Chambers of Sir Geoffrey Cox KC

• Civil litigation including personal injury
• Data protection and information technology (cyberlaw)
• Court of Protection
• Coroner’s inquests and inquiries
• Regulatory
• Property
• Contract
Francis was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 2007. He also dual qualified as a solicitor-advocate in 2012 and returned to the Bar in 2013. He has practised exclusively at the Bar since then.
Francis is known for being articulate, direct, and for giving sound legal advice to professional and lay clients alike. His practice expertise has developed not only practising at the Bar in London and on different circuits, but also from his professional experience as a solicitor with a large national law firm.
Francis’ unique and diverse practice profile makes him extremely versatile, in both advising clients and representing them in court. He is equally experienced and comfortable bringing and defending claims and applications. He receives repeat instructions to represent claimants and applicants as well as defendants and respondents alike.
As a highly experienced and accomplished advocate, he brings an extensive range of oral and written advocacy experience and expertise to each of the cases he is instructed on. This is a particular strength in his practice that he continues to actively extend. Francis employs a meticulous approach in his case analysis and case preparation. In complex cases, he also relies on analytical skills he acquired and refined as a research scientist.
Francis’ advocacy experience is particularly extensive. It is drawn from continuous instructions and appearances in trials, hearings, and appeals in the County Court, High Court, Coroner’s Court, Senior Courts Costs Office, as well as the Employment and First-Tier Tribunals and disciplinary hearings.
With this significant breath of experience, he is extremely sensitive to and very familiar with the different advocacy approaches that are always required in different tribunals. Francis always strives to be clear, concise, and pragmatic wherever he appears. He is a robust and tenacious court advocate when the occasion demands and always works to achieve the best outcome for his client.

Before the Bar
Francis has considerable international experience in the applied neurosciences. Prior to coming to the Bar, he trained and practised as a research neuroscientist in the UK, Canada, Japan and the United States.
His last faculty appointment as an Assistant Professor was to the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience at Wayne State University Medical School in Detroit. There he was also research director of the Emerging Technology Research Division (ETRD). He collaborated with partners in the automotive, aerospace, and defence industries including General Motors, Ford, NASA, and the National Defence University.
Francis trained at several internationally renowned medical centres including the Institute of Psychiatry (Kings College) in London, and the Mount Sinai Medical Centre in Manhattan (City University of New York). He completed his doctoral training and expertise in neuroimaging and learning at the internationally recognised Robarts Research Institute in the University of Western Ontario Canada. His expertise allowed him to collaborate in Japan with the Japan Science and Technology Agency and the ATR Human Information Processing Research Laboratory in Kyoto.
In addition to publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, Francis has presented research papers in neuropsychology and neuroscience at national and international fora and conferences.
Before pursuing a research career, Francis was recruited to the London Metropolitan Police Service. He served both as an operational and specialist police officer in several areas of London. During this time, he acquired considerable experience of police procedures, practices, and operations, as well as a thorough understanding of the techniques and methodologies used in the investigation of complex offences.

Civil litigation

In addition to substantial experience in the County Court, Francis has an expanding High Court litigation practice. He is instructed to provide written advice at the pre-issue stage, and through every stage of litigation. He often represents clients at hearings for orders for pre-action disclosure, security for costs, summary judgment and/or strike out. He is very experienced at representing clients at CCMCs across the different practice areas within civil litigation.
Francis also has experience representing parties seeking or defending emergency injunctions at short notice. He is known for his friendly and approachable manner and always works to distil large and complex information into simpler terms.
Francis is a very experienced trial advocate. He developed his expertise from appearing in a very significant number of small claims, fast track, and multitrack trials throughout England and Wales.

