Richard is recognised as a leading barrister in both Crime and Financial Crime by Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500. Until 2023, he served as joint head of chambers with Andrew Trollope KC for 10 years. Richard continues to serve as Chair of the CBA Remuneration Committee.

In 2002, he was appointed to the Attorney General’s A List of prosecution counsel, handling some of the most complex and high-profile cases.

As King’s Counsel, Richard’s practice focuses on serious crime and financial crime.

He both prosecutes and defends. Notably, he successfully defended in the notorious historic axe murder of Private Eye journalist Daniel Morgan, a case involving allegations of police corruption, connections to the News International phone-hacking scandal, and the murder of Stephen Lawrence, soon to feature in the ITV series The Hack, starring David Tenant. The case has also featured in a 3 part series on Channel 4 entitled "Death in the Car Park".
He has been on the SFO list of approved KC's for both Fraud and Confiscation since 2009.
He is a Recorder (2009) and a Deputy Costs Judge (2002).
Prior to his legal career, he trained with the prominent accountancy firm Deloitte.

Area of Law

What sort of work do I do?

His financial crime practice is equally distinguished, with instructions from individuals, corporations, and government agencies, including the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). His work spans cases of fraud, money laundering, bribery, and proceeds of crime. He has recently successfully defended a member of the Bar charged in three separate trials with serious fraud in applying for costs from central funds and involved him cross-examining leading counsel called as a witness for two days on the law and ethics. He has just concluded the defence of the lead defendant of 18, in a fraud trial that lasted 13 months.

Richard is one of the few King’s Counsel specifically appointed to handle historic appeal cases and issues of rough justice by HMRC, and he also represents the defence in these matters.


He acts on behalf of the Criminal Cases Review Commission in judicial review proceedings in relation to these cases. He was engaged as independent counsel to the IPCC in the shooting of barrister Mark Saunders.
Richard also has experience in dealing with Inquiries. Appearing before the Leveson Inquiry and the Mitting Inquiry in to undercover policing.

Who do I work for?

See Above.

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