Friday 14 December 2012

Background to Francis Wilks & Jones

Francis Wilks & Jones was founded in 2002 and is based in Central London. We specialise in providing legal services to a number of business sectors together with more bespoke advice to individuals. We count amongst our client base members of the Asset Based Lending Industry (we are an affiliate member of the ABFA), Insolvency Practitioners, Recruitment companies, brokers and accountants.

FWJ is primarily a commercial practice with a strong emphasis on commercial litigation, debt recovery, commercial finance and insolvency and restructuring work. We also offer property-related services to our clients.

The firm’s two founding partners, Andy Wilks and Tim Francis, gained much of their early expertise at former niche Receivables Finance law firm Wildes and then, after its takeover, at a leading London firm.

We employ a highly capable team of solicitors and support staff, all of whom are accessible to our clients. This ensures prompt and effective response times, coupled with cost effective solutions for our clients, something often unattainable for our larger competitors.

We also employ a full time Finance Director, David Coles, and retain the services of Paul Saunders as a consultant to the firm, bringing with him 34 years of experience at Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance Limited, much of it at director level and latterly specialising in the provision of cash-flow finance to the Recruitment industry.

Expert commercial litigation, debt recovery and fraud work

Our litigation solicitors are experts in all types of commercial litigation. The team has many years’ experience in all types of debt recovery claims, ranging from County Court claims to higher value High Court claim and multi million pound fraud cases. The litigation team also has exceptional experience in all types of alternative dispute resolution claims including high end mediation work.

Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency team

The insolvency team provides advice on a wide range of non-contentious insolvency matters and corporate rescue options. These include corporate administration, liquidation and corporate voluntary arrangements as well as providing advice on individual insolvency matters.

Commercial Advice

The insolvency team is complimented by the Business Law team who advise on all aspects of corporate restructuring, rescue finance and other commercial work.

Our solicitors have advised numerous high-profile clients, and the firm is an affiliate member of both the Asset Based Finance Association and R3 – the Association of Business Recovery Professionals.

Specialist director and shareholder advice

Francis Wilks and Jones have a highly respected team which can provide advice on a wide range of directorial and shareholder issues – ranging from specialist director disqualification advice both pre and post issue to issues arising from shareholder disputes and roles and director responsibilities

Cutting edge technology and links to other professionals.

Francis Wilks & Jones has always recognised the importance of having the latest technology to support our bespoke law service offering. For example we have invested heavily in a sophisticated case management system to help deliver our litigation services in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible. Not only do our clients benefit from the high level of legal advice offered by our lawyers profiles they are also supported by the best possible IT systems available.

In addition we recognise that our clients will from time to time require assistance from other professionals such as accountants and financiers with whom we have built close ties over the last decade of being in business. Our Links page demonstrates our full service offering in this respect.

High level of one to one contact

Our business practice includes a high level of one to one contact with our clients and we offer the complete package our clients are looking for, whatever the case and whatever their requirements.

We boast a broad range of links to other professional advisors forged over a decade of working together. We can therefore provide our clients a “total solution” with assistance from whichever experts and advisors are required.