Richard Chapman KC

Year of Silk: 2019

Year of Call: 1998

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  • 'Richard is very user-friendly. He is great in conference with clients and very reassuring. He also has an excellent knowledge of the law.'

    Legal 500 (2026) - Property and Construction

  • ‘Richard is an excellent advocate and a thorough cross-examiner. He has the ear of the judge.'

    Legal 500 (2026) - Company and Insolvency

  • ‘Richard is user-friendly and pragmatic. He will provide a clear view on the merits of a case in complex circumstances and is a good strategist.'

    Legal 500 (2026) - Commercial Litigation

  • "Richard is intelligent and ably cuts through the complexity. His drafting is clear and well considered, and his expertise in tax law is a real asset."

    Chambers and Partners (2025) - Professional Negligence

  • "Richard is extremely thorough and very eloquent in court; he's on the level of the judge and he's very good at reassuring clients in their language."

    Chambers and Partners (2025) - Commercial Dispute Resolution

  • "Richard is one of the best on the Northern circuit, he is very bright and articulate and a real standout. In the courtroom, he is unflappable and has a very commanding presence."

    Chambers and Partners (2025) - Chancery

  • 'Richard has a delightful client manner, keeps people onside even when delivering bad news, and is quick to the point.'

    Legal 500 (2025) - Professional Negligence

  • 'Very thorough and measured, and very sensible, which feeds through into his advocacy. He engages well with opponents and the tribunal.'

    Legal 500 (2025) - Company & Insolvency

  • ‘Richard is extremely calm and gives great confidence to clients with his measured and considered approach. Not only is he excellent on papers and as a skilled advocate, but his commercial and pragmatic approach to cases gives you the confidence in his knowledge and expertise in trying to achieve a favourable outcome.'

    Legal 500 (2025) - Commercial Litigation

  • ‘Richard is the complete counsel who is always one step ahead of everyone else and gets the right result. An outstanding advocate who commands the courtroom, he doesn’t waste judges’ time taking silly points or grandstanding, and he brings a no-nonsense, unflappable attitude.’

    Legal 500 (2025) - Chancery, Probate & Tax

  • 'Richard is a very good communicator. He is excellent at absorbing large amounts of complex information and getting to the nub of the issues.'

    Chambers and Partners (2024) - Tax

  • 'He's exceptionally bright and knowledgeable.'

    'He's very good and down to earth and pragmatic.'

    'Richard is a very practical lawyer.'

    Chambers and Partners (2024) - Professional Negligence

  • 'Richard is an excellent advocate who is commercially astute.'

    'Richard is highly intelligent, gets to grips quickly with the issues in a case and gives really good, solid advice.'

    Ranked: Band 1

    Chambers and Partners (2024) - Commercial Dispute Resolution

  • 'When you see you are against him your heart sings but also sinks as you know it will be a great and challenging fight.'

    Chambers and Partners (2024) - Chancery

  • 'Richard has great clarity of thought, and is a very good technical lawyer and impressive advocate.'

    Legal 500 (2024) - Property and Construction

  • 'A silk who provides sagacious and commercial advice with the client's objectives foremost in mind.'

    Legal 500 (2024) - Professional Negligence

  • 'Richard is responsive in relation to new instructions. He works collaboratively with instructing solicitors and provides client-friendly advice in relation to technical points of commercial law.'

    Legal 500 (2024) - Commercial Litigation

  • 'Richard's written advocacy and advice in relation to complex areas of law is excellent.'

    Legal 500 (2024) - Company and Insolvency

  • 'Richard is very able, strong on paper and in court, and he has a very calm, reassuring, and professional manner.'

    Legal 500 (2024) - Chancery, Probate and Tax

  • 'He is so thorough in everything he does.'

    Chambers UK (2023) - Commercial Dispute Resolution Client

  • 'Richard is an excellent barrister, comfortable advising and advocating on detailed issues and he is approachable and client-friendly.'

