Clerk Details
- Clerk Name: Natalie Bryan
- Clerk Telephone: 01962 868 884
- Clerk Email: [email protected]
Overview
Richard Sampson is a well-organised crime and regulatory crime barrister with extensive advocacy and advisory experience gained from a challenging professional framework in the criminal courts in which accuracy, relevance and pragmatism all count. Richard joined 3PB in June 2026 from the Crown Prosecution Service(CPS) as a fixed term tenant of chambers.
A former District and Senior Crown Prosecutor within the CPS, Richard has also been appointed a Deputy District Judge for criminal cases (Magistrates’ Courts) since April 2026 and combines this part-time role with another as a member of the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service (Disciplinary & ICC Panels) since October 2025.
Richard also worked for HM Courts and Tribunals Service as a legal adviser and researcher to the Senior District Judge (Chief Magistrate) where he was responsible for producing legal advice and guidance notes for senior judiciary including the Lord Chief Justice and received praise in one case from the Senior Presiding Judge.
Richard has also worked in-house at the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and has a busy caseload of regulatory crime cases as well as dealing with the full gamut of traditional criminal cases, acting for both the CPS and defendants. Richard initially trained with a specialist crime chambers in London.
Richard has been a Contributing Editor to Archbold Magistrates’ Courts Criminal Practice since 2022.
Expertise
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Crime and Regulatory Crime Add this expertise to your shortlist A former District and Senior Crown Prosecutor, Richard Sampson led a team of lawyers in the prosecution of criminal cases, providing legal advice and guidance. He personally led on a wide range of criminal casework, ensuring the effective delivery of pre-charge advice and early intervention in large and complex cases.
This saw Richard undertaking advocacy in the more challenging serious and sensitive cases in the Magistrates’ Courts, delivering high levels of advocacy, media handling, written and oral communication skills to maintain public confidence in the prosecution process. Amongst other specialisms, Richard is an authority in road traffic law and magistrates' court practice and procedure.
Prior to this, Richard was an Enforcement Lawyer with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) responsible for prosecutions. He secured a conviction in the first case under their new “Decision To Prosecute” model, which removed the charging decision from the investigating inspector, against a large corporate defendant. He attended the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee on behalf of the HSE.
Richard also served as a Principal Investigative Lawyer with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), providing legal advice on disclosure across the entire Division in the LIBOR/EURIBOR case teams and was responsible for creating and delivering Witness Familiarisation Training to SFO staff. He also acted as Disclosure Counsel for the SFO on a multi-million pound fraud investigation.
He spent over four years in a criminal law chambers in London, after qualifying and completing his pupillage. Richard's busy caseload saw him prosecute for the CPS in the Crown and Magistrates’ Courts with instructions running the full gamut of criminal activity from cannabis production through GBH to sexual offences.
Richard also defended in both the Crown and Magistrates’ Courts, including fraud by identity theft, handling stolen goods and a £400,000 cheque fraud case. Richard also worked for the Treasury Solicitors reviewing material for disclosure and legal privilege in procurement and contract litigation involving government department contracts. This included an eight month assignment to the Ministry of Defence in a claim valued at over £150m.
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