Department profile
Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen LLP

Tax: Contentious

UK Guide 2026 : UK-wide


Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen LLP

Rankings

About

Provided by Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen LLP

JHA's tax team is led by Graham Aaronson KC, Simon Whitehead, Paul Farmer, Michael Anderson, Iain McWhannell, Helen McGhee and Richard Doran. All are supported by in-house lawyers who combine the best qualities of the bar and a law firm to deliver a cohesive approach to advising and representing clients through all stages of a dispute.

Our lawyers have experience across all the domestic courts and tribunal system, from the First-tier Tribunal to the Supreme Court. We also represent clients in references to the European Court of Justice and high-value tax disputes in foreign jurisdictions.

JHA are lead and test-case solicitors in almost all corporation tax GLOs, which bring together High Court claims made by multinational corporations. These ground-breaking claims challenge  various elements of UK tax legislation and are at the forefront of the development of law in the post-Brexit environment.

JHA has a strong reputation for our tax fraud/abuse and tax investigations work, including our role as lead and test case solicitors in the largest VAT Group Litigation that has ever taken place in the Tax Tribunal.

Our team has been active in the highest-profile and value disputes of recent years, notably those involving Diverted Profits tax, and are proficient at reaching settlements, including significant penalty reductions.

JHA also represents entrepreneurs and owner-managed businesses on sensitive or complex tax disputes and individuals facing enquiries and criminal investigations.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Tax: Contentious - UK-wide

Band 1

Band 1


What the Team is Known For

Joseph Hage Aaronson has high-quality expertise in UK and EU tax disputes. It has a dedicated team made up of highly regarded specialists in tax litigation, noted for their comprehensive grasp of tax issues, including regular work on group litigation orders. The firm services a number of key clients in the financial services, media, manufacturing and retail sectors. The team is proficient in acting for individuals, as well as high-profile multinational organisations, and has strong overseas expertise in acting for a variety of international companies on cross-border matters including fund disputes and tax fraud.

Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

  • Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen represented over 24,000 companies in the mini-umbrella company group litigation.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • They are experts in their field. The team offers clear communication, commercial acumen and a 'client first' approach.

    Tax: Contentious respondentUK
  • We value the team's ability to work with HMRC in a positive and pragmatic manner.

    Tax: Contentious respondentUK
  • The team leave no stone unturned and every aspect is considered. They are always available to discuss progress and take the time to explain legal aspects.

    Tax: Contentious respondentUK
  • The team are able to foresee potential areas where things could go against us, allowing us to take precautionary actions to protect our position.

    Tax: Contentious respondentUK

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Senior StatespeoplePaul Farmer
    Senior StatespeoplePaul Farmer

    Paul Farmer

    Paul Farmer is highly respected for his deep knowledge of international tax disputes and ability to advise on investigations by international tax agencies. He has experience acting before UK courts and the CJEU, and is considered a specialist in EU law.
    • Paul is the expert on EU tax issues and a superb resource for them.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
  • Band 1Graham Aaronson KC KC
    Band 1Graham Aaronson KC KC

    Graham Aaronson KC KC

    Graham Aaronson KC is chair of the firm's tax disputes team and is widely seen as one of the foremost contentious tax practitioners in the market. He expertly handles a wide range of disputes with tax authorities.

    • Graham is a doyen of his field - a class act.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
    • Graham's advice is aways excellent and he understands the needs of the business.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
  • Band 2Michael Anderson
    Band 2Michael Anderson

    Michael Anderson

    Michael Anderson frequently represents clients in individual actions and group litigation orders, challenging unlawful taxation and working on tax recovery matters. He works on cases at both the domestic and European levels.

    • Michael has a long track record in dealing with the Revenue.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
    • Michael is very personable to work with.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
  • Band 3Iain MacWhannell
    Band 3Iain MacWhannell

    Iain MacWhannell

    Iain MacWhannell advises clients on a broad range of tax disputes and is best known for his work in large-scale group litigation.

    • Iain is able to explain complex matters in simple language. He has the ability to take a complex set of circumstances and provide clarity over the route that needs to be adopted.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
    • Iain demonstrates an ability to align recommendations to our situation, placing our interests first. This is a great comfort to our business.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
    • Iain is incredibly energetic and great at getting stuff done in complicated cases.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
  • Band 4Helen McGhee
    Band 4Helen McGhee

    Helen McGhee

    Helen McGhee is a tax disputes expert who is a chartered tax adviser as well as solicitor. She works with corporate groups and high net worth individuals on the full range of tax litigation.

    • Helen is absolutely responsive - she will always make time, will assess the situation and will cut through it. She's one of the few lawyers who have tax qualifications too.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
    • She has some real litigation expertise and can properly discuss strategy and the technical issues.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
  • Up and ComingRichard Doran
    Up and ComingRichard Doran

    Richard Doran

    Richard Doran works with both individual and corporate clients on complex direct and indirect tax disputes.

    • Richard is very detailed and thorough.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
    • Richard is very available to talk through issues and he appears to have a thorough understanding of the complex subject matter.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK
    • Richard has always provided an excellent service.

      Tax: Contentious respondentUK

Ranked Individuals at Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen LLP (6)

UK-wide

Members

Provided by Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen LLP

Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen LLP has rankings in the following guides

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