    Chambers UK (2023) - Chancery Client

  • ‘Richard is approachable and provides reasoned, commercially-focussed advice for clients. He is particularly strong at advising in relation to complex matters.’

    Legal 500 (2023) - Professional Negligence

  • Richard has an astonishing grasp of the law and is quick to evaluate and effectively analyse complex fact patterns. He is a superb barrister with a highly learned and simultaneously truly commercial understanding. He was a highly effective advocate and ally.’

    Legal 500 (2023) - Chancery, Probate and Tax

  • ‘Richard combines great experience and a bright legal mind with an ability to communicate complex issues to lay clients in a clear and practical way. Richard is first rate and he knows how solicitors need to be supported by counsel.'

    Legal 500 (2023) - Commercial Litigation

  • 'Richard is excellent. He is technically excellent, very user-friendly and also understands the need for commercial assessment as well as legal assessment of a case.'

    Legal 500 (2022)

  • ‘Richard is fantastic. He is technically excellent, and presents the law in a way that clients understand and accept – even when the message is not what the client wants to hear. He is also incredibly commercial in his advice, and offers a very good service to solicitors’

    Legal 500 (2021) - Commercial Litigation

  • 'He's incredibly courteous and very approachable.'

    Chambers and Partners (2020) - Banking and Finance

  • ‘Experienced in a wide range of commercial matters.’

    Ranked: tier 2

    Legal 500 (2020) - Leading Silks - Commercial, Banking, Insolvency and Chancery Law

  • An experienced commercial and chancery law specialist, he has a focus on partnership disputes, insolvency cases and landlord and tenant matters. Chapman also handles VAT cases and sits as a fee-paid judge of the First-tier Tribunal of the Tax Chamber.

    Chambers and Partners (2019) - Chancery (New Silks)

  • 'An elegant advocate who is very well up on the relevant law and presents well.'
    'He's a very calm presence in court, and he's got a good analytical mind.'
    Recent work: Represented the claimant, a firm of solicitors, against an insurance company in respect of financial guarantee insurance policies.

    Chambers and Partners (2019) - Chancery (New Silks)

  • 'He is very bright and very good with clients – he always has a nice manner and is very good at managing the client's expectations.'

    'He carries himself extremely well and is well liked by judges.'

    Chambers and Partners (2019) - Commercial Dispute Resolution (New Silks)

  • ‘A devastatingly effective cross-examiner.’

    Ranked: Tier 1

    Legal 500 (2018-19) - Commercial, Banking, Insolvency and Chancery Law

Education

School: Manchester Grammar School
University: University of Oxford, Brasenose College – BA(Oxon)
School of Law: Inns of Court School of Law
Somerset Iver Exhibition - Brasenose College
Lord Justice Holker Award - Gray’s Inn 

Appointments

Fee-Paid (Part Time) Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber)
Northern Business and Property Bar Association Committee (Treasurer)
Past Chair of the Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association
Circuit Commercial Court Users Group Committee
Manchester Business and Property Courts Forum Committee
Manchester Law Society Civil Litigation Committee
British Irish Commercial Bar Association Committee (Treasurer 2017-2019)
Attorney General’s Civil Regional 'A' Panel 2002-2019 (prior to taking silk)

  • 'Richard is very user-friendly. He is great in conference with clients and very reassuring. He also has an excellent knowledge of the law.'

    Legal 500 (2026) - Property and Construction

  • ‘Richard is an excellent advocate and a thorough cross-examiner. He has the ear of the judge.'

    Legal 500 (2026) - Company and Insolvency

  • ‘Richard is user-friendly and pragmatic. He will provide a clear view on the merits of a case in complex circumstances and is a good strategist.'

    Legal 500 (2026) - Commercial Litigation

  • "Richard is intelligent and ably cuts through the complexity. His drafting is clear and well considered, and his expertise in tax law is a real asset."