Technology

Data Protection and Information Technology Law

Francis has developed specific expertise within the growing area of data protection and information technology law. This is also referred to as cyber-law.
He is available to advise individuals, companies, and public sector clients on a range of areas now included within this fast moving and burgeoning specialist area including
• Data protection and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Privacy and misuse of private information
• Subject access requests
• Freedom of information requests (FOI)
• Defamation and malicious falsehood
• Computer misuse
• Forensic and electronic computer evidence
• Facial recognition technologies (FRTs)
• Civilian and non-civilian drones

Inquests and Inquiries

Coroner's Inquests
Francis is very experienced appearing in the coroner’s court. He has been instructed on a very broad range of cases involving children and adults.
He has an in-depth understanding of the inquest process and the sensitivities that are required throughout. He has extensive experience advising witnesses (summonsed to give evidence) and the challenges they face as the inquest proceeds. His scientific background is a particular advantage in cases where there is significant medical evidence across different specialist areas.
Francis has been instructed not only to represent the families of the deceased at inquests throughout the country, but also by other interested persons including NHS Hospital Trusts and local authorities.
Francis has specific experience and expertise in inquests involving
• Hospital infant deaths
• Nursing and residential care home deaths
• Hospital deaths
• Fatal road traffic accidents
• Workplace deaths
• Rail and level crossing deaths
• Industrial diseases
Francis also has experience of inquests where Article 2 of the ECHR is engaged. He is especially interested in those inquests inquiring into
• Deaths in police custody
• Deaths in prisons
• Deaths of detained patients in psychiatric hospitals.
Francis is particularly sought after where sensitivity and understanding are required by solicitors and lay clients alike. This is especially the case where he is instructed to represent the family of the deceased.

Regulatory

Professional Discipline and Regulation
Francis advises and acts for both regulators and registrants in regulatory and disciplinary proceedings across several professional disciplines and sectors. He has considerable experience of both short and long substantive as well as interim hearings. He is listed in the Legal 500 (Tier 3) for London Counsel in this area.
Francis is repeatedly instructed as a presenting officer by several regulators and has appeared in several cases that have been reported in the media. He often appears in cases where complex charges and allegations are brought against regulated professionals ranging from serious sexual misconduct often involving sexual assault to allegations of fraud, dishonesty, and incompetence.
Francis is instructed to act and advise in a broad range of the regulated professions including
• Healthcare (medical doctors, nurses, and paramedics)
• Legal (barristers, solicitors, and members of ILEX)
• Pharmacy
• Optometry (optometrists and opticians)
• Education (teachers and lecturers)
• Dentistry

Personal Injury

Francis acts for Claimants and Defendants at all stages of minor and serious personal injury claims.
He has considerable experience representing claimants but also defendants at costs and case management (CCMC) hearings.
He is especially experienced in fast track and multi-track trials of claims arising from the full range of injury settings. These include
• Road traffic accidents
• Slipping and tripping and highway accidents
• Occupiers' liability
• Public liability
• Employers' liability
He has experience of both bringing and defending claims with allegations of
• Fraud
• Exaggeration
• Fundamental dishonesty
Francis has developed a specific interest in cases involving Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and brain injury with behavioural and cognitive impairment.

Property

Francis is regularly instructed on a wide range of real property matters. These include advising and representing clients in hearing and trials in the following areas
• Adverse possession
• Boundary disputes
• Breach of closure orders, injunctions, and committal hearings
• Disrepair claims
• Easements
• Injunction applications
• Nuisance
• Order for sale applications
• Party Wall Act
• Possession claims and warrants of execution
Clients include private and social landlords, councils, mortgage lenders, and individuals. In some areas, Francis has successfully advised from the initial dispute stage and the commencement of proceedings through to appeals that have followed to the High Court and Court of Appeal.
Francis is also now instructed in neighbour disputes where there is often cross over with other areas of his practice including data protection and the installation of CCTV and home security surveillance systems.

Landlord & Tenant

Francis' experience in this area compliments his practice in the area of property.
Here he is instructed in proceedings involving residential and commercial disputes including unlawful eviction.

Contract

Francis has wide range experience of contractual disputes and proceedings across a range of industry sectors. These include
• Highway repairs and maintenance
• Residential building projects
• Food industry
• Telecommunications and business services
• Legal services
• Building waste disposal
He has been instructed on a wide range of contractual matters with varying complexity. He advises and represents both companies and individuals in interim hearings through to trial. Clients include companies, individuals, insurers, and loss adjusters.

Direct Access

Francis is authorised by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) to undertake instructions directly from individuals and organisations (Direct Public Access).
He is also authorised by the BSB to conduct litigation should this become necessary.
Francis has wide ranging experience representing individuals, organisations, and companies on the direct access scheme in the
• County court
• Coroner's court
• Court of protection
• Employment tribunal
In order to instruct Francis or discuss any instruction through direct access, contact the clerks by phone or email.

