Avocats – England

Forida Hakim

Forida is a director in the family and child care department at Duncan Lewis Solicitors. She represents parents, guardians and children within public law proceedings and is well equipped to represent vulnerable parents and children who are subject to removal. She regularly represents clients in domestic abuse, defended and undefended divorces, and financial matrimonial matters as well as assisting clients in private children matters. Forida has extensive experience in representing vulnerable clients in matters that include; non-accidental injuries, sexual abuse, mental health difficulties, and drug and alcohol abuse. She assists parents and Local Authorities in relation to discharging care orders and adoption orders. Recently, she represented a child in a radicalisation case and is well-equipped to advise parents in similar cases in the High Court. Forida undertakes many private law proceedings relating to arrangements for contact and deciding which parent a child should live with. These include complex alienation, implacable hostility, sexual abuse based, protracted contact dispute and domestic abuse cases. She also represents parties in relation to removal from the jurisdiction and child abduction matters. Utilising her expert knowledge and cultural background, Forida understands and appreciates the cultural difficulties faced by vulnerable people within the community and assists them accordingly. She provides advice and assistance at the pro bono clinic in the East London Mosque and at Newham Asian Women’s Project, and regularly represents parties as Applicant and Respondent in relation to injunction and forced marriage act orders.

Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Forum Shah

Partner specialising in private and public children law, with particular expertise in international child abduction and relocation. She receives instructions directly from the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU). She acts for both applicants and respondents in cases concerning the 1980 Hague Convention/wardship and non Hague Convention countries. Forum also acts for parents and other family members in care proceedings (her expertise in international children law means she is often chosen by parents residing abroad and who are seeking their child to be placed with them), in living and contact arrangements, applications to relocate abroad and cases involving allegations of drug and alcohol abuse, domestic abuse and parental alienation.

Dawson Cornwell LLP

Fran Garvey

Fran Garvey is a senior associate specialising in criminal law. She has experience representing both individuals and corporates across multiple jurisdictions on matters involving bribery and corruption, fraud, market abuse, cartels, sanctions, and general crime issues. Fran advises clients on a range of criminal, regulatory and internal investigations. She has experience dealing with the Serious Fraud Office, Financial Conduct Authority, US Department of Justice, Financial Reporting Council, Crown Prosecution Service, and the police, as well as various other regulatory bodies in the UK and overseas. She represents high-net-worth individuals in general crime matters including allegations of sexual and physical assault. She has specialist experience advising clients on international sanctions, particularly in relation to enforcement action, specific transactions, and regulatory compliance including reporting obligations. Fran is a member of the Young Fraud Lawyers Association and the Female Fraud Forum.

Howard Kennedy LLP

Fran Mussellwhite

Bevan Brittan LLP

Fran Salisbury

Partner, Patent Attorney

Mewburn Ellis LLP

Frances Bailey

Principal Associate

Mills & Reeve LLP

Frances Boxall

Partner

Judge & Priestley LLP

Frances Coulson

Frances undertakes most areas of personal and corporate insolvency, specialising in contentious insolvency especially cases involving fraud, as well as provisional liquidations and injunctive work generally. She is a long serving member of the London Solicitors’ Litigation Association Panel of Supervising Solicitors with extensive experience of executing and supervising search orders and bankruptcy warrants. She was Head of Insolvency and Litigation at Moon Beever where she ran a substantial team of insolvency and litigation specialists and was a member of the disciplinary and admissions committees, then Chairman of the Appeal Committee at ACCA for ten years with good regulatory experience during and since that service. She is a member of Insol Europe (Council Member) and of Insol International, and the IBA. Frances is a regular speaker in the UK and abroad on insolvency, litigation and anti-fraud issues, and practice management. Frances was recently made an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management. Frances has also managed significant debt contracts for the public and private sectors over the last 3 decades.

Wedlake Bell LLP

Frances Godden

Frances specialises in charity and ecclesiastical law, and the law as it relates to matters of art and heritage. She also has extensive experience in certain technical aspects of education law, including reverter and educational endowment orders. Frances acts for a wide range of clients including charities of all purposes, sizes and structures, advising on establishment and registration of new charities; governance and constitutional matters including revisions to governing documents; applications to amend charitable purposes and restrictions on permanent endowment; mergers and closures of charities; charity board disputes; and Charity Commission statutory inquiries. She has particular insight and expertise when acting for ecclesiastical and faith-focused charities, especially Church of England bodies, as well as museums and galleries holding substantive cultural heritage assets. A former Deputy Diocesan Registrar as well as Deputy Diocesan Secretary, Frances has worked extensively for the Church of England locally and nationally, advising Diocesan Boards of Finance and Education, parishes and clergy of the law of the Church of England and its structure, processes and application, particularly regarding charities and trusts, patronage, pastoral reorganisation and the faculty jurisdiction as it applies to church buildings and assets. She also advises clergy and others in matters relating to clergy discipline and complaints. An active member of the Institute of Art and Law, and holder of the Sotheby’s Institute’s Certificate in Art Law, Frances is also well placed to offer advice on legal issues as they affect matters of art and heritage, cultural property, or private or commercial clients in that sector, particularly charitable institutions with valuable collections. She has particular recent experience on matters of contested heritage in sacred settings. Frances further advises Diocesan Boards of Education and Church of England schools and HFE institutions, particularly on their constitutions and governing documents. She has established numerous single and multi-academy trusts, and has worked on multiple successful conversions and mergers, as well as negotiating important updates and revisions to legal documentation with the Department for Education.

