Richard Scorer

Get to know Richard

I began my career as a trainee solicitor in 1992 and qualified as a solicitor in 1994. I'm highly experienced in personal injury and human rights, with a specialist expertise in representing victims and survivors of abuse across the UK and have been described as “one of Britain’s leading specialists” in the field of abuse law.

During my career I’ve acted for hundreds of victims and survivors of abuse in many different settings including schools, churches, sports clubs, youth clubs, hospitals, the military and overseas. I have particular expertise in cases involving religious organisations such as the Catholic Church, Church of England, Jehovah's Witnesses and Islamic institutions such as mosques and madrassahs. I also represent many young women and men affected by child exploitation across the country, having acted for victims in many of the major cases, and I act for many victims of abuse with learning difficulties.

Additionally, I specialise in public inquiries. I represented over 100 victims and survivors in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and am currently involved in representing our clients in the Manchester Arena bombing Inquiry.

Career highlights

No single case stands out as a career highlight for me - it’s a great privilege to give anyone who’s suffered abuse a sense of justice and help them access treatment and support to enable them to move forward with their lives.

I have, during my career, worked on many high-profile abuse cases, representing victims of abuse in the Catholic Church, the Church of England and other religious settings including mosques and gurdwaras; victims of child sexual exploitation in Rochdale and other parts of the country; victims of Jimmy Savile, Cyril Smith and John Worboys; and victims of abuse in many different institutions including (to give just a few examples) Ampleforth College, Chethams School of Music and Chelsea FC. I represented over 100 victims and survivors in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). I have also taken several cases to the Supreme Court and the Court Appeal.

Recognition

I’m an accredited Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). I’m also top-ranked in legal guides, Chambers and Partners and Legal 500.

I’m consistently ranked as a Band 1 lawyer in Chambers and Partners and the 2022 guide states: "Head of the abuse law practice Richard Scorer has substantial experience in high-profile cases relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse."

"Richard was exceptionally good at converting deeply personal experiences into a cogent and coherent articulation of the case and was equally robust in pursuing it on my behalf. I could not have found a better advocate."

Also, I’m consistently ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ in the Legal 500, including in their latest 2023 edition.

The extra mile

I’m a regular commentator in the media, in local and national press, radio and television and have written and lectured extensively on the subject of child abuse. My book, Betrayed: The English Catholic Church and the Sex Abuse Crisis, was published in 2014. I am also co-author of the APIL Guide to Child Abuse Compensation Claims, the third edition of which was published in 2020.

In 2019 I contributed to “Letters to a Broken Church”, an important book about the abuse crisis in the Church of England. I write regularly for various publications including the New Law Journal.

I’m a founder member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL) and I’m also the Vice President of the National Secular Society, which campaigns for the separation of religion and state, and equal respect for everyone’s human rights, so no one is either advantaged or disadvantaged because of their beliefs. I served for nine years as a board member and director of the Big Life Group, a leading social enterprise in the North West. Since 2022 I have also been working as a part-time Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Kent, leading an international study of legal and policy tools for ensuring that children and vulnerable adults are better protected from abuse in religious settings.