for their losses due to someone else’s fault.
That is not the case for Citizens of the United Kingdom. Probably one of the only jurisdictions that permit this, UK Courts can hear a claim for damages suffered abroad by one of its citizens. The sole criteria is that the plaintiff provides evidence of the incident and an expert witness from the country where the incident occurred that explains to the Court the legal standards of that country in relation to the incident. Simply stated, the case is tried based on the foreign law but before a UK Court. The benefits and advantages are considerable. Plaintiffs can obtain higher amounts in compensation, international legal standards and efficient judicial hearings.
For several years, MexLaw has provided legal expert opinions on Mexican standards in relation to personal injury claims for several law firms in the UK. In fact, the demand for our services as a legal experts was so considerable that MexLaw had to limit providing legal opinions to only plaintiffs.
Recently, one of our lawyers, Senior Litigation Attorney and Head of our Latin American litigation team, Silvana Sanchez, had the privilege of testifying as a legal expert on Mexican standards before the High Court of Justice of the UK. Although the hearing was a virtual one (the lawyers and the judge were in a Court room in London, England, and Silvana Sanchez was in a board room in Merida, Mexico), the experience was never the less exciting and challenging for her. Both lawyers as well as the judge questioned her on her experience and knowledge of Mexican law and experience as a litigator. After a heated debate, the High Court of Justice recognize Silvana Sanchez as an expert in Mexican legal standards and permitted her to testify about the defendant’s responsibility to comply with the regulatory standards that tour operators must ensure to avoid any harm to English citizens, in addition to this she was able to provide an opinion about the mandatory regulations for service providers and the civil liability for the breach of those standards in Mexico.
Lawyers, in particular MexLaw lawyers, pride themselves on their knowledge and proficiency of the law. So you can imagine what an honor it is to be acknowledged by the High Court of Justice as as an expert of the law of Mexico. The entire litigation team at MexLaw applaud and congratulate Silvana Sanchez on this unique achievement.