My friend Richard Youard, who has died aged 82, was one of the towering legal brains of his generation. A City solicitor and partner for many years in the firm of Slaughter and May, he did not cultivate publicity, but within the City and in academia he was respected both as a leading practitioner in company law and as a benefactor to law faculties, including Oxford University, where he had studied jurisprudence after being commissioned in the Royal Artillery during his national service.
He joined Slaughter and May as an articled clerk in 1956, becoming a partner in 1968 and an increasingly forceful presence until his retirement in 1989. It was a world of advising banks and governments on syndicated loans. Richard is remembered for his high standards and waspish sense of humour.
Brought up on a farm in Kent, Richard was the son of Geoffrey, a civil servant as well as a farmer, and his wife, Rosaline (nee Atkin). He was born into the law in that his maternal grandfather was Lord Atkin, famous for many judgments, including a landmark ruling on habeas corpus and another which extended the law of negligence in a case involving a snail found in a bottle of ginger beer.
Although nobody could have accused Richard of blowing his own trumpet in the metaphorical sense, he did rather fancy himself on the trumpet and cornet. He was the driving force behind the Slaughter and May jazz band, which featured for many years in the Lord Mayor’s Show.
As the City became more and more competitive, Richard eventually lost interest in the daily grind. He did not take kindly to what he referred to as “the Thatcher generation”. “They seem not to know the meaning of the word charity,” he would say. He contributed to many legal publications, and even ventured into journalism via Euromoney.
On retirement he took on a regulatory role, sorting out disputes between investors and financial institutions, from 1989 to 1996. When asked why he was called the Investment Ombudsman he replied: “Because the English do not have a word for referee.”
Both during his career and in retirement Richard spent as much time as possible in the family’s remote cottage above Dolgellau, where he revelled in a dearth of modern conveniences. He took the trouble to learn Welsh and impressed the neighbours with his active participation in local activities.
Very active for most of his life, Richard was struck by various illnesses during his latter years, and survived for 25 years after being diagnosed with a kidney tumour.
He is survived by his wife, Felicity, and their children, Andrew, Elizabeth and Penny.