Stone King LLP

Frances Hughes

Chair of board of family law niche practice and leading figure in family law for many years specialising in complex financial cases, including those with substantial business assets and partnerships; trusts and tax problem cases involving foreign jurisdictions; cohabitation cases; prenuptial agreements and also private children’s residence and other children’s matters including child abduction.

Hughes Fowler Carruthers

Frances Mayne

Frances Mayne is a partner and head of the Mental Capacity team. She specialises in capacity, Court of Protection, trusts, powers of attorney, and deals with legal issues relating to clients who are elderly, disabled or vulnerable. She acts as a professional executor, trustee, attorney and Court of Protection deputy. Frances has spoken at seminars for accountancy firms in connection with mental capacity issues, at The Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (Hants, Wilts & Dorset) on capacity issues for farmers and businesses, at Wilsons' Agrilaw event, and at the Case Managers Conference.

Wilsons

Frances McKinnon

Frances has over 10 years post qualification experience as a property lawyer, has worked in residential conveyancing, and specialises in working with developers and their new build developments. She acts for a wide range of developers including national house builders, local developers with smaller developments, bespoke exclusive developments, local authority and care home providers. Frances has experience with varying funding arrangements and government purchase schemes. She has a track record of working with smaller developers to guide them through, what may be, their first new build development process.

Freeths LLP

Frances O’Neill

Senior Associate

Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP

Frances Petterson

Partner

Newton Kearns LLP

Frances Simm

I advise national and international businesses on a broad range of commercial disputes with a particular focus on those in the professional services sector. I work closely with clients to develop strategies to resolve disputes quickly and effectively. I support businesses, directors and shareholders on a range of complex contract disputes including claims arising out of corporate transactions and relating to conduct issues such as breach of fiduciary duties. I also frequently advise clients in relation to claims concerning allegations of professional negligence and misrepresentation. I advise a variety of businesses and individuals in different sectors on contentious matters arising in relation to limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and limited partnerships (LPs).

Lewis Silkin

Frances Spooner

A partner in Marriott Harrison’s Corporate team, Frances advises clients in a range of sectors on corporate and corporate finance matters including venture capital, venture debt, private equity, M&A and a wide range of other corporate matters. Frances has also worked with tech start-ups and growth companies and is actively developing a growing practice in this area through her involvement with initiatives such as Sie, an organisation which seeks to drive more capital towards female founders.

Marriott Harrison LLP

Frances Wright

Frances Wright joined the firm in April 2023 and has over 25 years' experience acting for people who have suffered from medical negligence. She has been an AvMA panel solicitor for over 25 years and also holds Law Society accreditation. She deals with a range of cases, particularly those involving complex medical issues resulting from surgical errors and cancer diagnoses. She also has a well-established record of success in maximum severity claims, including those resulting from birth injury and sepsis. Frances is a Trustee (and former Chair of Trustees) for CP Plus, the Greater Bristol CP support charity. Frances Wright - Enable Law

Foot Anstey

Francesca Ainsworth

I have been working with businesses, and their founders and shareholders, in the creative and digital sectors for more than a decade. London is my home but a piece of my heart is still in the Peak District, and so I'm passionate about the creative and entrepreneurial talent that drives the UK economy across the country. I advise clients through corporate milestones (early stages, shareholder exits, fundraising, incentives, restructuring and private M&A). I have more than a decade of experience across transactional and advisory work. I work with businesses across a broad range of sectors, but have particular expertise in interactive entertainment, advertising and marketing, publishing and retail. I am also a core team member behind The Collective by Lewis Silkin – our thought leadership offering for creative, innovative, tech and brand-centric businesses to prepare and adapt to the ever-changing business environment. We are at the forefront of thought leadership for our clients. Promoting gender equality and diversity more broadly is another focus of mine. I am a member of our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion group and was formerly the ExCo member for our Gender Group. I have also previously been a member of Bloom, a network for women in communications, and a mentor through the network.

