Charlotte Gale
Founder of Cargo Law and Partner in Marine Litigation
Contact Francesca
Francesca Santoro is a disputes specialist at Cargo Law, part of Excello Law’s House of Brands, with current expertise in complex, high-value matters across the maritime, logistics, and supply chain sectors. Drawing on in-house experience with the United Nations World Food Programme, Francesca advises on legal issues arising from commercial cargo transportation and global humanitarian food aid operations, including charterparty disputes, supplier and contractual disagreements, cargo damage and loss, and disputes spanning sea, overland, and inland waterways transport.
Francesca’s experience also includes working as a P&I Claims Handler within several International Group Clubs, where they managed large-scale and sensitive claims, including a number of high-profile matters requiring strategic coordination and technical insight.
A CEDR-accredited mediator and an LMAA Supporting Member accepting appointments, Francesca brings a pragmatic, commercially focused approach to dispute resolution, particularly in complex, multi-jurisdictional environments.
Francesca's Experience
- Acted in relation to the salvage of the FSO SAFER off the coast of Yemen, advising on contractual and insurance arrangements in support of a complex humanitarian operation aimed at preventing a major environmental disaster.
- Advised on the legal and operational framework for the transport of fuel by sea from the Dominican Republic to Haiti during a period of civil unrest, addressing risk allocation, regulatory compliance, and security considerations.
- Advised on liability arising from the supply of contaminated humanitarian food aid across multiple jurisdictions, including coordination of product recall, supplier engagement, and mitigation of reputational and operational risk.
- Negotiated a high-value settlement concerning damage to specialist ultrasound equipment during overland transit from Poland to Ukraine, involving multiple carriers and cross-border liability issues.
2009
Outside of legal work, Francesca loves to travel, dance, and write. Her novel novel River of Silence by Francesca Santoro brings together her fascination with evocative history and far-flung places. She also writes a conflict resolution blog at www.the-conflictexpert.com, and happily spends weekends with her young daughter, usually at the farm feeding baby animals—something they both adore.
Francesca.santoro@cargolaw.co.uk
LMAA Supporting Member Accepting Appointments
Team Members