Interview with Sir Nicholas Francis

Nicholas Allen KC and HHJ Edward Hess interviewed Sir Nicholas Francis over dinner in December 2024, a few months after he retired from the High Court Bench.

• Journal

• HHJ Edward Hess | Chair of the Editorial Board
• Nicholas Allen KC

!18/03/2025 06:00

WW v XX [2024] EWFC 330 (B)11 October 2024

HHJ Hess. Final hearing involving valuation and matrimonial nature of business.

• Cases

• Matrimonial and Non-Matrimonial Property
• Experts
• Companies
• Valuations

• William Foulkes

SM v BA (No 2: Maintenance Pending Suit) [2025] EWFC 2819 February 2025

Nicholas Allen KC, sitting as a deputy High Court judge. Application to increase maintenance pending suit (MPS) in ‘super-rich’ financial remedies case.

• Cases

• Interim Relief
• Maintenance Pending Suit
• Costs
• Legal Services Payment Orders

• Abigail Clements-Bewley

CA v UK [2025] EWFC 117 (B)10 January 2025

HHJ Watkins. A substantive application by the father for a child maintenance order under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 (‘Schedule 1’); [12]. Within the application, the main issue concerned the most suitable jurisdiction for child maintenance dispute resolution. There were two jurisdictions involved in the forum conveniens dispute namely England and Wales and California.

• Cases

• Forum Conveniens
• Jurisdiction
• Child Maintenance
• Variation
• Children Act 1989 Schedule 1 Applications
• Forum Disputes
• Enforcement

• Stephanie Coker

AB v CD & Ors [2025] EWFC 95813 February 2025

HHJ Richard Williams. Judgment following a trial of a preliminary issue in financial remedy proceedings to determine (a) if a transfer of shares was made with the intention to defeat a claim for financial relief and should therefore be set aside and (b) if a loan had been made and, if so, if it had since been waived.

• Cases

• Loans
• Valuations
• Trusts

• Emily Lennon