Litigation, Advisory & Settlements Director

The market-leading Tax Litigation, Advisory and Settlement (LAS) Team sits within Deloitte’s Tax & Legal practice. In line with the rapid growth of the Tax & Legal practice over the last five years, the LAS Team has significantly expanded its footprint and has set exponential growth targets for the future. To meet our growth needs, we are looking to recruit an ambitious, high-calibre qualified lawyer at Associate Director or Director level.

The LAS Team is regarded as one of the most dynamic and successful tax disputes teams in the UK, with a reputation for leading cutting-edge and high-profile tax disputes against HMRC for blue-chip clients across all sectors, dealing with both indirect and direct tax issues. We work with Deloitte Tax teams across a number of industries, including Financial Services, Real Estate, Public Sector, Consumer Business, Energy, and Technology, Media and Telecoms.

Our work includes multi-million-pound tax appeals before the UK courts, including challenges against HMRC by way of judicial review, as well as leading Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) projects. We engage with HMRC, HMRC’s Solicitor’s Office and the Courts on behalf of our clients to help them best manage their dispute journey. We also advise in respect of case law and/or legislative change. Our people are proactive, engaging and fun to work with, and a role with us will afford you the opportunity to work with prestigious clients on complex and interesting tax technical and legal issues which will expand your horizons.

Connect to your career at Deloitte

Deloitte drives progress. Using our vast range of expertise, we help our clients become leaders wherever they choose to compete. To do this, we invest in outstanding people. We build teams of future thinkers, with diverse talents and backgrounds, and empower them all to reach for and achieve more.

What brings us all together at Deloitte? It’s how we approach the thousands of decisions we make every day. How we behave, our beliefs and our attitudes. In other words: our values. Whatever we do, wherever we are in the world, we lead the way , serve with integrity , take care of each other , foster inclusion , and collaborate for measurable impact . These five shared values lead every decision we make and action we take, guiding us to deliver impact how and where it matters most.

Connect to your opportunity

Working in LAS will offer you the opportunity to become involved in challenging and interesting high-profile dispute work. You will lead and oversee complex direct tax disputes, including HMRC enquiries and investigations, litigation before the Tribunals and Courts, and Alternative Dispute Resolution processes.

You will work closely with clients, HMRC, HMRC’s Solicitor’s Office, Counsel and colleagues across Deloitte Tax and Legal to help clients manage significant disputes and achieve effective outcomes. You will provide strategic advice on complex tax and legal issues, including the application of case law and legislative developments to client-specific circumstances.

You will also play an important role in developing the market for direct tax legal disputes work. This will include supporting the team’s go-to-market plan, identifying business development opportunities and working closely with Tax, Legal and relevant sector and specialist teams. You will help to develop key client relationships and support matters that require legal professional privilege through close coordination with Deloitte Legal partners.

We are passionate about developing our people and, working with us, your skills will be enhanced through your involvement in engagements concerning a diverse range of clients with specific needs and requirements. The key to our success is the collaborative approach we take to client disputes, where we work as part of multidisciplinary client service teams with our Tax colleagues and other relevant specialists. You will play a leading role in developing our people and will be actively encouraged to build your own client relationships and internal networks to facilitate such collaborative working.

You will have responsibility for:

• Taking day-to-day conduct of complex HMRC investigations, enquiries, litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution matters involving direct taxes, particularly corporation tax.
• Leading tax appeals, including developing litigation strategy and overseeing the preparation of notices of appeal, applications, witness statements, skeleton arguments and other submissions or pleadings.
• Overseeing research into relevant statute and case law, Instructions to Counsel, notes of conference and litigation hearing preparation.
• Applying a detailed knowledge of the Tribunal Rules, Civil Procedure Rules and relevant principles of administrative law.
• Managing engagement with HMRC, HMRC’s Solicitor’s Office, Counsel, the Tribunals and higher courts.
• Leading other challenges against HMRC, including judicial review proceedings, pre-action correspondence, witness evidence and restitution claims.
• Leading Alternative Dispute Resolution matters, including ADR applications, position papers, scenario planning, settlement discussions and mediated meetings with HMRC.
• Advising on complex technical and legal issues, including case law and statutory provisions as applied to client-specific circumstances, contract review and the scope of legal professional privilege.
• Providing clear and strategic advice to senior client stakeholders throughout the dispute lifecycle.
• Working on existing and new client engagements, reporting directly to a partner and taking responsibility for the effective delivery of work across a portfolio of matters.
• Supporting the development of the market for direct tax legal disputes work and the delivery of the team’s go-to-market plan, working with Tax, Legal and relevant sector and specialist teams.
• Developing and enhancing key client relationships and identifying opportunities to support existing and prospective clients.
• Contributing to business development opportunities, marketing campaigns, thought leadership, client communications and internal and external presentations.
• Mentoring and developing less experienced members of the team through hands‑on advice, coaching and support.
• Having a clear understanding of the firm’s commitment to creating a more inclusive and diverse culture.

Connect to your skills and professional experience

To qualify for the role you must have:

• A legal qualification, preferably being a UK-qualified solicitor or barrister, or equivalent, with a current practising certificate.
• Significant experience of conducting complex HMRC investigations, tax litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution matters involving UK direct taxes.
• A detailed understanding of the UK civil court procedural rules, including the Tax Tribunal Rules, Civil Procedure Rules and administrative law.
• Experience of developing and implementing dispute resolution strategies, taking account of technical, legal, commercial and reputational considerations.
• Excellent client-facing, team relationship-building and business development skills, coupled with commercial awareness.
• A proven track record of building and maintaining senior client relationships and contributing to business development.
• The ability to provide clear, practical and strategic advice to senior stakeholders.
• The ability to be proactive, identify commercial opportunities and take responsibility for the delivery of complex matters.
• The ability to mentor, coach and develop less experienced members of the team.