Richard Whittam QC

Year of Call: 1983

A “strong Treasury Counsel" "who realises that to be effective you do not need to be an enemy of your opponent” “a stunning addition to any team - with pep and industry to spare” (Chambers Directory)

Richard Whittam is Senior Treasury Counsel at the Central Criminal Court. He was appointed by the Attorney General in 2006, the first year that an open competition was held. Before that he had been Junior Treasury Counsel since 1998 and First Junior Treasury Counsel from 2002 to 2006.

Richard has considerable experience in the most serious cases: terrorism, organised crime and murder. High profile examples include Badat (the shoe bomber case) and Tsouli, Mughal and Al Daour (inaccurately referred to in the press as a ‘cyber-terrorism’ case). Other recent highlights have included numerous murder and attempted murder trials arising out of Operation Trident, the successful conviction of McGrady for the murder of Rochelle Holness – his whole life term was upheld in the Court of Appeal – and Operation Bluesky, which concerned a massive people smuggling operation.

Richard has extensive expertise in fraud, which was an area of particular emphasis for him prior to his appointment as Junior Treasury Counsel. Another field of specialisation is infant mortality, and he addressed the First National Shaken Baby Syndrome conference in Sydney in 2001. He has also prosecuted gross negligence cases, cases with HSE offences, and matters for the Security Industry Authority. Richard regularly appears in the House of Lords, the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, particularly the Central Criminal Court, and has also prosecuted a manslaughter Courts Martial.

Richard is ranked as a leading junior in crime in both Chambers & Partners (2008) and legal 500 (2008).

Independent research publications frequently name Richard as one of the leaders in his field. He has been ranked in Chambers Directory, for example, since 1998; the most recent editions note that he is “handling high-profile cases”, is a “stunning addition to any team – with pep and industry to spare” and has “been attracting attention from colleagues and judges alike, due to the quality of [his] performance”. Previous editions have drawn attention to his “astute, hardworking and meticulous” style and “attention to detail”, while praising him as a “fearless advocate who glides through proceedings with effortless style”. The 2005 edition of the Legal 500, meanwhile, observed that he was “credited with furnishing chambers with a refreshing attitude”.