Joanne Francis

0151 471 5439 joanne.francis@blmlaw.com View profile

Work Department

Personal injury.

Position

Joanne specialises in the full range of personal injury litigation, including employers’ liability, public liability and motor claims, with a particular focus on the transport, construction and retail sectors. She is head of BLM’s Liverpool office and manages its casualty team and clients on a day to day basis, working with insurer and corporate clients. She manages the relationship with clients and other key contractual partners, including captive insurers. She is responsible for operational processes and ensuring that the team provides a high-quality technical and robust service. Joanne leads BLM’s practice group, claims management service (CMS). This is a lawyer-led service which handles claims from pre-litigation through to litigation. It is an end to end claims management service focusing on minimising claims spend, claims analysis, claims rick management and strategically working with clients, primarily corporates, to look at best practice and innovative ideas to tackle the ever increasing burden of claims and claimant behaviours. Joanne works with a number of well-known and FTSE 100 companies that operate across the UK and Ireland. Joanne supports BLM’s insurance, retail, transport and construction section clients in identifying cost-effective dispute resolution strategies and the provision of risk management advice on all types of claims risks with a view to reducing litigation and leakage control. Joanne works with BLM partners to support clients across the business, being a member of the corporate and broker sector steering groups. She is also a member of AIRMIC.

Career

Joined BLM in 1993 as a legal executive; qualified as a solicitor in 2000 and made partner in 2002.

Languages

French, German.

Memberships

Law Society; FILEX (Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives); Liverpool Chamber of Commerce; FOIL; AIRMIC.

Education

West Kirby Grammar School for Girls; Institute of Legal Executives (LLB; PGDip Legal Practice (distinction)).

Leisure

Sports (cycling, walking, tennis, swimming), travel, camping, reading, DIY, gardening, cinema.