    Chambers and Partners (2025) - Professional Negligence

  • "Richard is extremely thorough and very eloquent in court; he's on the level of the judge and he's very good at reassuring clients in their language."

    Chambers and Partners (2025) - Commercial Dispute Resolution

  • "Richard is one of the best on the Northern circuit, he is very bright and articulate and a real standout. In the courtroom, he is unflappable and has a very commanding presence."

    Chambers and Partners (2025) - Chancery

  • 'Richard has a delightful client manner, keeps people onside even when delivering bad news, and is quick to the point.'

    Legal 500 (2025) - Professional Negligence

  • 'Very thorough and measured, and very sensible, which feeds through into his advocacy. He engages well with opponents and the tribunal.'

    Legal 500 (2025) - Company & Insolvency

  • ‘Richard is extremely calm and gives great confidence to clients with his measured and considered approach. Not only is he excellent on papers and as a skilled advocate, but his commercial and pragmatic approach to cases gives you the confidence in his knowledge and expertise in trying to achieve a favourable outcome.'

    Legal 500 (2025) - Commercial Litigation

  • ‘Richard is the complete counsel who is always one step ahead of everyone else and gets the right result. An outstanding advocate who commands the courtroom, he doesn’t waste judges’ time taking silly points or grandstanding, and he brings a no-nonsense, unflappable attitude.’

    Legal 500 (2025) - Chancery, Probate & Tax

  • 'Richard is a very good communicator. He is excellent at absorbing large amounts of complex information and getting to the nub of the issues.'

    Chambers and Partners (2024) - Tax

  • 'He's exceptionally bright and knowledgeable.'

    'He's very good and down to earth and pragmatic.'

    'Richard is a very practical lawyer.'

    Chambers and Partners (2024) - Professional Negligence

  • 'Richard is an excellent advocate who is commercially astute.'

    'Richard is highly intelligent, gets to grips quickly with the issues in a case and gives really good, solid advice.'

    Ranked: Band 1

    Chambers and Partners (2024) - Commercial Dispute Resolution

  • 'When you see you are against him your heart sings but also sinks as you know it will be a great and challenging fight.'

    Chambers and Partners (2024) - Chancery

  • 'Richard has great clarity of thought, and is a very good technical lawyer and impressive advocate.'

    Legal 500 (2024) - Property and Construction

  • 'A silk who provides sagacious and commercial advice with the client's objectives foremost in mind.'

    Legal 500 (2024) - Professional Negligence

  • 'Richard is responsive in relation to new instructions. He works collaboratively with instructing solicitors and provides client-friendly advice in relation to technical points of commercial law.'

    Legal 500 (2024) - Commercial Litigation

  • 'Richard's written advocacy and advice in relation to complex areas of law is excellent.'

    Legal 500 (2024) - Company and Insolvency

  • 'Richard is very able, strong on paper and in court, and he has a very calm, reassuring, and professional manner.'

    Legal 500 (2024) - Chancery, Probate and Tax

  • 'He is so thorough in everything he does.'

    Chambers UK (2023) - Commercial Dispute Resolution Client

  • 'Richard is an excellent barrister, comfortable advising and advocating on detailed issues and he is approachable and client-friendly.'

    Chambers UK (2023) - Chancery Client

  • ‘Richard is approachable and provides reasoned, commercially-focussed advice for clients. He is particularly strong at advising in relation to complex matters.’

    Legal 500 (2023) - Professional Negligence

  • Richard has an astonishing grasp of the law and is quick to evaluate and effectively analyse complex fact patterns. He is a superb barrister with a highly learned and simultaneously truly commercial understanding. He was a highly effective advocate and ally.’

    Legal 500 (2023) - Chancery, Probate and Tax

  • ‘Richard combines great experience and a bright legal mind with an ability to communicate complex issues to lay clients in a clear and practical way. Richard is first rate and he knows how solicitors need to be supported by counsel.'

    Legal 500 (2023) - Commercial Litigation

  • 'Richard is excellent. He is technically excellent, very user-friendly and also understands the need for commercial assessment as well as legal assessment of a case.'

