Richard Brooks

Partner

Richard is one of those rare individuals in the law – a litigator with wide ranging legal skills but with a particular passion for horseracing.  Not every lawyer who knows about horses makes a good equine lawyer, but Richard, is independently recognised as a ‘leader in the field’ by legal directories Chambers UK and Legal 500.

'Everything to do with bloodstock, racing and the business of horses is my thing’, he says. ‘It’s a world I feel comfortable in and my clients feel comfortable with me because they know that I get what they do. I wouldn’t change it for anything’.
Perhaps it is the element of speed that extends Richard’s interest to motorcycling.

Richard qualified as a solicitor in 1994 and in 1999 helped established niche bloodstock practice, Chalk Smith Brooks. He jointly leads the Racing and Bloodstock team and also leads the firm’s motorcycle personal injury specialism.

He has considerable experience in:

• sports disciplinary and licensing work particularly in horseracing acting in high profile cases, including race-fixing and corruption enquiries;
• Accidents to riders and horses including claims under the Animals Act 1971.
• Personal injury work more broadly particularly very serious injury cases with a special interest in chronic pain.
• Motorbike accidents
• Sporting injuries: accidents involving participants and spectators
• Equine claims involving training and other contract disputes, misrepresentation, sales of goods and veterinary negligence