Commercial Disputes & Tax

Our specialist tax Partners, working alongside our Forensic team, provide independent expert advice and expert witness evidence on complex tax matters arising in commercial disputes.

We are appointed by claimants, defendants, or jointly by parties, and by legal advisers, to support dispute resolution through negotiation, mediation, other ADR proceedings, and litigation.

Our experience spans a broad range of sectors and dispute types, combining deep technical tax expertise with practical commercial insight.

As a multidisciplinary accounting and business advisory firm, we work closely with specialists across forensic accounting, audit, corporate finance, and sector-specific advisory teams where required. We also collaborate with external experts, including valuation and industry specialists, or with colleagues or specialists in other jurisdictions, where a matter demands wider technical input.

Key Issues We Advise On

We regularly advise on:

• Quantifying additional tax liabilities arising from alleged wrongdoing or financial loss claims
• Advising on consequential tax issues in a cross boarder or corporate group context, including in respect of the availability of losses, claims or elections
• Advising on the tax implications of settlement payments and damages awards, including opining on whether compensation payments are to be treated as capital or revenue in nature
• Structuring settlements and compensation arrangements tax efficiently
• Application of tax clauses within SPA share purchase agreements and other commercial contracts
• Valuation of contingent or uncrystallised tax liabilities, including Corporation Tax and Capital Gains Tax exposures
• Tax authority investigations, tax disputes, and matters involving alleged aggressive tax planning
• Quantification of potential tax liabilities, penalties, and associated defence costs

What We Do

We support clients and their legal advisers by providing clear, objective, and commercially focused advice to help resolve disputes efficiently and effectively.

Where matters continue to formal proceedings, we act as independent experts and expert witnesses, assisting tribunals and courts in accordance with procedural rules and expert duties.

Our Services

Our specialist tax dispute and expert witness services include:

• Independent advisory and expert reports
• Expert witness reports, including party-appointed and Single Joint Expert instructions
• Responding to Questions to Experts and reviewing opposing expert evidence
• Participation in Meetings of Experts and preparation of Joint Statements
• Expert witness testimony at trial
• Support during negotiations, mediation, arbitration, and pre-trial strategy

Applicable cases

Applicable cases include:

• Shareholder disputes
• Business and commercial disputes
• M&A disputes
• Partnership disputes

Fraud and financial misconduct matters

Contact Mark Dawes or Jamie Muirhead for an exploratory discussion or to discuss how we may be able to help in a particular matter.