Richard has been a member of a number of professional associations, including the American, National, and Nashville Bar Associations. He has won awards based on his integrity and involvement in landmark civil rights cases in Nashville and Tennessee. (These will be ranked in chronological order.)
- Outstanding Young Man of America- 1986
- Distinguished Service Award of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators – 1989
- Civil Rights Leadership Award of the Nashville NAACP – 1991
- Liberty Bell Award from the Nashville Bar Association – 2001
- William M. Leech, Jr. Public Service Award from TN Bar Association – 2004
- Nelson C. Andrews Distinguished Service Award for his “esteemed career of service” – Honored by Nashville Public Schools -2019
- Inducted into the Public School Hall of Fame- 2019
- Member of TN Bar Foundation, Napier-Looby Bar Association, National Bar Association Judicial Council
- Board of Directors of the Nashville Bar Association
