Richard Eaton

Richard Eaton was appointed Head of the firm’s Dispute Resolution Division in April 2026 after many years leading the property disputes team.

He has a broad range of experience in the contentious aspects of property, planning, environmental and public law. A seasoned Solicitor – Advocate, he has higher rights of audience for all courts and over his career has appeared in all tiers of the civil courts. He has a particular specialism in the law of town and village greens having acted for the successful application in the Mistley Quay village green case TW Logistics v Essex and Ian Tucker [2021] UKSC 4. The case is a leading authority for registration, securing the registration of an unlikely ‘green’ comprising a hard surfaced quay side in Essex. It was challenged by the landowner up to and including the Supreme Court. For the appellate stages Richard was junior to Richard Wald KC.

His property background covers all aspects of real property and landlord and tenant work. Richard has also developed his environmental practice in the area of noise protection for music industry clients. He acted successfully in protecting the renowned Air Studios from potentially disruptive basement development. He is currently instructed by Lambeth BC in relation to the challenges to the holding of the Brockwell Live music festival planned for Brockwell Park this summer.

He qualified as a Solicitor in September 1997 and gained his Higher Rights of Audience in 2001. Richard has also served on the board of  the former Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust as a Non Executive Director.

Richard joined Birketts in 2004.