Francis has a busy litigation practice in contractual and other commercial disputes in the High Court, often acting against silks as sole counsel. He is equally active offshore, appearing regularly in the DIFC Courts in Dubai, the ADGM Courts in Abu Dhabi and the Isle of Man. He has also appeared in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar.  Francis has extensive recent experience involving conflict of laws, including both jurisdiction and applicable law disputes.

Cases

Examples of Francis’ recent experience include:

• Parry, Morrison and Pankovas v Quilter International Isle of Man Ltd (Isle of Man High Court, ORD 21/0011, ORD 23/0009 & ORD 24/0018) (2025 – present) — Francis is currently acting in three consolidated sets of proceedings in the Isle of Man for Utmost Isle of Man Limited and Utmost PanEurope Limited, concerning Portfolio Bond investment products, with combined claims totalling over £200 million. The proceedings raise complex conflict-of-laws and foreign law issues involving over twelve potential applicable laws and twenty test claims.  The case includes issues pertaining to alleged breach of fiduciary duty and claims in: (a) dishonest assistance; (b) unlawful means conspiracy; (c) implied fraudulent misrepresentation; and (d) breach of a relational contract of good faith (with William Buck).
• JDK v (1) Bourgade (2) Asluma (BL-2024-000345) (March 2024 – present). Francis is currently acting in a bitterly fought EUR 47,500,000 joint venture dispute in the Chancery division of the High Court in London, concerning the disputed beneficial ownership of 95% of an Italian airline. The claim concerns issues including (a) formation of contract; (b) certainty of terms; (c) Pallant v Morgan trusts; (d) sham contracts; and (e) alleged breaches of foreign banking and regulatory aviation laws. (As sole counsel and also led by Ed Cumming KC).
• Edge v OFCOM [2025] EWHC 2758 (KB) — Francis acted as sole counsel in a High Court challenge concerning the Wireless Telegraphy (Exemption) Regulations 2003 (as amended 2016) and Ofcom’s Commercial Multi-User Gateway review.  The case concerned nuanced questions at the intersection of commercial and regulatory law, including the effect of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023, including whether claims previously brought under the Francovich rule could be brought in common law for breach of a statutory tort.
• Kiveli v Afina I [2025] EWHC 1185 (Admlty) — Francis acted for the owners of the MV Kiveli in a US$35,000,000 tort claim in the Admiralty Court concerning the collision of two bulk carriers off Kithira Island, Greece; with liability apportioned 80/20 against the KIVELI. (With Chris Smith KC).
• LemFi v Moniepoint & PayrNet (LM-2025-000393) (November 2025 – present) — Sole counsel in a claim between fintech remittance businesses, concerning alleged passing off, commercial tort and interim injunctive relief.

Interlocutory injunctions

Francis regularly acts in interlocutory applications. He has particular expertise in: (a) freezing injunctions; (b) proprietary injunctions; and (c) anti-suit injunctions. This includes both in the English High Court, the DIFC Courts in Dubai, and the ADGM Courts in Abu Dhabi. Examples include:

• NMC Healthcare v Noor Capital PSC [2022] ADGM CFI 0003 — Francis acted in resisting an anti-suit (anti-execution) injunction sought by the administrators of NMC Healthcare to restrain enforcement in Dubai of an AED 567m Payment Order, arising out of the collapse of NMC Health — one of the largest corporate failures in UAE history; the first ADGM authority on the Court’s power to restrain enforcement proceedings in the Courts of another Emirate in aid of an insolvency moratorium and Deed of Company Arrangement. (With Elizabeth Blackburn KC).
• JDK v (1) Bourgade (2) Asluma (BL-2024-000345) (March 2024 – present) An ex parte application in the Chancery division of the High Court, for a proprietary injunction to prevent the sale of shares in an Italian airline, worth US$46,000,000.
• LemFi v Moniepoint (LM-2025-000393) — Interim injunctive relief in a Commercial Court claim between fintech remittance businesses.
• Akbar v Ghaffar [2023] EWHC 1275 (Ch); [2024] EWHC 50 (Ch) — Applications to discharge and vary a worldwide freezing order in the Business and Property Courts in Manchester.
• Sohrab Khan Malik Limited v Habib Bank Zurich PLC (PT-2024-000114) — Francis defended a without notice application in the High Court for an injunction against fixed-charge receivers appointed over commercial property. The case involved an extremely tight timeframe, with two hours’ preparation from instruction to appearance in court.  The application underscores Francis’ ability to assimilate large amounts of information swiftly and act adeptly under extreme time pressure.

