Experience

Stephen is a Solicitor Advocate specialising in commercial litigation, insolvency disputes, contentious regulatory work , directors disqualification and indirect tax disputes.

Solicitor-Advocate

Stephen regularly appears in the County Court, High Court and Tax Tribunals during the course of his day to day practice. This means that Stephen can combine the role of solicitor and barrister which can often lead to a more cost effective option for clients

Insolvency and Directors Duties Litigation Experience

Stephen routinely defends financial claims brought by liquidators against directors of liquidated companies in circumstances involving breaches of duty and s212 of the Insolvency Act 1986.

Stephen will defend director disqualification proceedings brought by the Insolvency Service mainly pursuant to section 6 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 and make applications pursuant to s17 of The Company Director Disqualification Act 1986 for leave to continue acting as director.

Indirect Tax Litigation Experience

Stephen will handle interlocutory advocacy in the First Tier Tax Tribunal across a range of VAT matters: dealing with hardship applications and out of time appeal applications where necessary. He has an enormous amount of experience in making appeals to the First Tier Tax Tribunal arising out of Missing Trader input tax denials and representing appellants denied zero-rating in making despatches.

Other Indirect Tax Litigation work includes some of the following: Appeals to the First Tier Tax Tribunal following the removal of Registered Dealer in Controlled Oil status. Judicial Review arising out of the same circumstances; appeals to the First Tier Tax Tribunal following the imposition of alcohol excise duty assessments; and, Judicial Review proceedings and Tax Tribunal proceedings arising out of AWRS.

Regulatory Litigation Experience

Stephen regularly defends cash forfeiture applications brought by HM Revenue & Customs and defends applications for civil recovery orders pursuant to Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.