Fieldfisher

Tax and Structuring

Senior Associate

Christopher's practice is focused on helping clients prevent tax disputes, and resolving them effectively where they have arisen.

Past clients include corporates in construction, technology, natural resources, food, pharma &  healthcare, and charities, as well as HNW and UHNW individuals, and trustees and beneficiaries of trusts. Christopher commonly advises on complex employment tax disputes, customs classification, domicile enquiries, CGT, IHT, BIR, film schemes, pension charges and surcharges, and double tax treaties. He is a member of Fieldfisher's specialist IR35 team.

Christopher's work at the firm involves helping clients pursue a number of solutions at different points during the tax-dispute lifecycle, including:

specialist dispute-prevention advice, such IR35 tax- and commercial risk management; remediation through disclosures where issues have arisen; advice and representation during HMRC enquiries, investigations, reclaims or clearance applications; tax litigation through the tribunals and courts, from the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber), to the Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court; a broad range of strategic tax dispute solutions such as group litigation, tax judicial review, restitution claims, other commercial claims, influencing at policy level, advice on confidentiality and privilege including cross-border matters, and strategic advice and coordination of international proceedings and procedures (EU Court of Justice, Mutual Assistance Procedure, foreign litigation etc.).

Lasting and wholistic solutions will often require a broad approach and driving clients' interests through a number of these pathways to a satisfactory conclusion.

Beside this core UK work, he has also been involved with international UNCITRAL, SCC and LCIA state-investor disputes, including applications for emergency relief against a state, and confiscatory taxes. As a native-level German speaker he often act in complex cross-border matters.