Our Expertise
St Pauls Chambers provides legal services throughout the UK and worldwide. We are known for providing excellence in our areas of focus.
As a leading barristers chambers in Leeds, our expertise span the depth and breadth of a number of key areas of law.
Our People
St Pauls Chambers have an excellent team of Barristers, Clerks & Administration, with our barristers including KC’s, Members and Pupils.
View our teams in full detail, or browse by expertise to find a barrister.
Call 1977 | Silk 2002 | Recorder Deputy High Court Judge 2012
Richard Clayton KC advises and litigates for and against public bodies on judicial review including social care, data protection, discrimination, local government law (eg vires and powers, governance issues and finance) and regulatory/disciplinary work. He is also a commercial litigator/arbitrator with particular expertise in public sector disputes; emergency injunctions like freezing and seizure orders; civil fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, insolvency etc. His international practice includes Privy Council appeals and court work in the Caribbean. He has conducted over 30 Supreme Court appeals.
Richard has sat as a Deputy High Court Judge since 2012, is a Bencher at Middle Temple, was the United Kingdom’s representative to the Venice Commission (the Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional law) from 2011 to 2019 and is a former Chairman of the Constitutional and Administrative Bar Association.
Chambers & Partners describe Richard as
“one of the finest minds at the Bar… an intellectual giant who is an asset to the Bar.”
“Brilliant on his feet”
“very sharp when it comes to tactics. He is very good at guiding you on what the judge is likely to be thinking, his “command of the subject is almost second to none. He is thoughtful, approachable, and very client-focused”
“affable and has a mature approach” “calm, reliable and consistent” and “has a very wide knowledge of the law.”
Richard Clayton KC is a highly experienced commercial barrister, regularly instructed in complex, high-value commercial disputes where strategic judgment and senior-level advocacy are required.
His commercial practice encompasses contractual and shareholder disputes, public procurement challenges, disputes involving public bodies and regulated entities, and cases with an international or cross-border dimension. He is particularly well suited to matters that raise novel legal issues, regulatory considerations or public law dimensions, and where commercial disputes carry wider financial or reputational consequences.
Richard is frequently instructed at key pressure points in litigation, including at an advanced stage, for urgent applications, or where a case requires reframing for trial or appeal. Solicitors value his ability to cut through complexity, identify the real issues, and provide clear, realistic advice on strategy and prospects.
He has extensive experience in appellate advocacy, including in the Supreme Court and the Privy Council, and is often instructed to advise on or conduct appeals arising from commercial proceedings. His appellate background informs a measured and forward-looking approach to commercial litigation from an early stage.
With decades of experience and consistent recognition in the leading legal directories, Richard brings intellectual rigour, tactical insight and calm authority to commercial disputes. He works collaboratively with both London and regional firms and is particularly effective in cases requiring senior oversight, strategic intervention or advocacy at the highest level.
Richard Clayton KC is regularly instructed in complex commercial litigation, including contractual disputes, public procurement challenges, and high-value cases with regulatory or constitutional dimensions. He is particularly valued for strategic advice, appellate advocacy and cases where commercial disputes raise public law issues.
X v X (2021)
Whether balancing right to privacy against freedom of expression requires identifying parties in private law family proceedings)
R(D) v Tandridge DC (2021)
Representing council in application that claimant breached the Urgent Application procedure and is guilty of material non-disclosure.
Swale BC v Total Sprint (2021)
Defending rate claim for over £500,000
Re A (2021)
Advising combined authority on various constitutional issues
R(Hauret) v HMRC (2021)
EU challenge that loan charge legislation is a disproportionate interference with freedom of movement of capital.
R(Hannah) v Chartered Institute of Taxation (2021)
Whether the Institute is a “public body” and fairness lenge to Institute’s referral of his case to Taxation Disciplinary Board
R (Zeeman and Murphy) v HMRC (2020)
CA- HRA challenge to loan charge legislation as disproportionate interference with right to property
Southwark LBC v Ludgate House (2020)
CA decided that “guardianship schemes” are liable for business rates
Hollandwest v HMRC (2019)
Injunctions granted to preserve right of access to Court to clarify Supreme Court decision, OWD ltd v HMRC (2019)
Jones v Teaching Regulation Authority (2019)
Whether Secretary of State had power to supplement his statutory procedures by using common law power
R (British Homeopathy Association v National Health Service England (2018)
Consultation challenge to terminating homeopathy treatment)
R (English Bridge Union) v Sports England (2015)
Whether Sports England acted unlawfully in refusing to recognise bridge as a sport
Richard undertakes public and constitutional law, both in the Privy Council and internationally. He sits as a Deputy High Court judge and as an international arbitrator. He undertakes work in the Caribbean (Anguilla, Bahamas, Belize, Cayman, St Vincent, Trinidad, Turks & Caicos), Canada, US, Channel Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong and Isle of Man.