“A confident, assertive and fluent advocate” who is “excellent on his feet”,  a significant proportion of Francis’ work is in international arbitration. Legal 500 2026 praises his “deep knowledge of English law as well as litigation and arbitration procedures”.  Chambers UK 2026 describes him as “a seasoned litigator with great judgement, deep knowledge and instinct” whose “professional preparation of written submissions and legal advice is phenomenal”.

Francis practises under all major institutional rules — including LCIA, ICC, DIAC, SIAC, HKIAC, UNCITRAL, the Swiss Arbitration Rules and LMAA — and in associated High Court applications under sections 67 to 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996.

Cases

Recent international arbitration experience includes:

• Sole counsel in a combined US$11,000,000 set of inter-related SIAC and DIAC international arbitrations regarding the sale and purchase of three cargoes of Russian gasoline, including jurisdictional challenges, extended FOB contracts, MTBE quality disputes and a US$4,000,000 counterclaim.
• Sole counsel for the claimant in an ad hoc international arbitration a multi-million dollar joint venture wind farm, between Danish and Irish companies. The case concerned whether an employee of the Respondent could be bound to work solely for the JV during his employment or whether any contractual provision to that effect constituted a restraint of trade. It also contained nuanced questions relating to whether in fact the contract purported to bind the Respondent to ensure that the employee did work for the JV. The case was notable for having an incredibly tight timeframe in which the arbitration had be completed (3 months).
• Co-counsel alongside a Ukrainian law firm in a US$11,000,000 LCIA arbitration, regarding consignments of coal sold by a Russian-UBO seller to a Ukrainian buyer; involving the application of the Ralli Bros and Foster v Driscoll principles and Ukrainian moratoriums on trade with Russian-owned entities.
• Sole counsel in a EUR 15,000,000 LMAA international arbitration concerning the charter of two tugboats under four related charterparties, involving claims in debt and damages for fraudulent misrepresentation.
• Sole counsel in a US$15,000,000 DIFC-LCIA international arbitration on the meaning and effect of a “guarantee cheque” used to secure payment of a cargo of gasoil and gasoline; whether the instrument was a cheque, akin to a guarantee, akin to a demand bond, or a bill of exchange.
• Sole counsel in a multi-million-dollar oil & gas LCIA international arbitration concerning the sale and purchase of an oil block in Pakistan, including the inter-relationship between the Pakistan Arbitration Act 1940 and the (Arbitration Agreements and Foreign Arbitral Awards) Act 2011, and questions of seat and governing law of the arbitration agreement under Enka v Chubb.
• A US$300,000,000 SIAC international arbitration concerning gross negligence and fraud allegations in relation to the construction of a dam in Central Asia which collapsed, killing over fifty people and displacing thousands of families. (With Colin Ong KC).
• A US$900 million ICC arbitration, defending an LNG merchant from a price review request brought by a supplier under a long-term supply contract; involving the interpretation of the price-review clause and Article 101 TFEU competition arguments on dual pricing across the European single market.
• A billion-dollar international arbitration relating to the manufacture of potentially toxic baby milk formula, concerning a supplier’s alleged continuing fraudulent misrepresentations that base powder was safe despite internal concerns it may contain toxic anaerobic bacteria.
• A US$4 million DIFC-LCIA international arbitration on the sale and purchase of a UAE-based wealth management company; alleged negligent due diligence by an in-house lawyer.

Shortlisted for Shipping, Commodities and Aviation Junior of the Year 2025, co-author of the latest edition of Debattista on Bills of Lading in Commodities Trade and the creator of the website Strickland’s Shipping Guide, Legal 500 2026 attests, “His strength is in understanding the law”. “Francis is great. Clients love his direct and commercial approach”. Chambers UK 2026 records that his “communication was effective throughout, and his advocacy was easy to follow, well structured and delivered with excellence”.

Francis acts across the full spectrum of wet and dry shipping work — collisions, charterparty disputes (bareboat, time and voyage; including laytime and demurrage, NOR and bunker disputes), cargo claims (including transhipment), and shipbuilding and insolvency claims. He has worked with most of the standard charterparty and bills of lading forms, including Gencon, Congenbill, NYPE, Synacomex, Supplytime, Tankervoy and Towcon.

