Meet BiBNT Member Sarah Bright Thomas

Drawn from the hat this week for our ongoing BiBNT Members Profile Series…meet Sarah Bright Thomas of Bright Avocats. Over to you Sarah…

30 seconds to tell us what you do…

Bright is a firm of French lawyers “avocats” with offices in Toulouse and Montauban. We have a wide range of specialties and all of our staff are, at the least, bilingual English-French speakers. I’m the managing partner, originally from England, and I moved to Toulouse in 1998.

Now how about sharing a little more detail? …

Well, first off, our motto is “Precision and Procedure”. Like no other country, France can be a legal and administrative obstacle course, so ‘precision and procedure’ not only helps us to find the most effective route to satisfactory results, but it also helps our clients to understand the French law system.

We provide advice on all aspects of French law in litigation and contract law. We also assist with property purchases and inheritance advice. We can set up your new company, sort out a dispute with a builder, and advise you on organising your inheritance.

In a typical week our team could be helping clients with everything from the French corporate law and employer obligations to construction, labour, family or even criminal law in France.

What has been your favourite project over the years?

The best part of my job is hearing from satisfied clients that we’ve been able to ease their burden through more difficult parts of their professional or personal life. So I don’t have one, single favourite project – they’re all very rewarding.

We’re lucky to have been able to build great relationships with clients over the years (I’ve worked with some for more than 10 years now). I’ve also provided law advice and support to a few business clients from the very start of their company to the point where they are turning over millions of euros. It’s been great to watch their success.

Can you tell us your mission statement?

My law firm in Toulouse is relatively small and my aim is that we build up real working relationships with all clients, whatever the nature of their file. Our aim is to ensure that clients know that their file is important to us and that we’ll provide them with expert French law advice to the very best of our ability.

And your business’s values and vision?

As an “avocat” we follow a strict code of practice, but I am very attached to these rules as they allow me to have the freedom to defend my clients in all situations. We hope to continue supporting our clients with the best professional law advice, to build excellent relationships and provide an exemplary level of service.

Why do your customers pick you over your competition?

Probably because of our ability to provide law services in both English and French. But I think it’s also because they appreciate that we’re not a stereotypical law firm.

We understand the need for clear and timely communications with clients, and we know that even small personal touches, like preliminary advice by telephone or a quick reponse to an enquiry, can go a long way to relieving the stress people can feel when dealing with French laws. They appreciate being treated with respect I suppose.

How long have you been a member of the bibnt?

For 10 years – at least.

How has business networking benefitted your company?

It has been greatly beneficial to my business. Many clients of the firm have arrived via networking and I have made a great many business contacts that allow me to provide a complementary service to my clients by referring them to other competent professionals.

Thanks for sharing with us Sarah. It’s nice to know we’ve got the law on our side!

On the Bright Avocats website, Sarah has also published an excellent list of links to French institutions with information about the legal system in France. If you have specific questions, or don’t read French, you can email Sarah at brightavocats@orange.fr.

See others posts in the BiBNT Member Profile Series :

Penny Dickinson of Toulouse Walking Tours
David Goudreau of AGS
Daren Birchall of Pigcom
Penny Sadoudi of Greenfrog Garden Design
Olivier Consales of Sopyrec
Martin Parker of Guide2MidiPyrenees