London-headquartered law firm Kingsley Napley has named Waqar Shah as partner to launch a dedicated tax disputes and investigations service offering, bolstering the firm's contentious tax and dispute resolution expertise.
Waqar acts for high-net worth individuals and corporate clients across multiple sectors on a range of HMRC disputes and investigations, Kingsley Napley said in a statement on 27 February.
His experience spans employment tax matters (including 'IR35'/off-payroll working), VAT disputes, customs/excise duty issues and tax related fraud investigations.
In addition to having a strong track record of helping clients resolve disputes before they reach court or a tribunal hearing (particularly via ADR), he is an experienced litigator frequently dealing with cases in the Tax Tribunals through to the Supreme Court (as well as referrals to the Court of Justice of the European Union).
He joins from Mishcon de Reya LLP where he became a partner in 2021. He started his career as a lawyer at PwC Legal.
He was acclaimed as a ‘rising star' in the latest Legal 500 rankings, as an ‘Up and Coming' partner in Chambers and Partners, recognised as ‘One to Watch' by Best Lawyers (all in 2023) and was listed in Accountancy Age's '35 under 35' in 2019.
He is an active member of the VAT Practitioners Group and a qualified member of the Association of Tax Technicians (ATT).
At Kingsley Napley, Waqar will focus on resolving tax disputes for clients but will also work closely with non-contentious tax partners Matt Spencer (Corporate/Employment) and Laura Harper (Private Client) within the Tax Advisory team.
He will support the firm's market leading Criminal Litigation team (including partners David Sleight, Louise Hodges, and Nicola Finnerty) who specialise in tax fraud investigations brought by HMRC.
Richard Foss, Head of Kingsley Napley's Dispute Resolution practice, said: "Waqar is an exciting hire for us. His arrival shows we are delivering on our plan to expand our tax capabilities and he comes with an impressive track record. His skill set will be a fantastic addition to the firm at a time when tax disputes are on the rise, both for individuals and businesses."
Waqar Shah said, "Kingsley Napley has an excellent reputation for litigation and criminal defence work and there is a real opportunity to expand its work helping clients facing tax-related investigations. I am looking forward to supporting my new colleagues and clients across the firm on tax dispute issues and generally on matters involving HMRC."
