Richard Matthews KC
Corporate criminal and regulatory specialist King’s Counsel
Richard Matthews KC is ranked as the best health and safety Silk by the independent guides to the legal profession, Chambers and Partners, and the Legal 500. He is ranked as a leading Silk in Environment and in Inquests and Inquiries by both guides. Richard is widely regarded as the foremost regulatory and corporate defence King’s Counsel in England and Wales.
His expertise spans the breadth of regulatory and business crime, especially health and safety enforcement, fire safety and environmental enforcement. His particular expertise encompasses gross negligence and corporate manslaughter.
He has considerable experience of representing corporations, directors and individuals facing a wide range of regulatory investigations and enforcement action, particularly health and safety, environmental and fire safety. In addition to prosecutions and trial representation, Richard’s experience of these fields extends to actions for judicial review (of both the HSE and Environment Agency) concerning the exercise of powers and issuances of notices with consequent pursuit of claims for damages.
Richard Matthews KC has regularly advised and represented many leading UK and international corporations. He has appeared for interested parties, particularly corporations, in a great number of jury inquests concerned with work related deaths and Public Inquiries. He has advised in respect of many of the UK’s most sensitive safety related issues over many years.
Richard’s experience extends to prosecutions related to unlawful storage of pesticides, trade in ‘parallel products’, copyright protection and the proceeds of crime.
Richard was educated at Girton College, the University of Cambridge, and was called to the bar in 1989. He was appointed King’s Counsel in 2010.
Practice Areas
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Richard is highly rated by the independent guides to the Bar: he is listed as the ‘star rated’ KC in Health and Safety by Chambers & Partners and in the highest tier of leading KC’s in Health and Safety by the Legal 500
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Richard Matthews KC has particular experience in trials involving gross negligence and corporate manslaughter, having acted for the defence in a great number of such high profile cases. He has also advised and represented employers, corporations, company directors, local authorities, NHS trusts, hospitals, and individuals involved in gross negligence and corporate manslaughter offences, both at trials and at inquests.
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Richard Matthews KC has acted for interested parties at a large number of inquests, and has a particular specialism in representing corporations in jury inquests concerning work-related deaths.
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Richard is listed as a leading KC in Environmental by the independent legal guide, Chambers & Partners, and has wide experience representing companies and company directors in environmental enforcement action brought by the Environment Agency
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Richard has great experience in advising corporations throughout the lengthy process of regulatory investigation, the proceedings at inquiries, inquests and trials, and has considerable experience in assisting non-UK based corporations through such challenging periods
Cases