Cases

Wet shipping

Recent wet shipping disputes include:

• Kiveli v Afina I [2025] EWHC 1185 (Admlty) — With Chris Smith KC in a US$35 million Admiralty Court collision claim (trial November 2024) concerning the application of the Collision Regulations and apportionment of causative blameworthiness. The collision occurred on 13 March 2021 off Kithira Island, Greece; the bow of KIVELI struck the port side of AFINA I’s no. 4 hold and the vessels remained interlocked for some 20 days while salvors recovered them.
• Oldstone Cargo Limited v His Majesty’s Attorney General for Gibraltar & Ors, 2024/GSC/007 Francis acted as sole counsel for the insurers of the OS35, a vessel which collided with the LNG tanker the Adam LNG before sinking off the coast of Gibraltar on 29 August 2022.  Appearing against Gilbert Licudi KC (for the Gibraltar Port Authority) and Anne Rose (for owners of the Adam LNG), Francis successfully argued that a Letter of Undertaking from the OS35’s insurers was “adequate” and “acceptable” security for the purposes of Article 11.2 of the Limitation Convention 1976 (as amended).  The case provides valuable precedent regarding the correct application of The Atlantik Confidence (the leading authority on this point) and also explained that the Gibraltar Port Authority’s blanket refusal to accept LOUs was ultra vires and put it (and the United Kingdom) in breach of their obligations under public international law, and was therefore illegal.
• Sole counsel in an LMAA arbitration in a US$25,000,000 dispute concerning the grounding of owners’ vessel on an unmarked shoal, off the coast of Venezuela. The case concerns the law on: (a) charterer’s obligation to nominate a safe port; and (b) owners’ obligation to provide a seaworthy vessel.
• Sole counsel in a LMAA arbitration concerning the grounding of a vessel in the channel approaching the port of Douala in Cameroon. The dispute involves complex issues of law and fact, regarding the preparation of and deviation from the passage plan, contemporaneous evidence of trim, and causation.

Charterparty Disputes

• Sole counsel on a charterparty dispute concerning a vessel plying her trade in the Arabian Gulf. The dispute related to whether owners of the vessel were under an implied obligation to obtain additional war risks premium (AWRP) as if they themselves were paying, or whether they could simply accept any premium charged and pass it to charterers. Additionally, the case requires expert evidence on the appropriate AWRP for the time in question.
• LMAA arbitration defence & counterclaim submissions for a time-charterer in a dispute against owners for: (1) the alleged non-payment of hire; (2) tallying charges at the discharge port; (3) expenses incurred by owners in relation to a threatened suit against owners by receivers of the cargo. The case involves questions of: (a) jurisdiction; (b) validity of NOR; (c) a counterclaim for losses under a sale contract to pay despatch to the shipper.
• LMAA arbitration claim for a declaration of non-liability for additional freight under a voyage-charter. The claim turns on the correct methodology to calculate a freight differential, where the charterparty permitted the charterer to nominate a different discharge port.
• Ad hoc arbitration claim against charterers for damages for detention. The claim concerns whether charterers were using the vessel as floating storage during the Covid-19 first wave oil glut; and whether damages at large or whether limited to the demurrage rate.
• US$1.95m claim relating to the unseaworthiness of a vessel under a voyage-charter. The case involved questions regarding: (1) recoverable damages under the second limb of Hadley v Baxendale; (2) the law regarding penalty clauses; (3) the inter-relationship between an underlying sale contract and the voyage-charter.
• Advising on whether time-charterers had given legitimate orders to the master of a vessel, such that the vessel could complete those orders and meet its redelivery window in time.
• Francis was led by Elizabeth Blackburn KC in a successful application to the High Court under s.24 of the Arbitration Act 1996 to remove the arbitrator in the case on the basis of apparent bias. Such applications are rarely successful. The underlying dispute concerned an alleged breach of a charterparty.

