Biography
I am a specialist Abuse Litigation solicitor, supporting both child and adult survivors of abuse bring civil legal claims for compensation. I am based in Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office, but regularly travel across the country to visit clients or attend Court.
I have been representing clients in this extremely sensitive area of law for over 8 years now and I am recognised nationally as a leading abuse litigation lawyer.
I am an Accredited Litigator with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). I am also a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL). I have also recently been re-elected to the role of Coordinator for the Association of Personal Injury Lawyer’s Abuse Special Interest Group. This is a national and high-profile position within this field of work, which I have been lucky enough to hold for over 4 years now. This has involved organising and chairing APIL’s Annual Abuse Conference and other training events each year, working and collaborating with experts to keep on top of all recent legal developments.
Richard is a highly capable lawyer and has a great track record of securing excellent client outcomes for vulnerable clients on difficult cases, utilising his sector leading legal expertise. For example, Richard has led on the team’s work and strategy concerning recent legal developments relating to social services’ child protection obligations under human rights law and at common law. Richard is also actively involved with a number of survivor organisations and charities, providing pro-bono legal advice and training.
I am very experienced in securing successful outcomes for clients in a wide variety of different abuse claims, including cases against institutions (e.g. Schools, Local Authorities, the Scouts, religious organisations and the Police), social services and also against individuals.
p>I am closely connected to several impactful organizations through my work.
SV2,
Embrace,
RSVP, and the
Centre for Women's Justice.
Key Highlights
I have recently achieved a number of successful settlements for clients, including 6-figure settlements against the Scouts for historic child sexual abuse, for example, as well as settlements against a number of different Local Authorities concerning children who have been let down and suffered abuse or harm in the care system.
What do you like about working at Irwin Mitchell?
I enjoy working with an extremely talented and diverse group of people. We all work to do the best for our clients, and push boundaries wherever possible. Everyone here is friendly and approachable. We also have access to a range of expert legal knowledge whenever it’s needed.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?
Making sure my clients are listened to, and are able to get what they deserve.
What inspired you to get into law?
I always wanted to have a challenging career that would also allow me to help others in a meaningful way. I studied law at University, which opened up lots of different potential career paths - but I feel so lucky to have fallen on my feet at Irwin Mitchell, where I have been able to develop a specialism that is particularly rewarding and allows me to help clients on a daily basis.
What do you do away from the office?
Nothing particularly original, I'm afraid! I love music and going to gigs/concerts, spending time with my family and friends, reading during quiet moments and travelling to new places.
Testimonials
Legal 500 (2024/25) - ‘Luke Daniels, Christopher Hurlston, Richard Sweetman, Tom Fletcher are all outstanding. I have known each of them to go the extra mile for their clients and to treat them with dignity and respect. They are all very efficient and typically respond within hours when I email requests for advice or information.'
Legal 500 (2024/25) - ‘The abuse team at Irwin Mitchell has great depth and experience. They are well resourced and have national reach. Tom Fletcher is excellent. He has a thorough understanding of the law in this area. Richard Sweetman has excellent legal knowledge and a great manner with clients.’
Mr C (client) - “My team was very understanding and dealt with my case with care. My case involved child sexual crimes against myself and needed the right team who knew how to deal with me on occasions as I could get quite upset about what was going on. In the end my team headed by Richard won the case on my behalf. And secured my last bit of justice. Richard always had time to speak with me even if we hadn’t arranged a meeting. Him and others made my experience excellent and I can’t think him and Irwin Mitchell enough.”
Mr and Mrs D (client) - "What can I say, Richard Sweetman has surpassed all of mine and my husbands expectations. He supported us during a difficult time and ensured that our issues where heard and the outcome was amazing. Thank you so very much Richard. I hope the law firm recognises what an amazing, hard working and committed young man you are. No doubt you will go on to be even more amazing."
Mrs H (client) - "I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Richard Sweetman for the professional and empathetic handling of my case. The incident had a detrimental effect on me, revisiting what had happened but he dealt with this in a very patient and understanding way. The communication was excellent and I was kept up to date at every point and given time by Richard to consider all options available to me. Richard made a difficult situation much easier for me to deal with and the outcome for us was positive, I am pleased to have closure now and look forward to moving on thanks to your support."
