Richard Black
Consultant
Richard joined Burton Copeland as a Consultant Solicitor in early 2023. He brings with him over 30 years extensive experience as a defence practitioner having been admitted as a solicitor in 1993.
Richard has a solid reputation and is well known and respected for his no-nonsense and fearless approach in defending his clients. He is one of the leading names in the field of representing police officers in criminal and misconduct investigations and proceedings, Post-Incident Procedures (PIP) as well as coronial investigations and inquests.
Richard’s experience is not limited to the representation of police officers, and he has a wealth of experience is representing professional clients at all stages of proceedings from police interviews, through the magistrates and crown courts as well as the Court of Appeal. He prides himself on his professional and scrupulous approach in the support of his client’s defence and in the management of their expectations from the first meeting up until the conclusion of the case.
Richard’s experience is such that he has dealt with many high-profile cases in all forums, which have attracted local, national and international press and media coverage.
Throughout his career Richard has advised and defended clients accused of the whole range of offences including:
Murder; Rape and sexual offences; Misconduct in public office; Perjury and Perverting the Course of Justice; Drug Offences; Assault; Dishonesty offences including theft and fraud; Public Order offences; Data Protection and Computer Misuse; Driving offences including drink/drug driving, death by dangerous/careless driving and exceptional hardship and special reasons applications.
Richard frequently advises in relation to fatal and non-fatal shooting incidents and collisions during police pursuits.
Richard has been named as a “leading individual” for general crime in the Legal 500 publication for a number of years and described as, “one of the most experienced solicitors around…. renowned for his defence work for police officers,” and “and extremely able lawyer who has a client base who would not think of going anywhere else.”
Richard has a keen interest in foreign languages and speaks fluent French. He has a good working knowledge of Russian and a basic knowledge of Italian and Japanese.
Notable Cases
The Anthony Granger Public Enquiry. Represented Q9 (GMP) the firearms officer who shot and killed Mr Granger in March 2012. Dealt with the Post Incident Procedure originally
R-v-INSP M. (GMP) Represented a serving Police Inspector charged with the murder of his wife.
Gross Incompetence Proceedings. Represented Inspector S (Cumbria) who was the Deputy SIO in relation to the highly publicised failings of the investigation of the suspicious death of a toddler.
Gross Incompetence Proceedings. Represented PC W (Lancashire) who tasered a blind male, having mistaken his white stick for a samurai sword. Case not proven
R-v-PC M & PC W (Cheshire) Represented two police officers acquitted of the on-duty rape of a female in the rear of a police vehicle.
R-v-PC M (West Mercia) Police Officer charged with murder of former professional footballer Dalian Atkinson where there was taser involvement. Acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter. Represented co-accused PC B-S who was charged with assault arising out of the same incident and acquitted following a retrial.
PC H (Cumbria) Drafted detailed s54 response to accelerated gross misconduct hearing notice. DCC for the Force accepted all submissions and withdrew proceedings.
