Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Andrew is a star in the world of VAT. He has encyclopaedic knowledge of all areas of VAT and is my first choice for the most high stakes VAT cases. Andrew's advocacy is superb - his preparation is meticulous.’
Pump Court Tax Chambers offers ‘high-quality barristers from top to bottom’, able to provide expertise in both advisory and contentious matters. Members have experience in the Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court, and cover issues relating to stamp duty, early termination payments, and input tax recovery, among a broad range of other mandates. David Milne KC and Andrew Hitchmough KC are highly regarded in the space, as is Kevin Prosser KC, who was recently active for ING Bank in a case before the Court of Appeal on a VAT issue relating to the bank’s deposit-taking service. James Rivett KC maintains a broad tax practice, and has been particularly active in the life sciences sector, while Rupert Baldry KC covers indirect tax cases in all forms, including customs duties and stamp taxes. Jeremy White is a notable expert in matters relating to customs and international trade. Zizhen Yang supplements her VAT practice with strength in landfill tax matters, and appeared as sole counsel for the taxpayer in The Prudential Assurance Company v HMRC, a case relating to the VAT grouping regime which was before the Court of Appeal in early 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks are always helpful and responsive, which is crucial when dealing with time-sensitive matters.'
- 'They are top of their game.'
- 'Superb service generally.'
- 'I have been impressed with the variety of strengths across the barristers of Pump Court Tax Chambers.'
- 'Pump Court Tax Chambers is well-known for its impressive barristers.'
- 'Pump Court is obviously a strong set for VAT work, with excellent senior and junior Counsel at all levels.'
- 'The set has high quality barristers from top to bottom and can deal with all types of tax matters.'
- 'The go-to set for weighty tax disputes.'
Silks
Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Pump Court Tax Chambers
'Rupert is a consummate professional and always a pleasure to work with. His ability to understand a complex factual matrix in short order is very impressive.'
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Tenacious advocate. Free thinking and collaborates extremely well with his solicitors and clients.’
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Richard is extremely responsive and always over the detail. He gets stuck in to the work and meets deadlines.’
2023 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Michael Thomas KC
Pump Court Tax Chambers ‘Michael is great to work with – very user-friendly, great at explaining complex new concepts both to the lawyers and lay client.’
2024 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Excellent grasp of the case law, which is extensive in this area, and the nuances of the appeals procedure.’
Juniors
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Jeremy is an excellent barrister and an intimidating opponent. His advocacy is insightful, weighty and persuasive. He has huge knowledge of customs legislation and case law.’
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Barbara's attention to detail is amazing. She is exceptionally strong technically. I admire her work ethic. She goes out of her way to ensure clients feel like they are in safe hands.’
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Intellectually capable, attention to detail is forensic in quality, calm and measured thinker, an outstanding tax specialist.’
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘He is personable with clients, who warm to him in conference. He is always well-prepared and practical in his advice.’
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Laura is outstanding, she is excellent with clients and superb at distilling complex tax into easy advice for the clients to follow.’
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Good insight and willing to contribute to discussions on new laws and cases, in particular.’
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Those who work with him are surprised he is so junior. Quinlan is very intelligent and can analyse complex problems and fact patterns with apparent ease.’
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Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘His advocacy, in particular his ability to break down complex legal arguments and explain them with clarity, is impressive.‘
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Calypso is an excellent tax junior. She is extremely reliable. She is very bright and has a polished written style.’