Richard Spearman QC

Date of call: 1977 Middle Temple
Year of silk: 1996

Full CV

Richard Spearman QC (PDF 160 kb)

Richard Spearman QC has a wide ranging general commercial and common law practice. In particular, he is regularly instructed in cases involving commercial fraud, media and entertainment (contracts, copyright, breach of confidence/privacy, data protection, defamation, arbitration), music industry (contracts, copyright, Copyright Tribunal), sports law (including disciplinary proceedings, arbitration), insurance and reinsurance, sale of goods, restraint of trade, and professional negligence. He has appeared in many reported cases, including cases concerning restraint of trade, freezing injunctions, letters of credit, civil fraud, tracing, judicial review, disclosure, insurance, defamation, copyright, confidence, private information and data protection. He was one of The Lawyer magazine's "Hot 100" for 2002, was one of six barristers shortlisted for "Barrister of the Year" by The Lawyer in 2003, and was briefed in the House of Lords in Grobbelaar v NGN, Campbell v MGN, Cream Holdings v Banerjee, and Polanski v Conde Nast.

JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS
Recorder of the Crown Court 1998 (and County Court 2004)

OTHER APPOINTMENTS
Member Bar Disciplinary Panels (and Chairman of summary hearings) (ad hoc)
Bencher of the Middle Temple (2006)

AFFILIATIONS
COMBAR
Chancery Bar Association
Bar Sports Law Group

OTHER BARS
Gibraltar
Trinidad and Tobago

EDUCATION
MA (Cantab) 1974

CIRCUITS
Midland

DIRECTORY ENTRIES
Chambers & Partners, 2010:
Recommended as a leader in Defamation/Privacy: "one of the greats" for privacy work and considered "an absolute rock". A "thorough genial individual (he) always puts himself out with us. He is brilliant to deal with and offers attention to detail... a master of many trades" (2008) and "knows the law relating to defamation and privacy better than anyone" (2010); Media and Entertainment: "Fantastic... praised for his charming manner, many sources landing him as a clever, clear and talented advocate" (2008), "he knows the wider media world backwards" (2009) and "superb, reassuring and extremely confident... he has an added insight and empathy that is sometimes lacking in some barristers" (2010); Sport: "man you can trust with cases of the highest importance" (2009).

Legal 500, 2009:
Recommended as a leader in Administrative & Public Law; Defamation and Privacy: "brilliant, amenable, user friendly...someone who is in a tier of his own" and "highly skilled and experienced advocate who relishes cut and thrust" (2008) and “an aura few other counsel in the field possess...pragmatic and commercial with an amazing eye for detail and ability to retain information” (2009); Fraud (Civil); Media/Entertainment and Sport: "described by solicitors as the best media silk in the country, praised for his brilliant delivery in court, being a real thinker, a lovely advocacy style" (2007), "superb all-round media lawyer...incredibly generous with his time and has an excellent sense of humour" (2008) and “amazing knowledge and technical ability” (2009).

Legal Experts, 2010:
Recommended expert in Defamation, Media & Entertainment and Sports Law .

LECTURES
The Law of Privacy (Middle Temple, 18 November 2006)
(for lecture notes, see articles)

CLERKS EMAIL
Michael Kaplan and Elliot Langdorf