"One of the smartest Commercial Juniors and a shoo-in to any litigation team heading into battle – delightful company and a mega star for the future."
Richard has a broad practice that covers all aspects of Chambers’ work but with particular expertise in commercial dispute resolution, civil fraud, banking, competition law and EU law. In 2015 he was awarded Young Practitioner of the Year by the World Export Controls Review, having been active in some of the highest-profile matters reported by WorldECR, and being instrumental in recently securing the de-listing of numerous key EU sanctions targets.
Richard has a broad practice that covers all aspects of chambers’ work but with particular expertise in commercial dispute resolution, civil fraud, banking, competition law and EU law. In 2015 he was awarded Young Practitioner of the Year by the World Export Controls Review, having been active in some of the highest-profile matters reported by WorldECR, and being instrumental in recently securing the de-listing of numerous key EU sanctions targets.
Recent high-profile cases in which Richard has been instructed include acting for Igor Kolomoisky in respect of a $US2bn fraud claim brought against him by the Ukrainian PrivatBank, acting for the claimant Libyan Investment Authority in a multibillion-dollar fraud claim concerning five complex financial transactions which the LIA alleges were procured by corruption and which led to a settlement reported to be c.$US1bn; acting for the Claimant FDIC-R in claims against 8 USD LIBOR panel banks and the British Bankers Association in respect of claims under US law and EU competition law based on the banks’ collusive suppression of USD LIBOR. In recent years Richard has acted for the defendants to claims brought by Chevron in respect of an alleged $18bn conspiracy to obtain a fraudulent judgment in Ecuador; the long-running Pay TV litigation in which Richard was instructed for the FA Premier League and Ofcom’s investigation into the Premier League’s rights sales. Richard has acted in numerous cases involving eastern European states. As well as the Kolomoisky litigation, Richard has represented Russia in the European Court of Human Rights, successfully obtained a freezing order on behalf of the daughter of the Kazakh President, and has acted led and unled in a number of cases on behalf of Boris Berezovsky, including the multi-billion dollar litigation against the estate of his former business partner and Vasily Anisimov as well as numerous fraud claims and enforcement actions.
Richard has been recommended by Chambers and Partners for many years, including as “A brilliant, brilliant junior counsel who is very clear-headed" and by Legal 500 as being “"Brilliant, very sharp and a true superstar."
In addition to his commercial practice, Richard also has particular expertise in challenging and advising on EU, UK and EU sanctions measures and has been instructed by dozens of banks, companies and individuals to challenge the sanctions imposed upon them both in the European Court of Justice Court and the Administrative Court. Of Richard’s sanctions cases that have reached final determination, the large majority have resulted in the sanctioned person or entity being de-listed. Richard now acts in damages claims against the EU on behalf of unlawfully sanctioned entities.
Richard has appeared led and unled in the Commercial Court, the Chancery Division, and the European Court of Justice; he has also appeared in the Administrative Court, the Court of Appeal and the European Court of Human Rights. Richard has acted in numerous arbitrations, including arbitrations under ICC and LCIA rules.
Richard has been a member of chambers since the completion of his pupillage in 2008. Prior to coming to the Bar, Richard received a double first in Law from the University of Cambridge, graduating from Fitzwilliam College with the prize for the best academic performance in the graduating class across all science and arts subjects. He then received his LL.M. at Harvard Law School to which he was awarded a full scholarship (as the Baker McKenzie scholar). Before commencing his pupillage, Richard spent time working in investment banking for Goldman Sachs. Richard was based in GS’s Operations division, working with credit derivative and interest rate swaps in the documentation team.
Whilst studying for the BVC, on which he was ranked outstanding, Richard was a supervisor in Constitutional law at Gonville and Caius College and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, an examiner in Applied Criminology at the University of Cambridge, and a tutor and examiner in public law at King's College, London.
Richard practises in all aspects of commercial dispute resolution. In recent years, Richard has been instructed on a number of high profile commercial and banking disputes, including:
Richard has a broad EU and competition law practice. Richard is regularly on EU and UK competition law litigation and matters and appeared as junior counsel for the successful claimants in the landmark Purple Parking case. He is recommended as an up-and-coming junior in Competition Law by Chambers and Partners 2013 who "has already attracted attention for his "impressive" competition law work, and is noted for his "responsive and practical" approach."
Competition matters on which Richard has been instructed include:
Richard practises in all areas of EU law and has appeared in EU law matters in the High Court as well as the General Court and the Court of Justice. Richard has particular expertise in challenging and advising on international and EU sanctions measures. He is currently instructed by more than twenty banks, companies and individuals, in over a dozen cases, to challenge the sanctions imposed upon them both in the General Court and the Administrative Court. Of Richard’s sanctions cases that have reached final determination, the large majority have resulted in the sanctioned person or entity being de-listed. These include the Iranian banks Bank Mellat (Case T-496/10), Bank Saderat Iran (Case T-494/10), and Bank Tejarat (Case T-176/12), the Chairman of Bank Mellat (Case T-497/10) and senior figures at UK and Dubai banks (Cases T-69/12 and 71/12).
Other EU matters on which Richard has been instructed include:
In addition to Richard’s EU practice, Richard is regularly instructed to advise on public law matters and matters in the Administrative Court and has appeared in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg representing the Russian Federation in its dispute with Georgia over alleged human rights violations during the August 2008 war in South Ossetia.
Richard has recently assisted in a claim for judicial review in Corbiere v SSHD see [2017] EWHC 3364 (Admin) in which the Claimants seek to prevent the deportation of a foreign national who is the defendant to civil proceedings for breach of confidence in which Richard is instructed in the Chancery Division. The case raises novel issues around the interaction of Article 6 and A1P1 rights with ongoing civil proceedings.
Richard has also been instructed on a number of judicial review cases regarding the application of sanctions and regularly advises on the applicability and meaning of UK sanctions. For example, Richard was instructed to seek an injunction restraining the Foreign Secretary from voting to re-impose sanctions on an Iranian individual at a meeting of the EU Council in Brussels: NITC and Golparvar v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs [2015] EWHC 282 (Admin). Richard has also advised the FSA and HM Treasury on a number of issues concerning the payment of compensation under guaranteed investment and deposit schemes and as junior counsel to the Pollard Inquiry into Newsnight’s dropping of a story into abuse by Jimmy Saville.
Richard is regularly engaged in commercial arbitrations including arbitrations under the ICC and LCIA rules.
Most recently, Richard was instructed on a series of multi-million dollar LCIA arbitrations acting for successful insurers seeking to avoid payment under a political risk insurance policy. Richard also recently acted unled in a $10 million LCIA arbitration for respondent Charterers alleged to have committed a repudiatory breach of a Charterparty by refusing to perform.
Education
BPP School of Law (2006-2007)
Harvard Law School (2005-2006)
Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge (2002-2005)
Qualifications
Bar Vocational Course (2007) (Outstanding)
LL.M. (2006)
MA Law (2005) (First Class)
Other
Crossfit Level 1 Trainer
Scholarships & Prizes
Buchanan Prize
Lord Denning Scholarship
Hardwicke Entrance Award
Baker & McKenzie Scholarship (full scholarship for LL.M. at Harvard Law School)
ECS Wade Prize for administrative law
Squire scholarship
Scholar of the Year (best academic performance across all subjects and years in Fitzwilliam College graduating class of 2005)
Reddaway Prize (for contribution to the prestige of the College)
Mary Luck Prize (for achievement across a Cambridge career)
Winner, the Weekly Law Reports mooting competition (2004)
Other
Winner, the Weekly Law Reports mooting competition (2004)