She is very good at engaging with clients.
Events / Webinars
Wilberforce Civil Fraud Conference 2026
Tuesday 7 July 2026 | 1pm - 5.50pm, followed by drinks and canapés
The View at Royal College of Surgeons, London
£165 + VAT | 3.0 CPD
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Practice overview
Francesca has a dynamic commercial chancery practice including commercial, property, company, insolvency and trusts. She is regularly instructed as sole counsel in the High Court and County Court, as well as being a brilliant team player within a larger counsel team.
Before joining Wilberforce, Francesca worked as in-house counsel for Darktrace, a leading cyber security company, and its sister company Luminance, an artificial intelligence provider for the legal profession. Having experienced litigation both as client and as counsel, Francesca understands the pressures that each client is under and works to swiftly ascertain and serve her clients’ best interests.
Francesca accepts instructions in all of Chambers’ main practice areas.
Francesca's expertise
Commercial disputes
Notable recent cases include:
- A six-week High Court trial concerning a high value property development, breach of confidence, breach of fiduciary duty, dishonest assistance and unlawful means conspiracy. Led by Jonathan Seitler KC and Benjamin Faulkner, and acting against Joanne Wicks KC and Jia Wei Lee.
- Successfully appearing in the Court of Appeal, led by Gilead Cooper KC, in a matter that determined the Court of Appeal’s approach to extensions of time during COVID-19.
- Acting as junior counsel to defend a £1.5 billion unlawful means conspiracy claim, led by James Bailey KC.
- Francesca is currently acting as sole counsel representing 19 individual claimants in a complex fraud claim concerning a carbon credit scam.
- Acting as junior counsel in an international arbitration concerning a €90 million contract to modernize a power station in Eastern Europe, led by James Bailey KC. This included performing detailed document review, proofing witnesses and drafting complex, technical witness evidence about the workings of the power station.
- Acting as sole counsel on a long running joint venture/ breach of partnership dispute.
- Francesca regularly acts in all stages of litigation, from delivering commercial pre-issue advice, to drafting complex pleadings, performing comprehensive disclosure reviews, conducting the effective proofing of witnesses and incisive cross-examination in court.
- Francesca has acted in both international and domestic arbitrations and is experienced in all stages of the arbitral process.
She is very good at engaging with clients.- Francesca is really helpful on a practical level as well as technical.
- Extremely intelligent and an absolute pleasure to work with. A tenacious barrister whose work in and out of the court room was invaluable.
- Francesca’s innate power to read individuals and evolving circumstances with acute accuracy, whilst remaining serenely calm and measured, makes her the junior-of-choice for disputes work.
Commercial disputes insights & events View all thought leadership View all events
News
Nine Wilberforce barristers feature in three of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2025
We are delighted to announce that Wilberforce barristers appear in three of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2025, identifying the upcoming year’s most-talked-about disputes. Nine of our members are involved across the highlighted matters. The Public Institution For Social... Read more
Monday 6 January 2025
View moreEvents / Webinars
Wilberforce Fraud, Trusts & Asset Recovery Conference 2024
Thursday 4th July 2024 | 12.30pm - 5.25pm, followed by drinks and canapés
The View at The Royal College of Surgeons£135 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Wilberforce Cayman Conference 2023
Thursday 14th September 2023 | 3.45pm - 6.55pm followed by a dinner buffet
Kimpton Seafire ResortFree to attend | 2.25 CPD
View more
Francesca's expertise
Property
Notable recent cases include:
- A six-week High Court trial concerning a high value property development, breach of confidence, breach of fiduciary duty, dishonest assistance and unlawful means conspiracy. Led by Jonathan Seitler KC and Benjamin Faulkner, and acting against Joanne Wicks KC and Jia Wei Lee.
- As sole counsel, Francesca has successfully resisted an emergency injunction application in the High Court on behalf of a residential landlord and recovered the landlord’s costs.
- Acting in a domestic arbitration concerning the design and installation of hundreds of biomass boilers on properties across England, led by Julian Greenhill KC.
- Acted for telecoms operators to advise on renewals and concurrent leases.
- Francesca has a wealth of experience drafting pleadings in both commercial rent arrears and dilapidations claims.
- Francesca is routinely instructed to advise on a diverse range of issues including: commercial landlord and tenant issues, the construction and enforcement of restrictive covenants and Japanese Knotwood claims.
- Francesca co-wrote a chapter entitled “Some problems concerning nuisance and landlord and tenant” in “Current Issues in Nuisance and Trespass” (a Wilberforce ebook) with Benjamin Faulkner.
- She is very good at engaging with clients.
- Francesca is really helpful on a practical level as well as technical.
- Extremely intelligent and an absolute pleasure to work with. A tenacious barrister whose work in and out of the court room was invaluable.
- Francesca’s innate power to read individuals and evolving circumstances with acute accuracy, whilst remaining serenely calm and measured, makes her the junior-of-choice for disputes work.