    Legal 500 (2022)

  • ‘Richard is fantastic. He is technically excellent, and presents the law in a way that clients understand and accept – even when the message is not what the client wants to hear. He is also incredibly commercial in his advice, and offers a very good service to solicitors’

    Legal 500 (2021) - Commercial Litigation

  • 'He's incredibly courteous and very approachable.'

    Chambers and Partners (2020) - Banking and Finance

  • ‘Experienced in a wide range of commercial matters.’

    Ranked: tier 2

    Legal 500 (2020) - Leading Silks - Commercial, Banking, Insolvency and Chancery Law

  • An experienced commercial and chancery law specialist, he has a focus on partnership disputes, insolvency cases and landlord and tenant matters. Chapman also handles VAT cases and sits as a fee-paid judge of the First-tier Tribunal of the Tax Chamber.

    Chambers and Partners (2019) - Chancery (New Silks)

  • 'An elegant advocate who is very well up on the relevant law and presents well.'
    'He's a very calm presence in court, and he's got a good analytical mind.'
    Recent work: Represented the claimant, a firm of solicitors, against an insurance company in respect of financial guarantee insurance policies.

    Chambers and Partners (2019) - Chancery (New Silks)

  • 'He is very bright and very good with clients – he always has a nice manner and is very good at managing the client's expectations.'

    'He carries himself extremely well and is well liked by judges.'

    Chambers and Partners (2019) - Commercial Dispute Resolution (New Silks)

  • ‘A devastatingly effective cross-examiner.’

    Ranked: Tier 1

    Legal 500 (2018-19) - Commercial, Banking, Insolvency and Chancery Law

Richard Chapman KC was called in 1998 and took silk in 2019. He also became Head of Chambers in 2019.

Richard specialises in all areas of Business and Property litigation including disputes relating to commercial law, chancery, contracts, company, insolvency, directors’ duties, insurance, professional negligence, banking, partnership, landlord and tenant, trusts, succession and probate. He also specialises in tax and VAT litigation and sits as a Fee Paid Judge of the First-Tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber).

Richard has appeared in the European Court of Justice, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. He is consistently highly praised in legal directories. Chambers and Partners has said that, “He is brilliant, down to earth, practical and sensible…Richard is one of the best on the Northern Circuit, he is very bright and articulate and a real standout. In the courtroom, he is unflappable and has a very commanding presence…He’s good at dealing with difficult clients and explaining things in easy-to-understand ways…He is experienced, commercial and excellent on his feet…He’s incredibly courteous and very approachable.” The Legal 500 has said, “A devastatingly effective cross-examiner,” and, “His authoritative demeanour impresses in court.” He has also been involved in cases listed in “The Lawyer” as the top cases or appeals of 2023, 2024, and 2026.

Richard was the only Business and Property specialist outside London to take silk in 2019.

Richard is a Director of the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund.

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View Notable Cases

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Kaye v Vision Payroll Ltd (In Liquidation) [2026] BCC 423 (directors’ breach of duty).

Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government v Urban Splash Ltd and others.

Ahmed v White & Co (UK) Ltd [2025] EWHC 2399 (Comm) (insurance notification and aggregation clauses in respect of a professional negligence claim against accountants).

Why Not Bar Ltd v West Bay Insurance plc and QIC Europe Ltd [2025] Lloyds Rep IR 1 (Court of Appeal) (heard with London International Exhibition Centre plc v Allianz Insurance plc; also appeared at first instance [2023] Bus LR 1513) (leading authority on “at the premises” business interruption insurance clauses).

Rushby Dance and Fitness Centre v HMRC [2025] UKFTT 594 (TC) (operation of VAT private tuition exemptions).

Complete Care Services (Rossendale) Ltd v Goodwin [2023] EWHC 3139 (Ch) (expulsion from partnership).

