Ranking tables
Tax: Contentious | Global
UK
Rankings overview for Departments
Band 1
Baker McKenzie 1 Years Ranked
Freshfields 1 Years Ranked- Joseph Hage Aaronson LLP
Band 2
Band 3
- EY Law
- Macfarlanes LLP
- PwC Legal Business Solutions
Band 4
Ashurst 1 Years Ranked- Norton Rose Fulbright 1 Years Ranked
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP 1 Years Ranked
Simmons & Simmons LLP 1 Years Ranked- Stewarts 1 Years Ranked
- Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
- Deloitte Legal
- Mishcon de Reya LLP
Senior Statespeople
- Paul FarmerJoseph Hage Aaronson LLP
Band 1
Helen Buchanan Freshfields12 Years Ranked
Jason Collins DLA Piper LLP12 Years Ranked- Liesl Fichardt Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP14 Years Ranked
- Adam CraggsRPC
- Graham Aaronson KC KCJoseph Hage Aaronson LLP
- Simon WhiteheadJoseph Hage Aaronson LLP
Band 2
- David Pickstone Stewarts4 Years Ranked
- Giles Salmond Stewarts4 Years Ranked
- Jessica Eden Baker McKenzie4 Years Ranked
- Rupert Shiers Hogan Lovells12 Years Ranked
- David AndersonPwC Legal Business Solutions
- George GillhamFieldfisher
- Gideon SanittMacfarlanes LLP
- Kate IsonBryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
- Mark WhitehousePwC Legal Business Solutions
- Michael AndersonJoseph Hage Aaronson LLP
Band 3
- David Jamieson Baker McKenzie4 Years Ranked
Jake Landman Pinsent Masons4 Years Ranked- Nick Clayton Herbert Smith Freehills4 Years Ranked
Patrick O'Gara Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP2 Years Ranked
Sarah Bond Freshfields4 Years Ranked- Steven Porter Pinsent Masons2 Years Ranked
Stuart Walsh DLA Piper LLP4 Years Ranked- Angela SavinKPMG Law UK
- Boaz GorenEY Law
- Philippe FreundFieldfisher
Band 4
- Dominic Robertson Slaughter and May6 Years Ranked
- Michael Hunt Herbert Smith Freehills4 Years Ranked
Nicholas Gardner Ashurst4 Years Ranked- Richard Jeens Slaughter and May4 Years Ranked
- Robert Waterson Eversheds Sutherland4 Years Ranked
- Alan SinyorBryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
- Derek HillFieldfisher
- Hugh GunsonCharles Russell Speechlys
- Iain MacWhannellJoseph Hage Aaronson LLP
- Ian HydeOsborne Clarke LLP
- Lee EllisKPMG Law UK
- Matthew FlemingKPMG Law UK
- Robert HartleyMishcon de Reya LLP
- Victor CramerPwC Legal Business Solutions
- Waqar ShahKingsley Napley LLP
Up and Coming
Clara Boyd DLA Piper LLP2 Years Ranked
Heather Rowlands Simmons & Simmons LLP4 Years Ranked
Shofiq Miah Stephenson Harwood LLP4 Years Ranked- Colette van ZylKPMG Law UK
- Jack PrytherchOsborne Clarke LLP
- Matthew SharpFieldfisher
Associates to watch
David Haughey Freshfields1 Years Ranked
Lauren Redhead DLA Piper LLP4 Years Ranked
Richard Harvey Simmons & Simmons LLP4 Years Ranked- Sara Mardell Ashurst4 Years Ranked
- Ben WebsterFieldfisher
- Constantine ChristofiEY Law
- Daniel WhiteEY Law
All Departments profiles
Band 1
1 Baker McKenzieTax: Contentious2025 | Band 1 | 1 Years RankedBaker McKenzie has a respected disputes team that consists of lawyers and non-legal specialists such as accountants. The team has significant experience in transfer pricing and VAT disputes. The firm has additional strength in handling Diverted Profits Tax matters and European state aid investigations. International tax disputes are a particular area of strength, and the team is regularly sought out for advice on complex multi-jurisdictional matters.1 FreshfieldsTax: Contentious2025 | Band 1 | 1 Years RankedFreshfields provides a full-service contentious tax offering with noted experience advising on high-value disputes involving issues such as transfer pricing. Its impressive clientele includes notable global companies, and it is well known for its handling of complex matters in international markets. The team has additional sector expertise within the energy sector and for financial institutions.
Band 2
2 DLA Piper LLPTax: Contentious2025 | Band 2 | 1 Years RankedDLA Piper acts for an impressive set of clients including financial institutions and UK and international corporates. The team has extensive experience in relation to both direct and indirect tax matters, notably advising on real estate-related mandates as well as on VAT. Transfer pricing is another noted area of strength.
2 Herbert Smith FreehillsTax: Contentious2025 | Band 2 | 1 Years RankedHerbert Smith Freehills represents clients in a comprehensive range of direct and indirect tax matters, with experience in areas such as M&A, real estate and investment funds. It has notable experience advising clients from the energy and financial services sectors, including a large number of FTSE-listed companies. The team handles contentious and non-contentious matters both in the UK and internationally.
2 Pinsent MasonsTax: Contentious2025 | Band 2 | 1 Years RankedPinsent Masons has a strong team that advises a number of large international clients on their disputes with HMRC. The firm has deep expertise in domestic and international tax legislation and is regarded highly for its ability to discreetly resolve conflicts before trial. Its lawyers frequently handle matters for clients within the financial, retail, energy and technology industries.
2 Slaughter and MayTax: Contentious2025 | Band 2 | 1 Years RankedSlaughter and May works with a broad spectrum of high-profile corporates and individuals on UK and EU tax issues. The firm offers in-depth technical expertise in tax inquiries and investigations. Its lawyers are noted for their experience in obtaining confidential HMRC settlements for clients and are adept at advising on international tax disputes.
Band 3
Band 4
4 AshurstTax: Contentious2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years RankedAshurst is well reputed in the tax sphere for major transactional work and for acting on cross-border advisory matters. The team has broad expertise, which includes advice to asset managers on fund structuring, assistance with the tax aspects of high-value real estate transactions, and tax advice on large M&A mandates. It counts alternative asset managers and multinational corporations among its clientele.4 Norton Rose FulbrightTax: Contentious2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years RankedThe team at Norton Rose has extensive experience advising on a wide array of domestic and international tax matters including M&A activity, restructurings and refinancings. The team is able to advise on large, multi-jurisdictional matters through its large network of international offices, and it is noted for its diverse practice, which encompasses energy, telecommunications, real estate and infrastructure expertise.
4 Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLPTax: Contentious2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years RankedQuinn Emanuel is a litigation boutique with a strong tax disputes practice. The firm is known for its work for large international corporates on complex domestic and cross-border matters. The team is equally capable when advising on disputes relating to direct and indirect tax.
4 Simmons & Simmons LLPTax: Contentious2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years RankedSimmons & Simmons's tax team advises clients on all manner of direct and indirect tax concerns. The team works with clients from the energy, financial services, media and telecoms sectors, and is notable for its work on cross-border tax structuring mandates as well as for its leading work on fund and asset management-related tax advice. It is able to offer a full-service offering with additional contentious tax capabilities.4 StewartsTax: Contentious2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years RankedStewarts has a broad team of tax litigators supporting corporate and individual clients in both direct and indirect tax disputes. The firm's areas of expertise include litigation relating to tax avoidance schemes, the tax treatment of employee benefits, and VAT.