Richard Atkins

Crime & Regulatory

Head of St Philips Chambers (2020 – 2023), Chair of the Bar of England and Wales in 2019 and Leader of the Midland Circuit from 2014 to 2017, Richard is one of the country’s most eminent regulatory and criminal silks. He has consistently featured at the top of the legal rankings since taking silk in 2011.

Richard specialises in serious criminal and regulatory offences concentrating on homicide, health and safety, consumer law, trading standards, licensing, fraud, tax, and sex cases. He defends and prosecutes in equal measure. He is well known for his ability to assimilate amount of detail, and to put it across to the court or tribunal he is appearing before in an effective and easily digestible manner. He appears regularly in the Court of Appeal.

Richard was part of the leadership team of the profession for many years. He dealt with senior Government Ministers and officials, and the country’s most Senior Judges. He has had considerable involvement with both the Legal Services Board and the Bar Standards Board dealing with the regulation of the profession. During his year as Chair of the Bar of England and Wales, Richard presented to international gatherings of lawyers across the globe. Richard has regularly lectured to solicitors, barristers, police officers and a variety of professional bodies on a wide range of legal topics and is a much sought after speaker and moderator. He is an advocacy trainer and a vulnerable witness advocacy trainer.

Richard sits as a Crown Court Recorder (part-time criminal Judge) and is one of a small number of Judicial College Tutor Judges who train Crown Court Judges. He also sits as a fee-paid (part-time) Judge of the Mental Health Tribunal.

Richard is regulated by the Bar Standards Board

King Henry VIII School, Coventry; St Catherine’s College, Oxford University (MA, Oxon); Council of Legal Education Inns of Court School of Law (Bar School).