Manager/Associate Director, Litigation, Advisory & Settlement Team in Reading

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 5 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 ambitious, high calibre qualified lawyers at Manager and Associate Director level nationally.

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 the 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 get involved with prestigious clients and complex and interesting tax technical and legal issues which will expand your horizons.

Working in LAS will offer you the opportunity to become involved in challenging and interesting high profile dispute work. You will assist in all elements of the litigation process, including liaising with HMRC, HMRC’s Solicitor’s Office and the Courts as necessary, dealing with and managing appeals through the Tribunal and English court system. In addition, where disputes are more suited to settlement by way of ADR, you will be involved in all aspects of mediation, including drafting position papers as well as settlement agreements.

You will also be expected to work with tax consulting colleagues including analysing case-law developments and providing advice on complex tax and legal issues (such as contract review or the scope of privilege). There is also the opportunity to input into identifying business development opportunities and related marketing campaigns.

The key to our success is the collaborative approach we take to client disputes where we work as part of multi-disciplinary client services teams with our Tax colleagues as well as specialist Global Trade Advisory colleagues. You will be actively encouraged to develop your own client relationships and internal networks to facilitate such collaborative working.

You will have responsibility for:

• Assisting with tax appeals in both direct and indirect tax matters including: drafting notices of appeal, applications, witness statements, skeleton arguments and other submissions/pleadings, research into relevant statute and case-law, drafting Instructions to Counsel, notes of conference, litigation hearing preparation, knowledge and application of Tribunal Rules and Civil Procedure Rules, dealing with Tribunal/higher courts and HMRC’s Solicitor’s Office.
• Dealing with other challenges against HMRC including judicial review proceedings including pre-action protocol, witness statements etc and assistance with restitution claims.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution: drafting ‘ADR’ applications and position papers, legal research, scenario planning and providing general support throughout the ADR process/settlement meetings.
• Advisory: drafting technical notes on case-law and statutory provisions as applied to client specific scenarios, analysing case-law trends and drafting update communications/articles, and drafting Instructions to Counsel and notes of conference.
• Working on existing and/or new client engagements reporting directly to a director and/or partner.
• Assisting with the development of less experienced staff with hands on advice and support.
• Working closely with colleagues in other parts of the firm, including Deloitte Legal.

To qualify for the role you must have:

• A legal qualification, preferably being a UK qualified solicitor or barrister, or equivalent.
• Excellent attention to detail and organisational skills.
• Relevant PQE tax litigation or equivalent experience including, appropriate to the PQE, a detailed understanding of the UK civil court procedural rules (including the Tax Tribunal rules) and administrative law.
• Excellent client facing, team relationship building and business development skills, coupled with commercial awareness.
• The ability to be proactive, identify commercial opportunities and take early responsibility.

You’ll be based in Reading or London with hybrid working. At Deloitte we understand the importance of balancing your career alongside your home life. That’s why we’ll support you to work flexibly through our hybrid working policy. Depending on the requirements of your role, you’ll have the opportunity to work in your local office, virtual collaboration spaces, client sites and remotely.

Making an impact is more than just what we do: it’s why we’re here. So we work hard to create an environment where you can experience a purpose you believe in, the freedom to be you, and the capacity to go further than ever before. We want you. The true you. Your own strengths, perspective and personality. So we’re nurturing a culture where everyone belongs, feels supported and heard, and is empowered to make a valuable, personal contribution.