Richard is instructed in many high profile cases in Trinidad. He is currently instructed to defend a senator defamation proceeding brought by the Prime Minister and in allegedly unlawful cartel arrangement concerning several construction contracts on behalf of a former Minister.
Richard was the United Kingdom representative to Venice Commission (Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional law) from 2011 to 2019. The Commission comprises independent experts in the field of constitutional law. Richard was a member of its Executive and Chairman of its Sub-Commission on Working Methods. He worked as a Rapporteur in Opinions concerning conscription and freedom of thought (Armenia), freedom of assembly (Russia), freedom of expression and defamation (Azerbaijan) (Italy) and judicial independence and mediation (Tajikistan), freedom of association and NGOs (Azerbaijan), (Hungary) and Romania and the rule of law crisis in Poland Malta and Slovakia.
Responsible Development to Abaco v Rt Hon Perry Christie (2021)
Privy Council grant permission to appeal to constitutional challenge to Bahamas security for costs orders in environmental cases
Boland v Chairman of Board of Inland Revenue (2022)
Privy Council- challenge to promotion system for Field Auditors
Seepeersad v AG of Trinidad (2021)
Privy Council decide important case on right to protection of law, holding that it is breached by detaining juveniles in adult prison
Hapgood v AG of Anguilla (2021)
AG successfully persuades Privy Council to refuse permission to appeal to alleged contempt is a “criminal cause”
AG of Anguilla v Lake (2021) (Privy Council)
compulsory purchase compensation acting for AG
Richard Clayton KC has extensive experience in judicial review and public law challenges, acting in cases involving central and local government, regulators and public authorities. He is frequently instructed where the issues are constitutionally sensitive, commercially significant, or likely to reach appellate courts.
Richard Clayton KC has an extensive and long-established judicial review and public law practice, acting in challenges to decisions of central and local government, regulators and public authorities.
He is regularly instructed in judicial reviews involving significant commercial, constitutional or policy implications, including public procurement challenges, regulatory decision-making, discrimination, human rights and data protection issues. His practice includes cases brought by and against public bodies, as well as challenges with substantial financial or operational consequences for private entities.
Richard is particularly valued for his strategic approach to judicial review, including the careful formulation of grounds, realistic advice on prospects, and early identification of issues likely to attract appellate scrutiny. He is frequently instructed in complex or sensitive cases, including those involving constitutional principles or questions of public importance.
He has appeared on numerous occasions in the Supreme Court and the Privy Council, and is well known for his ability to handle judicial review proceedings that proceed to appeal. His experience at the highest appellate levels gives him a strong sense of how public law arguments are likely to be received by the courts.
With over 40 years’ experience at the Bar, Richard combines deep public law expertise with a practical, solicitor-focused approach. He is accessible, collaborative and trusted to provide clear, authoritative advice in judicial review proceedings where the stakes are high and the issues finely balanced.
Richard is particularly well-suited to cases at the intersection of commercial litigation and public law, including procurement challenges, regulatory disputes and judicial reviews with significant financial or policy implications.
Public procurement disputes
JR with major commercial consequences
Regulatory decisions affecting businesses
Local authority / NHS / public body litigation
Appeals from commercial or public law decisions
Whether balancing right to privacy against freedom of expression requires identifying parties in private family law proceedings.
Defending rate claim for over £500,000
Representing council in application that claimant breached the Urgent Application procedure and is guilty of material non-disclosure
CA- HRA challenge to loan charge legislation as disproportionate interference with right to property
Richard Clayton QC is an independent self-employed barrister registered with the Bar Standards Board of England (ref. no 33858); whose practice is governed by the Code of Conduct of the Bar of England and Wales which code can be found at www.barstandardsboard.org.uk; has full professional liability insurance provided by the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund Limited (ref BM 2930/078) (details of the worldwide cover are provided at www.barmutual.co.uk); is registered for VAT (reg. no. 397004445);
Chambers and its members are regulated by the Bars Standards Board
Bar Standards Board – The Barristers’ Register
Chambers is centrally located within walking distance of the train station, secure car parks and the Courts.
St Pauls Chambers
Park Row House
19-20 Park Row
Leeds
LS1 5JF
For out of hours assistance please call the senior clerk on 07854170429.
The switchboard will open from 08:30 until 17:30
Phone: +44 (0)1132 455 866
Email: [email protected]
CJSM: [email protected]
