Commercial

Practice Areas

George is a commercial barrister specialising in tax disputes, professional negligence and insolvency. He combines heavy-weight advocacy experience with in-depth tax and commercial knowledge.

Professional Negligence

George is routinely instructed as sole or leading junior counsel in multi-million pound claims against accountants, tax advisers, IFAs and solicitors. He has a particular interest in claims arising from negligent tax and financial advice and failed property investment schemes.

Tax Disputes

George “cut his teeth” in-house with HMRC before moving to independent practice. He represented HMRC as a member of the Attorney-General’s Panel between 2008-2021 but now concentrates on advising businesses and private clients. His main areas of expertise are employment-related taxes, CGT, IHT, VAT, judicial review, avoidance schemes and penalties.

Insolvency

George is routinely instructed as sole or leading junior counsel in multi-million pound proceedings against directors and shareholders. He has a particular interest in cases with overlapping tax and insolvency issues, such as misfeasance claims arising from failed tax avoidance schemes.

Examples of recent cases:

- £20m negligence claim against promoter of EBT tax scheme

- £10m bribery and negligence claim against accountants and solicitors in respect of 14 tax schemes

- Defending £5m misfeasance claim against directors who used an EBT tax scheme.

- Acting for liquidators in £2m misfeasance claim against directors who used failed tax schemes

- £5m claim against solicitors over defective share purchase agreement

- Acting for investors challenging management of insolvent pension administrator with £1.3bn assets under management

Publications

Co-author of Tax Penalties: A Practitioner’s Guide (Sweet & Maxwell; 1st edn 2017; 2nd edn, 2019); former consultant editor of Simon’s Taxes.

Magdalen College, Oxford (MA Oxon); City University, London (MA in Law)

Call: 2004