Property insights & events View all thought leadership View all events
Events / Webinars
Property Breakfast Briefing – Rescission
Wednesday 6 May 2026 | 8.30am - 9.30am
Wilberforce Chambers, 77 Chancery LaneFree to attend | 1.0 CPD
View morePublications
The First 100 Years of the Law of Property Act 1925
Sir Paul Morgan | John McGhee KC | Joanne Wicks KC | Martin Hutchings KC | Jonathan Davey KC | Julian Greenhill KC | Tiffany Scott KC | Zoë Barton KC | Benjamin Faulkner | James McCreath | Jonathan Chew | Harriet Holmes | Alice Hawker | Simon Atkinson | Francesca Mitchell | Daniel Petrides | Samuel Cathro | Ernest Leung
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November 2025External Conferences
PLA South West & Wales Training Event
Thursday 15 May 2025
Burges Salmon, BristolSpeakers:
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John McGhee KC | Tiffany Scott KC | Harriet Holmes | Daniel Scott | Francesca MitchellEvents / Webinars
The First 100 Years of the Law of Property Act 1925: A Celebration
Thursday 1 May 2025 | 12.15pm - 5.55pm, followed by drinks and canapés
The View at The Royal College of Surgeons, London£75 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View more
Francesca's expertise
Insolvency
Notable recent cases include:
- Counsel General for Wales & Ors v Gareth Allen (as Official Receiver) & Ors [2022] EWHC 647 (Ch). Successfully challenged a decision of the Official Receiver to terminate the supply of electricity to flood defences in Wales, considering the “perversity” test in s.168(5) IA86 and the role of environmental factors in a liquidator’s decision-making. Led by Thomas Robinson and acting with Daniel Petrides.
- Francesca has successfully appeared in numerous winding up and bankruptcy petitions.
- Francesca is experienced in successfully setting aside statutory demands and recovering her clients’ costs.
- As a pupil, Francesca was involved in the Miss World litigation concerning the abuse of the IVA procedure.
- She is very good at engaging with clients.
- Francesca is really helpful on a practical level as well as technical.
- Extremely intelligent and an absolute pleasure to work with. A tenacious barrister whose work in and out of the court room was invaluable.
- Francesca’s innate power to read individuals and evolving circumstances with acute accuracy, whilst remaining serenely calm and measured, makes her the junior-of-choice for disputes work.
Insolvency insights & events View all thought leadership View all events
Events / Webinars
Wilberforce Insolvency Conference & Dinner 2026
Thursday 26 March 2026 | 12.45pm - 5.50pm followed by drinks and dinner
InterContinental Park Lane, London£145 - £195 (+ VAT) | 3.5 CPD
View moreNews
Nine Wilberforce barristers feature in three of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2025
We are delighted to announce that Wilberforce barristers appear in three of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2025, identifying the upcoming year’s most-talked-about disputes. Nine of our members are involved across the highlighted matters. The Public Institution For Social... Read more
Monday 6 January 2025
View moreEvents / Webinars
Wilberforce Fraud, Trusts & Asset Recovery Conference 2024
Thursday 4th July 2024 | 12.30pm - 5.25pm, followed by drinks and canapés
The View at The Royal College of Surgeons£135 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Wilberforce Insolvency Conference & Dinner 2024
Thursday 1st February 2024 | 12.30pm - 5.55pm, followed by drinks and dinner
The Carlton Tower Jumeirah, London£130 - £185 + VAT | 4 CPD
View more
Francesca's expertise
Trusts, probate and estates: contentious
Notable recent cases include:
- Successfully representing a trustee company appointed by the Pensions Regulator in respect of four claims brought by the former trustees for payment of their invoices.
- Advising the trustees of a large family trust on the exit avenues available to them, and the ramifications of winding up the trust.
- Advising a beneficiary under a family trust as to the potential professional negligence of the trustees.
- She is very good at engaging with clients.
- Francesca is really helpful on a practical level as well as technical.
- Extremely intelligent and an absolute pleasure to work with. A tenacious barrister whose work in and out of the court room was invaluable.
- Francesca’s innate power to read individuals and evolving circumstances with acute accuracy, whilst remaining serenely calm and measured, makes her the junior-of-choice for disputes work.
Trusts, probate and estates: contentious insights & events View all thought leadership View all events
Events / Webinars
Wilberforce Trusts Litigation Day 2026
Monday 19 January 2026 | 9am - 5.45pm followed by drinks and dinner
InterContinental Park Lane, London£315 - £380 (+VAT) | 5.5 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Wilberforce Fraud, Trusts & Asset Recovery Conference 2024
Thursday 4th July 2024 | 12.30pm - 5.25pm, followed by drinks and canapés
The View at The Royal College of Surgeons£135 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Wilberforce Cayman Conference 2023
Thursday 14th September 2023 | 3.45pm - 6.55pm followed by a dinner buffet
Kimpton Seafire ResortFree to attend | 2.25 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Wilberforce BVI Conference 2023
Tuesday 12th September 2023 | 3.30pm - 6.25pm followed by a dinner buffet
Scrub Island ResortFree to attend | 1.5 CPD
View more
Francesca's Details
BSB/VAT information
Registered name: Miss Francesca Catherine Mitchell
VAT number: 335440714
Qualifications and Appointments
- BA (Hons) English Literature, University of York (First Class Honours)
- MPhil Medieval and Renaissance Literature, University of Cambridge (Pass, First Class)
- Graduate Diploma in Law, BPP (Distinction)
- Bar Professional Training Course, City Law School (Very Competent)
- Searle Reader Prize, Pembroke College, Cambridge
- Hardwicke Entrance Award, Lincoln’s Inn
- Lord Mansfield Scholar, Lincoln’s Inn
Clerk details
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