Francesca's Biography
As a partner at Young, Anderson, Francesca is right at home with the issues and people that make local governments work. As the daughter of a former Vancouver City Councillor and Minister of Municipal Affairs, Francesca has been immersed in municipal issues from an early age. Now as litigation counsel she has had the pleasure of representing the interests of local government at every level of British Columbia Courts, as well as to the Province and other levels of government.
Francesca’s litigation practice is broad, encompassing everything from defending local governments for actions in liability in nuisance, bad faith and defamation, to judicial reviews, and injunctive relief. She has a particular interest in planning law and Constitutional issues, and has published articles in this area. Her attention to precision in pleadings and analytic rigeur was gained honestly as a clerk at the Court of Appeal to Madam Justices Southin and Rowles in the late 1990’s.
In addition to her work at Young, Anderson, Francesca also volunteers her time as chair of the legal committee of West Coast LEAF, and as a guest instructor for various courses at the UBC Law School, SCARP, and Capilano University. She currently sits on the advisory panel for the Justice Institute’s Bylaw Enforcement certificate course.
Selected Publications:
Local Government Regulation of Navigable Waters: Are the Tides Changing? The Digest of Municipal & Planning Law, Carswell, Thomson Reuters Canada Limited (2009) 4 D.M.P.L. (2d), March 2010, Issue 15
Video Surveillance of Public Places in Canada, Municipal Lawyer, International Municipal Lawyers Association, July/August 2002