RSW International Ltd v Purple Surgical Manufacturing Ltd [2022] EWHC 2258 (Comm) (agency).

Foojit Ltd v HMRC [2021] STC 262 (Upper Tribunal) (requirements for Enterprise Investment Scheme certification).

Brittain v Ferster [2022] BPIR 907 (discharge from bankruptcy).

Roger Preston Group Limited v HMRC [2021] SFTD 543, [2021] UKFTT 38 (TC) (treatment of intangible assets for Corporation Tax purposes).

WT Banks & Co (Farming Ltd) v HMRC [2021] UKFTT 155 (TC) (treatment of loans for Corporation Tax purposes).

MV Promotions Ltd and Michael Vaughan v Telegraph Media Group Ltd [2020] STC 1652 (rectification of contracts).

Lunar Missions Ltd v HMRC [2019] STC 2204 (Upper Tribunal) (VAT treatment of Kickstarter funding for a lunar mission).

Nesbit Law Group LLP v Acasta European Insurance Co Ltd [2018] EWCA Civ 268 (Court of Appeal) (Contractual construction of an insurance contract).

Shields & Sons Partnership v HMRC (Case C-262/16) [2017] STC 2205 (Court of Justice of the European Union) (Agricultural flat rate schemes).

Re: Enterprise Insurance Company plc, Lawtel, [2017] EWHC 1595 (Newey J) (Insurer’s termination of a solicitor’s retainer).

Impact Funding Solutions Ltd v AIG Europe Ltd [2017] AC 73 (Supreme Court) (Scope of cover in a professional indemnity insurance policy)..

Re: Rivelyn, 2016 (professional negligence by solicitors).

Shields & Sons Partnership v HMRC [2016] UKUT 142 (TCC) (Nugee J) (Cancellation of VAT flat-rate scheme certificate).

North of England Zoological Society v HMRC [2015] UKFTT 287 (TC) (direct and immediate link between inputs and taxable supplies).

Sandher v Pearson [2013] EWCA Civ 1822 (Court of Appeal) (Unjust enrichment).

Wm Morrison Supermarkets Ltd v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2013] UKUT 247 (TCC) (Upper Tribunal – Vos J) (VAT treatment of disposable barbecues – lead case).

Loughborough Student’s Union v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2013] (Upper Tribunal).

Manchester Building Society v Honeybourne Kenny [2013] EWHC 203 (CH) (Service of a claim form upon a partnership).

1st 4 Report Ltd v HMRC [2012] UKFTT 641 (TC) (MTIC – Successfully upheld HMRC’s refusal to repay input tax).

PS Gill & Son (UK) Ltd v HMRC [2012] UKFTT 374 (TC) (MTIC – Successfully upheld HMRC’s refusal to repay input tax).

Loughborough Student’s Union v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2012] UKFTT 331 (TC).

3 Cube Real Estate Ltd v Pilkington, 13 January 2012, (Mercantile Court) (Contractual dispute).

Benridge Care Homes Ltd v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2012] UKUT 132 (TCC) (Upper Tribunal).

In the Matter of Langreen Ltd, 21 October 2011 (wrongful trading proceedings).

Megantic Services Ltd v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2010] UKFTT 125 (TC).

Friendly Loans Ltd v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2010] SFTD 96

Broome and Wellington LP v Greenstein [2009] EWCA Civ 589 (guarantees).

Asda Stores Ltd v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2009] UKFTT 247 (TC), [2010] SFTD 175 (VAT categorisation of flapjack bars).

British Association for Shooting and Conservation Ltd v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2009] EWHC 300 (Ch), [2009] STC 1421 (first instance at [2008] STI 2380), Lewison J (VAT exemptions for supplies closely linked to sport and for political, philanthropic or civic activities).

Black Horse Ltd v Langford [2007] EWHC 907 (QB), Gray J (Construction of section 56(1) of the Consumer Credit Act 1974).

Ikram v Latif [2006] NPC 32 (constructive trusts and proprietary estoppel).

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