Mr Richard Chapman KC > Chambers of Richard Chapman KC > Manchester, England > Barrister Profile

Chambers of Richard Chapman KC
18 St John Street Chambers
18-20 ST JOHN STREET
MANCHESTER
M3 4EA
England

Work Department

Commercial and chancery law.

Position

Commercial and chancery Law, including: real property, landlord and tenant, contract, company, trusts, partnership, insolvency, wills, professional negligence, banking, sale of goods.

Career

Called 1998; Gray’s Inn. Appointments: appointed to the Attorney General’s Provincial Panel 2002.

Memberships

Chancery Bar Association.

Education

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

Lawyer Rankings

Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Professional negligence

(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2

Richard Chapman KC18 St John Street Chambers ‘A silk who provides sagacious and commercial advice with the client’s objectives foremost in mind.

Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Chancery, probate, and tax

(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2

Richard Chapman KC – 18 St John Street Chambers ‘Richard is very able, strong on paper and in court, and he has a very calm, reassuring, and professional manner.’

18 St John Street Chambers is praised as ‘an excellent set’ and its members assist clients with a wide range of contentious and non-contentious business and property, chancery, and tax mandates. The set houses Richard Chapman KC, who has expertise in direct and indirect tax matters, and Jennifer Newstead-Taylor, who is also skilled in tax matters and traditional Chancery work, as well as VAT cases in which MTIC fraud is alleged. Christopher McNall has substantial experience in handling inheritance tax cases, and he has appeared before the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. He represented the revenue in corporation tax case HMRC v Dolphin Drilling Ltd, concerning if a tender support vessel in the North Sea is a floating hotel. Elisabeth Tythcott is another notable team member active in the business and property courts, and she represented the claimant in Feili v Faily & ors, a case concerning a dispute over the treatment of an estate’s principal asset between six siblings.

Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Property and construction

(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2

Richard Chapman KC – 18 St John Street Chambers ‘Richard has great clarity of thought, and is a very good technical lawyer and impressive advocate.’

Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Company and insolvency

(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1

Richard Chapman KC – 18 St John Street Chambers ‘Richard’s written advocacy and advice in relation to complex areas of law is excellent.’

18 St John Street Chambers is praised for having ‘a number of highly-experienced business and property counsel involved in some very heavy litigation.’ The set is home to Richard Chapman KC, who is head of chambers, and Oliver Caplan, who is strong in insolvency litigation for both individuals and corporates. Jennifer Newstead-Taylor regularly acts on matters regarding complex claims for director disqualification arising from VAT fraud, bankruptcy restriction orders, applications for provisional liquidators, and public interest winding-up petitions. John Vickery adeptly handles contentious and non-contentious restructuring and insolvency matters; he recently acted for the liquidators in Ltd v P & Others, a case concerning alleged misfeasance and wrongful trading. Elisabeth Tythcott is another notable name in the set, and she successfully acted for the claimant in Cheshire Estates (Oakglade) Limited v Daw and Cheshire Estates (Spenbrook) Limited, which involved a claim for £3m equitable compensation against directors for breach of fiduciary duty.

Regional Bar > Northern Circuit > Commercial litigation

(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1

Richard Chapman KC – 18 St John Street ChambersRichard 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.’

The commercial litigation team at 18 St John Street Chambers houses Richard Chapman KC, who is head of chambers and also chair of the Northern Circuit Commercial Bar Association. He represented the claimant in RSW International Ltd v Purple Surgical Ltd, which concerned a claim for approximately £8m for a breach of contract regarding the supply of personal protective equipment. David Hoffman specialises in business and property litigation, and he is strong in contractual disputes in the High Court and County Courts.