Francesca Bonner-Evans

Francesca is a Managing Associate in Linklaters' Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations team, specialising in investigations, contentious regulatory disputes, risk advisory and crisis management. 

With significant experience in the tech and consumer sectors, Francesca collaborates with the firm’s other leading practice areas, including TMT, ESG, AFIG, and Corporate, forming dynamic, multi-disciplinary teams. She is one of the key members of the Linklaters’ online safety team and has been leading the firm’s ECCTA multi-disciplinary offering.

Having worked in London, Australia, and the UAE, Francesca expertly navigates cross-border investigations and multi-jurisdictional matters. Her background includes roles in private practice at Westpac within the Breach Reporting team and Regulatory Investigations & Financial Crime team, and as a judicial assistant at the Chancery Division of the Royal Courts of Justice for Mr Justice Peter Smith.

Francesca is passionate about DEI and is one of the inaugural members of the department DEI Committee. She recently delivered a practice-wide session on unconscious gender bias. Her pro bono efforts include acting for eyeWitness to Atrocities. 

Work Highlights

• Entertainment platform: advising a major entertainment platform on a potential challenge to an international regulator’s decision concerning data privacy.
• Telefonica SA: acting in the successful defence of competition litigation proceedings brought by the administrators of Phones4U alleging collusion amongst UK mobile operators.
• Kelkoo: advising in connection with claims before the English High Court concerning abuse of dominance by Google.
• A range of clients including international financial institutions: advising on compliance and risk relating to online content, financial crime, modern slavery, human rights and whistleblowing; and designing, implementing and reviewing compliance and risk management frameworks.
• Regulated water supply company: advising on compliance with regulatory requirements, regulator engagement with the Environment Agency and Ofwat and assessing enforcement risks against commercial trade-offs.
• Major financial institutions and multinational corporations: advising on complex cross-jurisdictional investigations, including parallel probes by UK authorities including the SFO, PRA and FCA; Australian authorities including AUSTRAC, ASIC, and the AFP and the US DOJ.

Francesca studied Law at the University of Cambridge and le diplôme d'Études juridiques françaises at the University of Poitiers.