Francesca Richmond

Francesca Richmond specializes in the litigation and investigation of high value commercial and regulatory enforcement matters. Her practice spans ethics, governance and human rights in addition to litigation of antitrust, consumer and data privacy law.

Francesca is recognised by Legal 500 as a Next Generation partner, was nominated as "Best in Litigation" Euromoney LMG Europe Women in Business Law Awards 2019 and was nominated as "Compliance Lawyer of the Year" at the Women in Compliance Awards 2019.

Commercial, competition and class action litigation

• Leading defence for Barclays Bank of civil claims for damage following on from regulatory investigations on FX, including bundled claims pursued by 174 funds in the High Court and two opt out class actions in the UK.

• Defended L'Oréal on challenge to selective distribution agreement brought by aspirant distributor and pursuit of ancillary debt claim.

• Acting for a global automotive parts manufacturer in defending claims across the UK, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands following on from regulatory investigations in respect of car parts.

• Defending an EU manufacturer of technical and comfort foam on claims following on from a settlement with the European Commission.

• Acting for a global electronics manufacturer on defence of claims following on from regulatory investigations in respect of microchips.

• Lead advisor to one of five defendants to a High Court follow-on action for damages by tire manufacturers in respect of the Butadienne Rubber cartel - including litigation of an "Italian torpedo".

• Advised a European medical devices manufacturer on contentious competition litigation strategy and securing supply from a dominant upstream manufacturer.

Regulatory investigations and enforcement

• Advised Facebook on the appeal of sanctions imposed by the UK Information Commissioner on grounds of fairness and interpretation of law in respect of Cambridge Analytica sanction.

• Advised a global social media platform in relation to alleged misuse of 86 million users' data and defence of regulatory investigations on data privacy, consumer and competition breaches across 36 jurisdictions.

• Acted for a global investment bank in coordinating intensive audit over a two year period of all business areas and 5,500 employees - including follow up investigation and reporting on a number of regulatory matters arising from that work to UK and EU authorities.

• Law Society of England and Wales
• Law Society of Ireland
• Administrative Law Bar Association

Francesca has assisted the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as intervener before the Supreme Court, in one case regarding the application of the internal flight alternative in international refugee law and another on whether, rather than seeking refuge, individuals should be obliged to feign loyalty to a political regime in order to avoid persecutory ill-treatment.

Francesca researched and helped to draft an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on behalf of the Council for Parent Attorneys and Advocates regarding the protections afforded to students suffering from disabilities while seconded to Baker McKenzie in Chicago.

• Chicago
• Sydney