James leads our tax advisory practice as well as client-facing teams in the R&D tax credit practice. He provides award-winning R&D tax relief expertise to businesses and accountants on a consultative basis, as well as helping to realise the benefits of innovation through the Patent Box. This can include risk assessing in-house claim methodologies, help with setting up or improving processes for identifying and recording R&D projects within a business, or support to resolve an enquiry through ForrestBrown’s specialist HMRC enquiry support service.
His extensive experience with HMRC allows him to provide an incisive legal perspective when deciding upon initial strategy and in pursuing the best possible outcome for clients. This has led to some ground-breaking results, including a landmark victory in a first-tier tribunal challenging HMRC’s interpretation of subsidised expenditure.
A solicitor who specialises in tax advice for corporates and individuals, with a focus on cross-border and international issues, James trained and qualified at a top London law firm before relocating to Geneva to help set up the firm’s Swiss office. On returning to the UK James worked in the tax team of a leading Bristol and London-based law firm, before joining ForrestBrown in 2019.