Arbitration & Mediation

Francis has a growing mediation practice.
He is available for general instructions especially in any of his practice areas.

Scholarships Awards & Prizes

Scholarships and Awards in Law
• Inner Temple BVC Exhibition Award
• Inner Temple Poland Prize
• Inner Temple Common Professional Exam Scholarship Finalist

Scholarships and Awards in Psychology and Neuroscience
• Doctoral Scholarship from School of Medicine, University of Western Ontario
• Graduate Teaching Scholarship, University of Western Ontario
• Scholarship in Neuroscience, Medical Research Council (Institute of Psychiatry)
• Post-Graduate Scholarship in Psychology (University College Dublin)
• Prize in Psychology (University College Dublin)
• Scholarship in Logic (University College Dublin)

Publications

ARTICLES AND PAPERS IN LAW
Data Protection Law
1. The compatibility of live facial recognition technology (FRT) deployment by UK law enforcement with data protection law (21st August 2023) (Dissertation)

2. Can a cashless society be compatible with data protection? (2021)

Information Law
A brief critical analysis of the Online Harms White Paper 2020 (2021)
Robotics and Autonomous Systems
A hypothetical accident: advising an injured pedestrian on liability under the Automated and Electric Vehicle Act 2018. (2021)

PRESENTATIONS
Information Law
1. The cancel culture wars: social justice response or attack on free speech?
February 2021 University of Edinburgh

Data Protection Law
2. Automated vehicles and data protection, where do we go from here?
November 2021 University of Edinburgh

Cyber Security
3. “Be careful what you click”. How to avoid phishing emails and what to do in response.
March 2022 University of Edinburgh

ARTICLES AND PAPERS IN PSYCHOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE
1. Cortical activation during menopausal hot flashes
Freedman, R., Benton, M., Genik, R., Graydon, F (2006). Fertility and sterility. 85. 674-8. 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2005.08.026.

2. Mind-on-the-Drive: Real-Time Functional Neuroimaging of Cognitive Brain Mechanisms Underlying Driver Performance and Distraction
Young, R., Hsieh, L., Graydon, F., Genik, R. et al., (2005) SAE Technical Paper 2005-01-0436.

3. fMRI investigation of cortical and subcortical networks in the learning of abstract and effector-specific representations of motor sequences.
Surampudi, B., Miyapuram, K., Graydon, F., & Doya,K. (2006). NeuroImage. 32. 714-27. 10.1016 j.neuroimage.2006.04.205.

4. Cognitive avionics and watching spaceflight crews think: Generation-after-next research tools in functional neuroimaging.
Genik, R., Green, C., Graydon, F., & Armstrong, R. (2005). Aviation, space, and environmental medicine. 76. B208-12.

5. Learning-related fMRI activation associated with a rotational visuo-motor transformation.
Graydon, F., Friston, K., Thomas, C., Brooks, V., & Menon, R. (2005). Brain research. Cognitive brain research. 22. 373-83. 10.1016/j.cogbrainres.2004.09.007.

6. Visual event detection during simulated driving: Identifying the neural correlates with functional neuroimaging.
Graydon, F., Young, R., Benton, M., Genik, R., Posse, S., Hsieh, Li., Green, C. (2004). Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. 7. 271-286. 10.1016/j.trf.2004.09.006.

7. Neuropsychological Outcome and the Extent of Resection in the Unilateral Temporal Lobectomy.
Graydon FJ, Nunn JA, Polkey CE, Morris RG. Epilepsy Behav. 2001 Apr;2(2):140-151. doi: 10.1006/ebeh.2001.0163.PMID: 12609198

Teaching Experience

Law
Advocacy
Francis is a very experienced advocacy trainer. He regularly delivers advocacy and communication courses to law firms in the City of London and at other regional centres.
He is also very experienced at delivering advanced advocacy courses ('Higher Rights of Audience') to lawyers preparing for the Solicitors Regulatory Authority’s (SRA's) qualification in this area. In addition to delivering the course, Francis also conducts the formal practical assessment of candidates pursuing the SRA advocacy qualification.
Francis also contributes on an ad hoc basis to teaching advocacy to Bar students at Inner Temple.