- Acting for a local authority on a £93m dispute with another council arising from a joint venture concerning a PFI-style infrastructure project, successfully reaching a settlement at mediation.
- Acting for a local authority on a PFI dispute with a contractor, ultimately negotiating a settlement worth £3.5m and securing several variations to the contract.
- Acting for a claimant (a registered provider of housing) in an indemnity claim brought in Circuit Commercial Court, which was worth £4.2m and ultimately settled at mediation for £3.9m.
- Acting for the defendant in Midland Living CIC v Prospect Housing Ltd [2021] EWHC 2622 (Comm), successfully obtaining a strike out and order for security for costs before negotiating a settlement on favourable terms.
- In a case which was the first of its kind, Richard assisted Rotherham MBC to successfully resist an application to certify an offence under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Harron v Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council & The Information Commissioner’s Office [2023] UKUT 22 (AAC)).
- Acting for a charitable community benefit society in arbitration proceedings brought by a former member on the basis of alleged breaches of the rules of the society, eventually securing a discontinuance of the claim following two successful preliminary hearings and a favourable costs order.
- Acting for a parish council in a professional negligence claim against the council’s former solicitor who misadvised the Council on the matters which gave rise to a judicial review.
Richard specialises in commercial dispute resolution and has extensive experience in handling complex commercial contract disputes, with particular expertise of PFI disputes.
Richard is a Managing Associate in the Commercial Litigation team in Manchester and has over a decade of experience advising and representing a broad range of clients including private limited companies, local authorities, registered housing providers, and charities.
Richard began his career working in-house at a local authority where he became one of the council’s most trusted advisers, leading on several complex and high-value contractual disputes. As a result of his in-house experience, Richard has a keen awareness of the pressures faced by his clients and so he specialises in finding pragmatic and cost-efficient solutions, even in the most contentious and complex of matters.
Richard’s practice encompasses a wide range of commercial disputes, which includes:
- commercial contracts disputes
- PFI/PPP disputes
- warranty claims
- agency claims
- professional negligence
- shareholder disputes
- public law matters
He has significant experience of dealing with claims in the Business and Property Courts, as well through arbitration and mediation. Some recent examples are set out below.
Experience
Expertise: Sectors
Expertise: Services
Businesses