Francesca Whitelaw KC

Practice Areas

Francesca is a leading specialist in public law and police law. She represents public and private bodies in judicial review, civil actions, professional discipline, human rights, date protection, AI and information law, inquests and public inquiries. Francesca has particular expertise in national security.

Francesca took silk in 2023 having served on the Attorney General’s A Panel since 2020.

Francesca is currently instructed as Counsel to the Inquiry for the Sturgess Public Inquiry (Salisbury Novichok poisonings) and for Government bodies in the Forbury Gardens (Reading) Terror Attack Inquests and in the Infected Blood Inquiry.

She previously represented the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Home Office and MI5) and the Secretary of State for Justice (Prisons and Probation Services) for the Fishmongers’ Hall Terror Attack Inquests, having acted in the same role for the London Bridge and Borough Market Terror Attacks and the Westminster Bridge Terror Attack. She was also instructed by the Secretary of State for the Home Department for the Streatham Terror Attack inquest. Francesca appeared in the Court of Appeal in Bridges v South Wales Police (first case in the world to consider the use of facial recognition by police). She was also instructed by the Ministry of Defence to represent former soldiers for the Deepcut inquests.

Francesca has authored articles for national publications; she edits 5 Essex Chambers' data protection and information law bulletin, The Data Brief, and contributes to its police law publication The Beat.

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Professional Memberships

Member, ALBA