David is a lawyer and a lawyer’s son. He was born in Plymouth, to which town his family, leaving the line of Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow, had come in 1813 in time to see the French Emperor a prisoner on The Bellerophon in the Sound, all of which explains his occasional references on cold days to frozen Frenchmen.

Plymouth provided formative influences: Drake; connections with the Military (he served in the Plymouth College Combined Cadet Force); the guns of the Royal Citadel, which point over the town and not out to sea to subdue the pro-Parliament citizens.

Nicola read law as an undergraduate and postgraduate at Pembroke College, Oxford.

She joined Gray’s Inn Tax Chambers as a tenant in 1998 and took silk in 2012

She is a prolific litigator and has appeared in courts and tribunals at all levels, representing Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs and taxpayers alike. Acting as both poacher and gamekeeper is an important feature of her practice and one which she considers to be invaluable in providing objective and informed advice.

Laurent has a wide ranging practice which encompasses many areas of the tax code, particularly business and employment tax-related matters and issues affecting private clients. He also advises on tax-related pensions matters and on tax-related commercial disputes.

In the past Laurent qualified as a chartered accountant which provides useful background knowledge in dealing with tax questions with an accounting aspect.

Litigation (usually for the taxpayer and where necessary) is an important part of his work and has taken him to the Tax Tribunal, the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

Michael was called to the Bar in 2006, having obtained a distinction on the BCL at Oxford University and a first-class law degree at the University of Nottingham. He won a number of academic prizes, including for tax law, and was awarded Hardwicke, Denning and Megarry Scholarships by Lincoln’s Inn. At Bar School he came top of his year, winning the Taylor and Buchanan Prizes.

Michael’s practice involves an even mix of advisory and litigation work and he is instructed to advise and represent in court both taxpayers and HM Revenue and Customs. In 2010 he was appointed by the Attorney General as Junior Counsel to the Crown (B Panel). He is recommended as a tax junior in Chambers and Partners.

Nikhil was born in what was then called “Bombay”. His mother and father were brain and general surgeons respectively, although his father decided on a small career shift in his mid-forties by becoming a tax lawyer and an expert on foreign exchange control law in India. He described it as moving from being a “doctor of health” to becoming a “doctor of wealth”.

He is the only person he knows who chose to do tax for emotional reasons because he wanted to work in chambers in Mumbai with his father and his uncle, Mr Sanat Mehta, who was a pre-eminent senior tax advocate. So, the choice they gave him was simple: tax law or tax law.

Conrad grew up in London in a family of lawyers, as a result of which he learnt to argue from an early age.

A King’s Scholar at Eton, he went on to read Physics at Oxford.

He is sometimes asked how it was possible to make the transition from Physics to Revenue Law, to which he usually replies that if you can handle quantum mechanics then you can certainly deal with anything the Revenue can throw at you

Michael studied for his BA in Jurisprudence at Oxford University, obtaining a first-class degree. After winning a scholarship, he went on to study for the BCL (personal and business taxation), achieving a distinction, and was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn. He has also qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser (indirect tax route)

Michael has developed an expert practice in all areas of taxation (business, employment, trusts, capital gains, IHT, VAT, property, import and excise duties), regularly advising on transactions/structures, assisting with HMRC investigations and litigating disputes with HMRC.

Laura has a broad practice spanning all areas of UK tax and commercial law.

She appears regularly in the High Court and the First Tier Tribunal and also accepts instructions as junior counsel. She has a thriving private client practice, as well as a range of commercial clients. As a member of the Chancery Bar Association, she frequently volunteers as an advocate with CLIPS.

Laura holds a first-class undergraduate degree in Economics from George Mason University, as well as a master’s degree in Economic History and a doctorate in Legal History from the University of Oxford. She completed the law conversion course (commendation) and the BPTC (distinction) at City University, and was called to the Bar at The Inner Temple.

Sam has a busy practice covering the full gamut of UK tax and commercial/chancery law. He is regularly instructed in the High Court and the tax tribunals, both unled and as a specialist tax and/or property junior.

Sam’s experience of business, property and general commercial work makes him the ideal choice for complex litigation which involves issues than span beyond tax. He deals with tax issues that arise in all contexts, including sports law, professional negligence, insolvency, and judicial review.

Harry has a practice covering all aspects of Chambers’ specialisms across UK, EU, and international taxation. Before embarking on law, he read Classics and Sanskrit at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he obtained a Double First: wrestling with ancient texts readied him for the UK tax code. He subsequently gained an LLB (First Class) and then an LLM (Distinction), coming top of his cohort in both degrees.

He advises and represents both taxpayers and HMRC in a wide range of tax-related matters, as well as doing commercial litigation that involves a ‘tax angle’. Recently, this has involved advising on complex multinational estates, appearing in the Upper Tribunal, and litigation around unjust enrichment.

Ben is developing a practice in line with Chambers’ specialism.  He welcomes instructions in relation to pure tax matters (both international and domestic) as well as on matters that indirectly raise tax points.

Ben read law and Spanish law at Christ Church, Oxford. He graduated with a First class degree and a prize for the best performance in taxation law.  Whilst working as a research assistant in these Chambers, he studied for the BPTC. On his route to the bar, he has already been closely involved in extensive and significant litigation, equipping him to appear led or unled in the tax tribunals and civil courts.