Richard Chapman KC

Year of Silk: 2019

Year of Call: 1998

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Profile

  • '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.’

    The 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.’

    The 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.'

    The 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."

    The 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’

    The Legal 500 (2021) - Commercial Litigation

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

    Chambers and Partners (2020) - Banking and Finance

  • "He is brilliant, down to earth, practical and sensible. 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 also very efficient, approachable and user-friendly."

    Chambers and Partners (2020) - Commercial Dispute Resolution

  • "He is clearly excellent. He is friendly but highly effective for clients as well."

    Chambers and Partners (2020) - Chancery

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

    Ranked: tier 2

    The 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)

  • Receives impressive levels of praise for his diverse commercial and chancery practice. A highly experienced practitioner whose expertise spans professional negligence, tax, property and insurance litigation. His clients include professional firms, businesses and government departments.

    Chambers and Partners (2019) - Commercial Dispute Resolution (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."
    Recent work: Acted for HMRC in an appeal by a farming business against a decision to remove it from the Agricultural Flat Rate Scheme for VAT.

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

  • ‘A devastatingly effective cross-examiner.’

    Ranked: tier 1

    The Legal 500 (2018-19) - 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.

    Chambers and Partners (2018) - Chancery

  • "He is the complete package. He is good on his feet and he works hard." "His written work is always well presented and concise."

    Chambers and Partners (2018) - Chancery

  • Receives impressive levels of praise for his diverse commercial and chancery practice. A highly experienced practitioner whose expertise spans professional negligence, tax, property and insurance litigation.

    Chambers and Partners (2018) - Commercial Dispute Resolution (Band 1)

  • "He is very impressive and professional in court. He is highly persuasive, establishing a commanding rapport with the judge, and has an authoritative demeanour." "He is very good with clients and has a calm manner about him. His written work is excellent and he is a very strong advocate."

    Chambers and Partners (2018) - Commercial Dispute Resolution (Band 1)

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 

Professional Memberships

Fee-Paid (Part Time) Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber)
Chair of the Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association
Northern Chancery Bar Association
Circuit Commercial Court Users Group Committee
British Irish Commercial Bar Association (Treasurer 2017-2019)
Attorney General’s Civil Regional A Panel 2002-2019 (prior to taking silk)

  • '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.’

    The 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.’

    The 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.'

    The 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."

    The 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’

    The Legal 500 (2021) - Commercial Litigation

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

    Chambers and Partners (2020) - Banking and Finance

  • "He is brilliant, down to earth, practical and sensible. 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 also very efficient, approachable and user-friendly."

    Chambers and Partners (2020) - Commercial Dispute Resolution

  • "He is clearly excellent. He is friendly but highly effective for clients as well."

    Chambers and Partners (2020) - Chancery

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

    Ranked: tier 2

    The 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)

  • Receives impressive levels of praise for his diverse commercial and chancery practice. A highly experienced practitioner whose expertise spans professional negligence, tax, property and insurance litigation. His clients include professional firms, businesses and government departments.

    Chambers and Partners (2019) - Commercial Dispute Resolution (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."
    Recent work: Acted for HMRC in an appeal by a farming business against a decision to remove it from the Agricultural Flat Rate Scheme for VAT.

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

  • ‘A devastatingly effective cross-examiner.’

    Ranked: tier 1

    The Legal 500 (2018-19) - 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.

    Chambers and Partners (2018) - Chancery

  • "He is the complete package. He is good on his feet and he works hard." "His written work is always well presented and concise."

    Chambers and Partners (2018) - Chancery

  • Receives impressive levels of praise for his diverse commercial and chancery practice. A highly experienced practitioner whose expertise spans professional negligence, tax, property and insurance litigation.

    Chambers and Partners (2018) - Commercial Dispute Resolution (Band 1)

  • "He is very impressive and professional in court. He is highly persuasive, establishing a commanding rapport with the judge, and has an authoritative demeanour." "He is very good with clients and has a calm manner about him. His written work is excellent and he is a very strong advocate."

    Chambers and Partners (2018) - Commercial Dispute Resolution (Band 1)

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. 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.”

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

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View Notable Cases

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Roger Preston Group Limited v Revenue & Customs [2021] SFTD 543, [2021] UKFTT 38 (TC)
(February 2021; Judge McNall sitting as a Judge in the First-Tier Tax Tribunal Chamber)

WT Banks & Co (Farming Ltd) v The Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs [2021] UKFTT 155 (TC)
(May 2021; Judge Hellier sitting as a Judge in the First-Tier Tribunal Tax Chamber)

E Rider Ltd v Revenue & Customs [2021] UKFTT 209 (TC)
(June 2021; Sitting as a Judge in the First Tier Tribunal Tax Chamber)

MV Promotions Ltd and Michael Vaughan v Telegraph Media Group Ltd [2020] EWHC 1357 [2020] STI 1389(HHJ Hodge QC sitting as a Judge of the High Court) (Rectification of contracts)

Lunar Missions Ltd v HMRC [2019] STC 2204 (Upper Tribunal, Barling J and Judge Ashley Greenbank) (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 (His Honour Judge Kaye KC sitting as a Judge of the High Court) (£3,000,000 claim for 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) (First-tier Tribunal)(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 of £2,289,786.97)

PS Gill & Son (UK) Ltd v HMRC [2012] UKFTT 374 (TC) (MTIC – Successfully upheld HMRC’s refusal to repay input tax of £2,448,530)

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

3 Cube Real Estate Ltd v Pilkington, 13 January 2012, His Honour Judge Hegarty QC sitting as a Judge of the High Court (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, Anthony Elleray QC sitting as a recorder – see also appeal in front of HHJ Hodge QC (Constructive trusts and proprietary estoppel)

 

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