Frances Godden

Senior Associate @Stone King LLP

Cambridge, GB

Frances joined Stone King LLP in January 2023 as a Senior Associate in the Charities and Faith Sector teams. She specialises in charity and ecclesiastical law, and the law as it relates to matters of art and heritage. She also has extensive experience in education law. Before joining Stone King, Frances was a Senior Associate at Birketts LLP, and Deputy Diocesan Registrar for the dioceses of London and Norwich. Prior to this, Frances was Deputy Diocesan Secretary and Head of Church Buildings and Pastoral Organisation at the Diocese of Ely, a role she took up having previously been Deputy Diocesan Registrar of the Dioceses of Ely and Guildford whilst based at Westminster firm Lee Bolton Monier-Williams, where she developed her expertise in ecclesiastical, education and charity law. Frances is also a Notary Public for Ecclesiastical Purposes. Frances trained and qualified in 2011 at magic circle firm Slaughter and May, where she worked on a number of high profile and high worth transactions, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. Prior to entering the legal profession Frances enjoyed a career in the art world, working for Bonhams Auctioneers. She has a Master’s degree in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute and a certificate in Art Law from Sotheby’s Institute. She is well placed to offer advice on legal issues as they affect matters of art and heritage, cultural property, or private or commercial clients in that sector, particularly charitable institutions with valuable collections. More recently, Frances has developed an interest and expereince in matters of contested heritage, particularly in sacred spaces.

Sotheby's Institute of Art

Certificate of Art Law, Art Law

BPP Law School

Distinction, LPC

Durham University

First Class, History

Courtauld Institute of Art

MA, History of Art