Masters of the Bench

Richard Booth KC is Head of Chambers at 1 Crown Office Row where he has practised since being called in 1993.

Richard was born in Newport and grew up in Cwmbran where his parents ran a pub. Richard attended Greenmeadow Primary School in Cwmbran before winning a scholarship to Monmouth School. Aged 18, he spent 6 months at Michaelhouse, a school in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Before turning to law, he read French and Spanish at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, later obtaining a Licence Spéciale en Droit Européen at the Université Libre de Bruxelles as a Wiener-Anspach Scholar.

Having had a broad civil common law practice as a junior, Richard now specialises in clinical negligence, professional discipline and sports law. He held the appointment of Junior Counsel to the Crown (Attorney-General’s Regional Panel) between 2000 and 2012. He took Silk in 2013. He has sat as a Recorder on the Wales Circuit since 2008.

Richard is passionate about widening access to the Bar and is a mentor for the Lord Edmund-Davies Legal Education Trust and a sponsor for Middle Temple.

Richard is married with two (now student) children. He enjoys live music, theatre and sport, being a keen follower of Welsh rugby.