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England - London Bar
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Tax: VAT and excise

Max Schofield

Max Schofield

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Devereux

The members of Devereux appear before all levels of the courts and in judicial reviews, offering a varied indirect tax practice with notable matters regarding VAT. Rebecca Murray appeared as sole counsel in Oculus v HMRC, a strike out application against a Maltese company which made the argument that EU law required the FTT to hear the case, while Max Schofield represented the claimants in DuelFuel Nutrition v HMRC, concerning the application of VAT to products marketed as sports flapjacks and brownies.
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Profile

Position

Max Schofield is a specialist indirect tax barrister. He has been instructed to advise and appear on a broad range of tax cases concerning VAT, SDLT, Customs and Excise Duties. He has a busy practice far beyond his call and has represented clients in the Tribunals, High Court, and Court of Justice of the European Union.

"Max is a rising star; he is attentive, responsive and utterly convincing and compelling when discussing technical VAT matters with specialists and laypersons alike" - Chambers and Partners Guide, 2023.

Max is currently ranked as a “Leading Junior” for Indirect Tax in both the 2024 Legal 500 directory (Tier 3), and in the Chambers and Partners UK Bar 2024 directory (Band 3). He was listed as a “Rising Star” for VAT in 2022 by Legal 500 and in the Chambers and Partners UK Bar 2023 directory as “Up and Coming”.

His clients have included social media platforms, television channels, food and drink manufacturers, online casinos, fiscal representatives, and universities.

In addition to indirect tax disputes, Max utilises his tax expertise to advise on insolvency proceedings and professional negligence cases concerning accountants, solicitors, and tax advisors.

Max also has a broader interest in food and drink law outside of VAT and customs classification, including matters of advertising law, labelling regulations, health claims, and Protected Designations of Origin (PDO).

Career

Attorney General’s London C Panel of Junior Counsel

Education

Law (LLB), University of Exeter

International Trade and Commercial Law (LLM), University of Durham

Law in a European and Global Context (LLM), Católica Global School of Law, Lisbon

Visiting Scholar and JD Exchange, Cornell Law School, NY

Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), City University, London

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Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Superbly supportive clerking team.  The leading set for taxpayers that are found in disputes involving VAT, employment taxes, and tax fraud'
  • 'Devereaux has the best tax disputes team in the Temple by some margin, and when you engage them, you engage the team. The clerks are superbly receptive and go out of their way to find solutions.'
  • 'This set is very strong in tax and has a good reputation for a number of different taxes.'
  • 'Devereaux is an exceptional set and highly recommended for all matters tax-related.'
  • 'Top set for Tax work.'
  • 'Excellent strength in depth in all areas of taxation.'
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