ASSOCIATE MEMBER

Richard Drabble KC

Richard was called to the Bar in 1975, took silk in 1995 and practised in public law. He appeared in many leading human rights and environmental cases.

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Practice summary

Practice Summary

Richard’s career spanned nearly five decades and covered all aspects of public law, with a particular emphasis on social security, immigration, environmental, planning, local government and human rights law. He has appeared at all levels of the domestic court system, including the Supreme Court and the House of Lords, as well as the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Richard is a Bencher of Inner Temple, a former Chairman of the Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA) and a current member of the Bar Council's Law Reform Committee (previously Vice-Chair).

Richard was presented with a Festschrift by Dame Nathalie Lieven DBE at his retirement event held in Middle Temple. You can read the Festschrift here.

Quite simply one of the most talented and influential public lawyers of the last forty years."

Chambers and Partners

Qualifications and achievements

Qualifications

History at Downing College, Cambridge

Awards

Richard received a 'Lifetime Achievement award' at the 2022 Chambers and Partners awards
Shortlisted for the Legal 500 UK Bar Awards 2023 Immigration 'Silk of the Year'

Recommendations

"Richard is absolutely unique in his knowledge and experience." "Richard is thoughtful and he fights difficult cases."

Administrative and Public Law, Chambers and Partners, 2024
"He is extremely experienced and has a certain authority in court. He is a heavyweight."

Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Chambers and Partners, 2024
"A brilliant advocate, towards whom the court is always very respectful. He is very effective." "Enormously experienced and greatly respected."

Immigration, Chambers and Partners, 2024
"Richard is very knowledgeable and he clearly knows this area very well."

Local Government, Chambers and Partners, 2024
"Richard Drabble KC is a legend." "Richard Drabble KC is well known in community care, housing and asylum support matters."

Social Housing, Chambers and Partners, 2024
"He is formidable; he knows everything about the Administrative Court and has a supremely confident manner." "Watching him is a real master class. He manages to take the court through complex submissions in a logical and extremely persuasive way. He is also excellent with clients."

Administrative and Public Law, Chambers and Partners, 2023
"He has a huge wealth of experience in local government. He's got that breadth and depth of knowledge and real respect from the court."

Local Government, Chambers and Partners, 2023
"An absolutely brilliant advocate who has been in some big cases."

Social Housing, Chambers and Partners, 2023
"Richard is a mastery of the subject."

Local Government, Legal 500, 2023
"Richard is a top flight performer in the senior courts where his forensic eye to detail, and the strength of his submission on statutory construction are really second to none."

Immigration, Legal 500, 2023
"By some way the country’s leading expert in social security." "He has great rapport with judges; they really respect and listen carefully to him."

Administrative and Public Law, Chambers and Partners, 2022
"Richard Drabble is a very straight operator and extremely persuasive." "He is an incredibly talented human rights practitioner and continues to deliver excellent results."

Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Chambers and Partners, 2022
"A wonderful silk who is lovely to work with and easy to engage with." "He gets amazing results and is very well known for being impressive."

Immigration, Chambers and Partners, 2022
"He commands respect in the courtroom but is also approachable, works well with solicitors and has excellent client care skills." "A great barrister and a clear, concise and formidable advocate."

Local Government, Chambers and Partners, 2022
"He is one of the go-to people in this field."

Social Housing, Chambers and Partners, 2022
"A pleasure to work with, and precise and insightful on his feet."

Administrative and Public Law, Legal 500, 2022
"No one spots a novel point and one which is likely to hit home with the judges like he does."

Environment, Legal 500, 2022
"Richard is a mastery of the subject."

Local Government (including Rating Law), Legal 500, 2022
"Richard is a mastery of the subject." "One of the most highly regarded silks at the public law Bar."

Immigration, Legal 500, 2022
"One of the most highly regarded silks."

Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Legal 500, 2022
"He always stands out. He’s always very effective in putting cases forward and dealing with more junior people – he’s really collaborative." "He’s got a very clever way of presenting complex things sensibly and simply to sway the judge. It’s a very attractive style."

Administrative and Public Law, Chambers and Partners, 2021
"A phenomenal silk."

Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Chambers and Partners, 2021
"Very experienced." "He is an extremely dangerous opponent and has the ear of the court."

Environment, Chambers and Partners, 2021
"He makes things that appear complicated understandable." "He’s absolutely amazing. He has the judges in the palm of his hand."

Social Housing, Chambers and Partners, 2021
"He has a lot of experience in European cases of all levels and he is extremely affable and helpful. The courts really like him." "He is very impressive and produces very authoritative advocacy."

Immigration, Chambers and Partners, 2021
"A smooth advocate who knows exactly how to pitch arguments in order to get the court to listen."

Local Government, Chambers and Partners, 2021
"Richard is a very competent lawyer and he does a very wide variety of work."

Planning, Chambers and Partners, 2021
"A pleasure to work with, and precise and insightful on his feet."

Administrative and Public Law, Legal 500, 2021
"Amazing for public law issues."

Local Government, Legal 500, 2021
"One of the most highly regarded silks."

Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Legal 500, 2021
"He has appeared in a number of leading cases, including those concerning the bedroom tax and duties imposed on local authorities when determining the suitability of accommodation."

Social Housing, Legal 500, 2021
"He is so experienced, and the court loves him and listens to anything he has got to say because he is so persuasive."

Social Housing, Chambers and Partners, 2020
"His particular virtue is that he's undoubtedly the leading expert on social security law and so he has a tremendous chronological reach when analysing cases." "He has great gravitas and control of the court, and he's calming and considered as an advocate." "The court love him and listen to anything he's got to say because he is so persuasive."

Administrative and Public Law, Chambers and Partners, 2020
"An excellent silk."

Environment, Chambers and Partners, 2020
"Richard is an eminent silk of long standing who has done absolutely fantastic human rights work over the course of his career. The cases he does are all extremely important." "He knows the law inside out and he's very effective." "He's the doyen of social security law and trusted by the judges in that area; nobody knows more about the subject."

Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Chambers and Partners, 2020
"Very popular with juniors and a master of his material, with many years' experience doing cutting-edge cases." "He has a wealth of knowledge and is a lawyer I truly respect and admire."

Immigration, Chambers and Partners, 2020
"He is a phenomenal brain."

European Law, Chambers and Partners, 2020
"A top-quality lawyer." "He is very thorough, knowledgeable and knows how to pitch realistically, always presenting his case to judges in a very attractive manner."

Local Government, Chambers and Partners, 2020
"An absolutely brilliant advocate." "A very strong strategist."

Planning, Chambers and Partners, 2020

Richard Drabble KC

Richard was called to the Bar in 1975, took silk in 1995 and practised in public law. He appeared in many leading human rights and environmental cases.

Practice summary

Practice Summary

Chambers and Partners

Qualifications and achievements

Qualifications

Awards

Recommendations

"Richard is absolutely unique in his knowledge and experience." "Richard is thoughtful and he fights difficult cases."

"He is extremely experienced and has a certain authority in court. He is a heavyweight."

"A brilliant advocate, towards whom the court is always very respectful. He is very effective." "Enormously experienced and greatly respected."

"Richard is very knowledgeable and he clearly knows this area very well."

"Richard Drabble KC is a legend." "Richard Drabble KC is well known in community care, housing and asylum support matters."

"He is formidable; he knows everything about the Administrative Court and has a supremely confident manner." "Watching him is a real master class. He manages to take the court through complex submissions in a logical and extremely persuasive way. He is also excellent with clients."

"He has a huge wealth of experience in local government. He's got that breadth and depth of knowledge and real respect from the court."

"An absolutely brilliant advocate who has been in some big cases."

"Richard is a mastery of the subject."

"Richard is a top flight performer in the senior courts where his forensic eye to detail, and the strength of his submission on statutory construction are really second to none."

"By some way the country’s leading expert in social security." "He has great rapport with judges; they really respect and listen carefully to him."

"Richard Drabble is a very straight operator and extremely persuasive." "He is an incredibly talented human rights practitioner and continues to deliver excellent results."

"A wonderful silk who is lovely to work with and easy to engage with." "He gets amazing results and is very well known for being impressive."

"He commands respect in the courtroom but is also approachable, works well with solicitors and has excellent client care skills." "A great barrister and a clear, concise and formidable advocate."

"He is one of the go-to people in this field."

"A pleasure to work with, and precise and insightful on his feet."

"No one spots a novel point and one which is likely to hit home with the judges like he does."

"Richard is a mastery of the subject."

"Richard is a mastery of the subject." "One of the most highly regarded silks at the public law Bar."

"One of the most highly regarded silks."

"He always stands out. He’s always very effective in putting cases forward and dealing with more junior people – he’s really collaborative." "He’s got a very clever way of presenting complex things sensibly and simply to sway the judge. It’s a very attractive style."

"A phenomenal silk."

"Very experienced." "He is an extremely dangerous opponent and has the ear of the court."

"He makes things that appear complicated understandable." "He’s absolutely amazing. He has the judges in the palm of his hand."

"He has a lot of experience in European cases of all levels and he is extremely affable and helpful. The courts really like him." "He is very impressive and produces very authoritative advocacy."

"A smooth advocate who knows exactly how to pitch arguments in order to get the court to listen."

"Richard is a very competent lawyer and he does a very wide variety of work."

"A pleasure to work with, and precise and insightful on his feet."

"Amazing for public law issues."

"One of the most highly regarded silks."

"He has appeared in a number of leading cases, including those concerning the bedroom tax and duties imposed on local authorities when determining the suitability of accommodation."

"He is so experienced, and the court loves him and listens to anything he has got to say because he is so persuasive."

"An excellent silk."

"Very popular with juniors and a master of his material, with many years' experience doing cutting-edge cases." "He has a wealth of knowledge and is a lawyer I truly respect and admire."

"He is a phenomenal brain."

"A top-quality lawyer." "He is very thorough, knowledgeable and knows how to pitch realistically, always presenting his case to judges in a very attractive manner."

"An absolutely brilliant advocate." "A very strong strategist."

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