Sir Nicholas Francis returns to Exchange Chambers

September 11, 2026

Former High Court Judge Sir Nicholas Francis has returned to Exchange Chambers as a door tenant.

Nick is a renowned expert in family law and was one of the pioneers of the private Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR) process. He was one of the first barristers to qualify as a Family Law finance arbitrator when the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators (IFLA) scheme was launched in 2012. He is also qualified as an Arbitrator to hear private law children cases.

Nick was recognised for many years as one of the leading financial remedy silks and was a door tenant at Exchange before taking up his judicial role as a Judge of the Family Division of the High Court.

During his time as a High Court Judge, Nick presided over many high value financial remedy cases, in addition to Public Law care work and child abduction cases.  He was also appointed a Judge of the Court of Protection.  Nick was the Presiding Family Law Judge for Wales from 2017 until 2022 and the Presiding Family Judge for London from 2022 until 2024.

Nick retired from the High Court bench in 2024 in order to return to the area of non-court dispute resolution, in particular Arbitration and private FDRs.

Jonathan I’Anson, Chief Executive at Exchange Chambers, said:

“Nick has long been recognised as one of the leading figures in family law, and we are thrilled to welcome him back to Exchange Chambers.

“He has a reputation for being able to solve some of the most apparently intractable cases, enabling parties to remain out of the public eye and to avoid the cost, both financial and emotional, of drawn-out court proceedings.”

Sir Nicholas Francis said:

“I am delighted to rejoin Exchange Chambers.

“I am particularly keen to use the experience I have gained over many years at the Bar and on the bench to help parties resolve complex family disputes without the need for lengthy and costly court proceedings.

“Private FDRs and arbitration have an increasingly important role to play in family law, offering parties a confidential, flexible and effective means of resolving disputes. I very much look forward to further developing this area of my practice with the support of Exchange Chambers.”