Stephenson Harwood

Employment, pensions, private wealth, immigration, contentious trusts and corporate tax

James Quarmby is one of the most prominent private client lawyers in the UK. Industry commentators note that he is "becoming a legend of the private wealth space because of his astute awareness of the environment in which we operate, which allows him to provide such relevant and effective advice" (Chambers & Partners HNW, 2024).

He has a wide-ranging practice, advising on UK and international taxation, residency and domicile, offshore pensions and trusts, asset protection, succession planning and HMRC disputes.

James frequently appears in the press and broadcast media. He has featured across a range of outlets, including Newsnight, BBC Breakfast, BBC News, BBC World Service TV, Sky News, Bloomberg TV, BBC R2, BBC R4 (including the Today programme), BBC R5L, BBC World Service, LBC, Times Radio, and in numerous quotes across the print media. He writes and lectures widely on tax policy.

James is recognised across the private wealth sector for his expertise. He has been included in eprivateclient's "50 Most Influential" list for nine years running, as well as featuring in the Private Client Global Elite and Spear's Tax & Trusts Indices. He is ranked as a Leading Individual in the Legal 500, and is recognised by the Chambers HNW guide in both the Private Wealth Law and Family Offices & Funds Structuring categories. He was named Tax & Trusts Lawyer of the Year at the 2022 Spear's Wealth Management Awards.

As well as being a solicitor, regulated by the SRA, he is a Registered Tax Technician, regulated by the Association of Tax Technicians (ATT). He is an active member of STEP and a contributing editor for LexisNexis.