Francesca Gardner

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Year of Call: 2004

Practice Areas

Banking, Dispute Resolution, Contract, (Commercial and Consumer), Fraud, Insolvency, Consumer Credit

Personal Injury and Adverse Outcome: Disease and Toxic Exposure, Professional Negligence, Trauma Litigation

Profile

Francesca joined Kings Chambers in the Autumn of 2005 upon successful completion of her pupillage.  She enjoys a mixed commercial practice, regularly acting and advising in a wide range of commercial disputes relating to contractual issues, finance and debt issues, sale and supply of goods and services, guarantees and disputed assignments.  Francesca also has experience of insolvency matters, mortgage repossessions and consumer credit disputes.

Francesca regularly undertakes work for a wide range of clients, from individual consumers to major financial institutions, undertaking both Claimant and Defendant work.  She has appeared regularly at County Court and High Court level and has delivered a number of seminars to both legal and professional bodies.

Francesca regularly undertakes advisory and advocacy work in all aspects of personal injury litigation, including road traffic, employer's and public liability. She has a developing practice in the area of Noise Induced Hearing Loss and also has experience of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome cases.  Francesca has a keen interest in developing her clinical negligence and pain practice.

Francesca is equally confident in both small value and high value claims, and has experience of multi-party fraud claims. She has extensive experience of advising and litigating at small claims, Fast-Track and Multi-Track level, acting equally for Claimants and Defendants, regularly advising both insurers and solicitors at the pre-action stage and throughout the litigation process.  Francesca is happy to undertake work on a CFA basis.  She also undertakes CPD-accredited training seminars.

Dispute Resolution

Francesca undertakes work in all aspects of commercial dispute resolution, including contractual disputes, sale and supply of goods and services, disputed assignments and guarantees.
She has experience of numerous cases involving issues relating to the Consumer Credit Act 1974, the Consumer Credit Act 2006 and the related Regulations. 
Francesca's experience has ranged from private contractual disputes involving elements of harassment, to high value commercial disputes relating to breach of product development contracts, from domestic contract disputes relating to sub-standard works, to acting for a major debt purchase company at first instance and appeal level in relation to a dispute over the validity of a debt assignment.

Finance

Francesca undertakes work in banking, finance and consumer credit. She has experience of lease finance, log book loans and bills of sale, together with disputes relating to the enforceability of consumer credit agreements and unfair relationships.

Insolvency 

Francesca has appeared regularly in the High Court and County Court on a range of corporate and personal insolvency matters including winding up, bankruptcy and setting aside statutory demands.

Professional Negligence

Francesca's experience encompasses professional negligence claims with a veterinary related element.

Seminars

Francesca has contributed to and delivered a number of seminars which include:

• Francesca contributed to the Credit Services Association Debt Buyers and Sellers Group Seminar in 2007, delivering a seminar on assignment of debts and legal challenges by the CAB
•  "A road map through the Consumer Credit Act" - NCCBA half-day seminar June 2010, to which Francesca contributed papers on extortionate credit bargains, documentary requirements pursuant to the 1974 Act and enhanced documentary requirements pursuant to the 2006 Act, rights and Powers afforded by the Act;
• "The Consumer Credit Acts" - Kings Chambers seminar, September 2010, to which Francesca contributed papers on the scope of the Act, the form and content of consumer credit agreements, exempt agreements, and debtor's rights, unenforceability and sections 56 and 75;
• In addition, Francesca has delivered numerous seminars directly to solicitors firms relating to procedural issues and the CPR.

Memberships

Lincoln's Inn
Northern and North Eastern Circuit
Personal Injury Bar Association
 

Career & Education

St John Fisher Roman Catholic High School and Sixth Form, 2000

Sheffield University, LLB 2:1, 2003

Nottingham Trent University, BVC, Very Competent, 2004

Pupillage at Kings Chambers 2005