Commodities, international trade and sale of goods

• Sole counsel in a combined US$11,000,000 set of inter-related SIAC and DIAC international arbitrations regarding the sale and purchase of three cargoes of Russian gasoline, including jurisdictional challenges, extended FOB contracts, MTBE quality disputes and a US$4,000,000 counterclaim.
• Sole counsel for a Ukrainian buyer under a US$9,000,000 sale contract regarding whether they were able/required as a matter of English law to pay their Russian counterpart, where it would be illegal to do so as a matter of Ukrainian law, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
• Sole counsel in a DIFC-LCIA arbitration and parallel DIFC Court proceedings concerning a sale contract for 20,000 MT of gasoline and 20,000 MT of gasoil delivered CIF Nicaragua, including injunctive relief in the DIFC Court to restrain presentment of a guarantee cheque.
• Advising on whether it was lawful for a buyer to terminate a US$10million GAFTA sale contract for the sale and purchase of grain that had been loaded onto a vessel in Odessa, in circumstances where the vessel could not be fumigated and nor bills of lading issued, due to the ongoing conflict.
• Advising an exporter of household plants to a now insolvent UK high street chain whether they could stop US$8,000,000 of goods in transit from China to the UK, following the chain’s insolvency.
• Lemarc v Black Sea Commodities [2021] EWHC 287 (Comm). Francis acted as sole counsel in this leading case concerning a contract for the sale and purchase of grain on recap and GAFTA standard form. The case concerned questions including whether: (a) brokers’ communications had resulted in a binding contract; and (b) whether the parties had incorporated an arbitration agreement into the sale contract.
• Sole counsel in an international arbitration concerning the supply and purchase of molasses under a 2018 Molasses Agreement.
• Acting in a GAFTA Board of Appeal from a first-tier award concerning the sale and purchase of grain.
• Sole counsel in an LMAA bunker-quality arbitration concerning compliance with ISO 8217 specifications, including pleadings and amended rejoinder.
• Sole counsel in an LMAA bunkers dispute concerning ISO 8217:2010 and 2017 specifications, including claim and defence submissions.

Civil fraud disputes are a central component of Francis’ practice. He has broad experience across a range of issues directly and indirectly relevant to this area of law, including claims in the tort of deceit (fraudulent misrepresentation), unjust enrichment, the tort of conversion, knowing receipt, constructive trusts, unlawful means conspiracy, dishonest assistance, sham trusts, and lifting the corporate veil.

Francis has significant experience in obtaining and resisting interim applications for freezing injunctions, proprietary injunctions, and applications for contempt of court.

Cases

His notable recent experience includes:

• Parry, Morrison and Pankovas v Quilter International Isle of Man Ltd (Isle of Man High Court, ORD 21/0011, ORD 23/0009 & ORD 24/0018) (2025 – present) — Francis is currently acting in three consolidated sets of proceedings in the Isle of Man for Utmost Isle of Man Limited and Utmost PanEurope Limited, concerning Portfolio Bond investment products, with combined claims totalling over £200 million. The proceedings raise complex conflict-of-laws and foreign law issues involving over twelve potential applicable laws and twenty test claims.  The case includes issues pertaining to alleged breach of fiduciary duty and claims in: (a) dishonest assistance; (b) unlawful means conspiracy; (c) implied fraudulent misrepresentation; and (d) breach of a relational contract of good faith (with William Buck).
• JDK Holdings Corp v Bourgade (BL-2024-000345) (March 2024 – present) — Francis is currently acting for the alleged beneficial owner of 95% of an Italian airline. The case concerns, among others, allegations of: (a) breach of contract; (b) breach of a Pallant v Morgan trust; and allegations of (c) the use of sham consultancy agreements (With Ed Cumming KC).
• Akbar v Ghaffar [2023] EWHC 1275 (Ch); [2024] EWHC 50 (Ch) — Sole counsel in multiple applications to discharge and vary a worldwide freezing order, together with related CMC and judgment applications, in a high-value Business and Property Courts claim in Manchester.
• A EUR 15,000,000 LMAA international arbitration. The case concerned the hire of two tugboats under four related charterparties. It involved allegations of fraudulent misrepresentation/misstatement by the charterer, to induce the owners to enter follow-on charters.
• Counsel for the owner of a Bombardier 5000 jet in the recovery of monies earmarked for the aircraft’s re-upholstery and stolen by way of a push-payment invoice fraud, including Norwich Pharmacal relief.

Francis has a busy procurement law practice, which dovetails with his work as a commercial litigation specialist.  This includes, among other cases, advising the owners of a nuclear facility in the UK on its invitation to tender for the provision of services, subject to the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (“PCR 2015”) and related legislation.

Cases

Francis acts for both contracting authorities and bidders under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 and the Procurement Act 2023. Recent experience includes:

• Marston Holdings v DVLA (HT-2025-000348 & HT-2025-000448) (2025 – present) — Acting in three related TCC procurement claims challenging the award of the DVLA’s VED enforcement-services contract. (With Ewan West KC).
• Rexel v Sellafield Ltd (HT-2024-000086) (2024) — Acting for Sellafield in a TCC procurement challenge concerning the moderated tender scores in the Tender 1 MRO Electrical & Instrumentation procurement. (With Valentina Sloane KC)
• Advising a healthcare provider on its challenge to an NHS England competitive-process tender for Lot 5 hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy services.
• Advising the owners of a UK nuclear facility on an invitation to tender for services subject to the PCR 2015.

