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Richard Sear KC
Chambers ranked in UK Bar 2025
New Silk – Legal 500 Uk 2025

Richard Sear KC

Call: 2005
Silk: 2024

Contact:

Richard Sear KC took silk in 2024. Prior to that, he was firmly established as one of the leading matrimonial finance juniors at the Family Bar.

He has vast experience of, and expertise in, the most substantial financial remedy cases and the most complicated jurisdiction disputes.

Richard has been involved in many of the leading family law cases of the past decade and is widely commended by the legal directories, including as “a superstar who is a good strategic thinker and whose opinion is respected”.

Expertise:

  • Financial Remedies, Financial claims for children (Schedule 1), Private Law Children, Cohabitation/Trusts of Land, Family Law Act, Inheritance Act

Services:

  • Advice and Representation, Arbitrators, Mediators, Private FDR Evaluators

Practice

Richard Sear KC practises in all areas of private family law and tends to be instructed in complex financial cases and jurisdiction disputes; both in England & Wales in relation to proceedings elsewhere.

He has represented clients from all walks of life and from all over the world.

He was appointed King’s Counsel in 2024. Prior to that, he was Chambers and Partners family law junior barrister of the year in 2022 (having been shortlisted for the award as long ago as 2014).

Richard qualified as an arbitrator in 2014 and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators: a significant proportion of his work involves arbitration and early neutral evaluation.

Private family law.

While much of his work takes place privately and without publicity, Richard has appeared in many reported decisions; among them a significant number of the leading cases in the field.

Recent examples include:

  • Standish (2024)
  • Tsvetkov v Khayrova (2023)
  • DR v UG (2023)
  • IR v OR (2022)
  • Barclay (2021)
  • Goddard-Watts (an instruction lasting over a decade).

  • FLBA
  • MCIArb

Richard was educated at Magdalen College School, Oxford, King’s College, London and Green College, University of Oxford. He was awarded a Diplock Scholarship by the Middle Temple.

Richard has been commended in the legal directories for many years. Some representative comments are below.

Chambers and Partners

Star Individual 2022 and 2023 (as a junior): “His attention to detail is incredible.”

“A superstar who is a good strategic thinker and whose opinion is respected.”

“He is clever, hard-working and helpful.”

“Richard is an intellectual powerhouse, who has a real confidence in his advocacy.”

“Richard is extremely thorough in his preparation and shows excellent attention to detail. He is reassuring and empathetic towards his clients and gets excellent results.”

In previous years, Chambers and Partners commented that “he has the gift of making anything seem reasonable and attractive” and described him as “feisty and prepared to take on the other side, he takes no prisoners but is elegant and sophisticated”.

 

Legal 500

“Simply outstanding.”

““His quiet confidence which means he often comes in with the killer point, keeping his head about him under pressure.”

Richard is married, has two children and lives in Oxfordshire.

Many years ago, he was the British Universities & UK Junior Champion at 110m hurdles; and is the holder of a Full Blue.