Wedlake Bell LLP

Insolvency/litigation.

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.

Frances gained her LLB (Hons) at Kings’ College, London University in 1983. She then attended Chester College of Law. She joined Moon Beever in 1984 (where she trained) qualifying in 1986, and became a partner in 1988, becoming Managing Partner in 2000 and Senior Partner in 2014. She joined Wedlake Bell from Moon Beever in July 2021 when the firms merged and is a member of the Board.

Frances was formerly Chairman of the SPG Committee of R3, the Insolvency trade body representing 97% of licensed insolvency practitioners. She was President of R3 2011-12 and a member of council until April 2022. She remains a member of R3 Policy Group and Chairs the R3 Fraud Faculty. She became appointed to the Board of the Insolvency Service as a non executive director in April 2022. She now chairs the R3 Fraud Group. She is Deputy Chair of the Fraud Advisory Panel, a charity dedicated to anti-fraud work, and a member of the Economic Crime Prevention Group. She is a Special Constable with the National Crime Agency receiving a Director General’s commendation in 2016 for her innovative work with the NCA.

Some French.

R3; Insol International; Insol Europe; IBA; ILA; ICM Think Tank; Board Trustee Fraud Advisory Panel; Special Constable National Crime Agency; Proceeds of Crime Lawyers’ Association.

Sheffield High School for Girls GPDST; King’s College, London University (1980 LLB Hons; DIP EC 1991); Chester College of Law (1984).

All things equestrian; opera and theatre; travel, walking; socialising, especially with husband and daughters. Member Carlton Club, Blacksmiths Liveryman, Freeman of City of London.