Francis has a growing competition law practice.  This includes: (a) Antitrust (Article 101 TFEU/Chapter I Competition Act 1998 and Article 102 TFEU/Chapter II Competition Act 1998); (b) class actions; (c) fast track competition claims.

Francis is acting in the collective proceedings against Google before the Competition Appeal Tribunal concerning alleged abuse of dominance in the online search and search-advertising markets in the UK. The claim is valued at over £7 billion. (With Ben Lask KC, Danny Jowell KC and Colin West KC).

Francis acted on a US$1 billion international arbitration, concerning an LNG price review in a claim for a price review brought by a supplier under a long-term supply contract.  The case involved questions of competition law, specifically whether an adjustment to the price under the contract would breach Article 101 TFEU by segmenting the European single market, through the introduction of a dual-pricing mechanism.

Francis has a growing practice in sports-related litigation and arbitration, including for Premier League football clubs, Formula 1 teams, and others.  His extensive experience of regulatory, licensing, and contractual disputes in commercial litigation, international arbitration, and mediation, make him uniquely well-placed to cover a wide range of issues faced by clubs/teams, players/drivers and agents alike.

Cases

• Advising on Formula 1’s rejection of an application to enter F1 (following the FIA’s approval on 2 October 2023), including the 2021 Concorde Governance and Commercial Agreements and the 2024 FIA Sporting Regulations and International Sporting Code.
• Advising a Premier League football club on a commercial dispute.

International Arbitration : General Commercial & Insurance: “He is a seasoned litigator with great judgement, deep knowledge and instinct. His professional preparation of written submissions and legal advice is phenomenal.” – Chambers UK, 2026

Shipping: “Francis is great. Clients love his direct and commercial approach” –  Legal 500, 2026

“He was excellent on his feet. He presented our case clearly and concisely, and he dealt with some fairly robust questions and objections calmly and in a very professional manner.” – Chambers UK, 2026

“His strength is in understanding the law. He goes into good detail on that side and is quite a charming advocate.”  – Chambers UK, 2026

Shipping & Commodities: “His communication was effective throughout, and his advocacy was easy to follow, well structured and delivered with excellence.” – Chambers UK, 2026

Commodities: “His advocacy is clear and effective, and he is very pragmatic and able to flex the legal strategy to meet the client’s objectives.” – Legal 500, 2026

International Arbitration: Counsel: “His warm personality combined with his high level of professionalism made him an absolute pleasure to work with” –  Legal 500, 2025

Commercial (Middle East: The English Bar): “A powerful and persuasive advocate with excellent tactical sense. Great at coping with time pressure and always responsive and reliable.”– Legal 500, 2025

Commodities: “Personable, robust, and quick-thinking, he goes the extra mile.”– Legal 500, 2025

Shipping & Commodities: “Francis is good on his feet. He is thorough, responsive and a good barrister.” “Francis is very responsive and comes highly recommended.” – Chambers UK and Chambers Global, 2025

Ranked in Shipping –  Legal 500, 2025

“He is incredibly intelligent and a brilliant barrister” – Chambers UK, 2024

“Incredible attention to detail and thinks outside the box. A solution focussed individual.”– Legal 500, 2023

“An extremely bright lawyer and great advocate who presents arguments with ease and confidence.”– Legal 500, 2023

“Francis is a delight to work with. He is extremely personable, which means he is excellent at striking up a rapport with tribunals. He is very creative and imaginative in his approach to structuring a case.”– Legal 500, 2023

“Francis is very smart, a good advocate and offers great client service.” – Chambers UK, 2024

“He is user-friendly and very much a team player.” – Chambers UK, 2024

“Francis is a confident, assertive and fluent advocate” – Legal 500, 2024

“Very dynamic, able to respond quickly, and provide assistance in every aspect of the work. He gets involved and adds a lot of value.” – Legal 500, 2024

“Francis is personable and has a great manner in explaining complicated matters in layman’s terms” – Legal 500, 2024

“An accomplished advocate despite his junior level. Responsive and hard working with a solution-oriented mindset.” – Legal 500, 2024

“He is user-friendly and very much a team player.” – Chambers UK, 2024

• BPTC (College of Law), GDL (City).
• City University/Falcon Chambers essay prize winner. 2011
• Hubert Monroe Scholar (The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple). 2011
• Blackstone Entrance Exhibitioner (The Hon. Society of the Middle Temple). 2010
• MA. Psychosocial Studies (on the intersection of neuroscience and psychoanalysis). Birkbeck College, University of London. Distinction. 2021
• BA (hons) English Literature, St Cuthbert’s Society, Durham University. First-class honours (third in year). 2010