After seven years of academic life, Ribeiro entered into
private practice in 1979, and quickly established himself as an expert in
admiralty and
maritime law. He was a member of
Temple Chambers during his time in private practice. He was appointed
Queen's Counsel in 1990, and is a patron of the
Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal. He acted for the British government in the
Spycatcher case, and for the Airport Authority during the enquiry into the botched opening of Chek Lap Kok airport in 1998. As the longest-serving judge of the court, Ribeiro has been involved in numerous important cases, particularly in the area of
constitutional law. These include cases concerning the Right of
Abode, sovereign immunity,
freedom of speech, and the
election process, but also extend to other areas such as maintenance and champerty,
the internet,
LGBT rights,
civil partnerships,
employment,
medical negligence, and
divorce. ==Personal==