Lewis Silkin

Francesca Cassidy-Taylor

Francesca Cassidy-Taylor, a senior associate at Rahman Ravelli, has a track record that includes many of the largest and most notable multinational cases. Her workload has included a number of the most significant Serious Fraud Office investigations, including some of the biggest bribery, cross-border and carbon credit tax fraud cases. Her ability to identify and navigate the best route in a criminal investigation has led to her being the first choice of many high net worth individuals, senior business figures and professionals in cases where reputations are at stake. She is also sought for compliance advice. Francesca was involved in the UK’s biggest phone hacking investigations - Operations Weeting, Elveden and Tuleta – and has represented clients in high-profile extradition proceedings. She has particular expertise in proceeds of crime matters, including law enforcement applications that seek to freeze or seize assets.

Rahman Ravelli

Francesca Cociani

Francesca Cociani is a Senior Associate in the Criminal Defence team at Hodge Jones & Allen. Francesca has a substantial practice in general crime, extradition and protest law. She works on a wide range of complex and sensitive cases, from serious sexual offences to drug supply, fraud, terrorism and murder. Francesca is dedicated to representing vulnerable clients and has successfully secured acquittals for victims of modern slavery and individuals with learning difficulties or severe mental health issues. She has become particularly involved in advocating for pregnant women in prison, including by submitting contributions to the Sentencing Council’s recent consultation on the sentencing of pregnant women and acting pro bono in Court of Appeal cases. Francesca has successfully challenged applications for extradition, to both Category 1 and Category 2 territories. She has built close relationships with many international experts who are regularly instructed to fight extradition requests, particularly from the United States. Francesca is a Higher Courts Advocate and regularly represents clients at the Crown Court. Last year she appeared on behalf of two defendants in a climate protest-related nine hander trial charged with criminal damage of £500,000 where they were all acquitted. rancesca has a busy protest law practice and has been involved in several high profile cases such as the Just Stop Oil protest at the Snooker championship in Sheffield in July 2023. She has recently represented some of the protestors first charged with the new statutory public nuisance offence and challenged their conviction at the Court of Appeal. Publications Francesca is regularly approached by different media outlets including LBC radio and BBC to comment on cases or points of law in the public eye. She has recently featured on the following: Cross Examination podcast episode discussing protest law Byline Times podcast with Adrian Goldberg on new protest legislation Lawyer in the News on the Law Gazette in July 2024 Owen Jones You tube channel discussing privacy laws and the criminal justice system during the BBC scandal in July 2023

Hodge Jones & Allen

Francesca Ellis

Francesca is a Director of Practico and is regularly involved in some of the firm’s most significant undertakings. She is widely recognised for her expert handling of complex costs claims arising out of group, commercial and media litigation. Her highly active practice includes playing a key role in the Pan NOx Emissions Litigation, as well as advising RPC on a high-profile costs dispute arising from litigation brought by the Duke of Sussex. Francesca also led on strategy and was responsible for advising on the £36 billion mass tort claim, one of the largest claims in English legal history, which arises from the 2015 Fundão dam collapse in Brazil.

Practico

Francesca Hubbard

I am a Partner in Michelmores’ Corporate team. I advise on a full range of private company matters, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments and MBOs. I work closely with a broad range of clients, from individuals through to institutions and large enterprises, who value my calm and pragmatic approach and see me as an extension of their team. My clients operate across a wide variety of sectors, however my particular sector focus and passion is working with Consumer Brand clients (from early-stage, fast-growth businesses to household names) and clients in the financial services space. I am the Corporate team co-lead for the Consumer Brands sector. I am proud to have been part of the Michelmores team for over ten years, having joined the Firm as a trainee in 2012. Expertise Consumer Brands Corporate Corporate Finance Mergers & Acquisitions Private Equity Francesca Hubbard - Partner - Corporate | Michelmores

Michelmores LLP

Francesca Mayes

I am a Partner at Irwin Mitchell's Newcastle office and Middlesbrough consulting office. I'm the Regional Managing Partner for Personal Injury and also lead the Serious Injury team. I specialise in helping people who have sustained serious and life changing injuries, particularly assisting individuals who have suffered brain and spinal cord injuries and multiple orthopaedic injuries in claiming compensation following injury. I have a particular interest in complex liability issues arising out of accidents in the workplace, and road traffic collisions particularly involving pedestrians, and have dealt with a number of claims which other solicitors have considered too difficult to pursue. I have obtained many substantial interim payments to fund rehabilitation packages, the purchase of accommodation and care to improve my clients’ quality of life and to maximise their recovery.

Irwin Mitchell

Francesca McCay

Solicitor specialising in all aspects of family law. Francesca joined Peters May in July 2023 from a leading regional law firm. Francesca specialises in all areas of family law including divorce, and matrimonial finance. She regularly deals with complex issues surrounding maintenance provisions, transfers of property, businesses, and pensions, often with an international element. Francesca also advises in private children law matters, including living and contact arrangements. Francesca’s empathetic nature allows her to be mindful of the emotions involved and she is dedicated to finding solutions for the family which focus on the best interests of the children. As a member of Resolution, Francesca is committed to resolving disputes constructively. She often uses alternative dispute resolution methods to resolve matters, avoiding the intervention of the court where possible.

Peters May LLP