Specialist team:
Corporate Tax
Experience:
James specialises in a wide range of taxation matters. His principal emphasis lies in three main areas: corporate tax, including company acquisitions and disposals, corporate reconstructions, venture capital transactions and stamp duty planning; property tax on matters such as inward investment in UK property by offshore investors, institutional investment and VAT on property; employee benefits, including work on ESOPs, EMI schemes and approved and unapproved share incentive schemes.
Recent significant work includes:
- handling the complex tax aspects of a major restructuring for a leading management, systems and technology consultancy operating worldwide. In addition to obtaining UK tax clearances and treasury consents the tax position of the shareholders in the 20 jurisdictions involved had to be reviewed
- acting for Royal London Mutual Insurance Society on the sale of its £300 million Iceni portfolio, comprising more than 40 mixed use properties, in one of the largest single disposals ever in the UK
- acting for HHL Properties Ltd in its acquisition of the £57m MEPC-Carlton Healthcare nursing homes portfolio. Speechly Bircham also acted for HHL on the related financing.
James joined Speechly Bircham in 1996 and became a partner in 1998. He had previously worked as an assistant solicitor at Cameron Markby Hewitt and Stephenson Harwood. James was admitted as a solicitor in 1990. He obtained his law degree from Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
James speaks regularly at internal and external seminars, particularly on commercial property related taxation. He is recognised as a legal expert by Legal Experts 2009.