Joshua has a significant practice, predominantly in the areas of Tax, Public and Judicial Review, Commercial Litigation, Civil and Criminal Fraud and Business Crime. His wide range of clients include large multi-nationals, and central and local government. The depth of his practice spans both technical tax matters, as well as those involving criminal investigations or allegations of dishonesty. This makes Joshua unique to his clients as he is adept at engaging with complex tax law and policy, whilst also being able to provide strategic advice to clients who come under HMRC suspicion.
Before joining the Bar, Joshua was a solicitor advocate in a “Big Six” Australian law firm specialising particularly in the areas of Judicial Review, Commercial Litigation, Constitutional Law and Freedom of Information Litigation. After relocating to London, he became the Lead Solicitor for the Missing Trader-Intra Community (MTIC) Litigation team for HMRC in London.
He is a member of the Attorney General’s B Panel of counsel (effective from 1 September 2022), and has experience of drafting policy guidance for government departments for implementation and use by departmental officers as well as of statutory interpretation and construction of financial legislative instruments.
He was called to the Queensland Bar in Australia (2014) and, previously, as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland and High Court of Australia since 2011.
"His skills puts him in an exceptional position to help clients meet high-stakes challenges. He's very good at solving the most complex tax disputes and achieving the clients' goals successfully." - Tax: Indirect Tax, Chambers UK 2025
"Joshua has built up a good deal of experience, which he puts to good use. He's particularly good at keeping things simple." - Tax: Indirect Tax, Chambers UK 2025
"Rising star in the world of tax, great judgement and court presence, very easy to work with." - Tax: VAT and Excise, Legal 500 2025
"Joshua is a pleasure to work with. Highly responsive. Practical. A strong and persuasive advocate. A quick thinker."- Tax: Corporate, Legal 500 2025
"He is an excellent junior, who is very well prepared." - Tax: Indirect Tax, Chambers UK Bar 2024
"Josh is incisive and able to articulate the complex clearly and persuasively, while being attuned to the needs of the client." - Tax: Indirect Tax, Chambers UK Bar 2024
"Joshua is excellent with clients. He is a very good litigation strategist and has an impressive work ethic." - Tax: VAT and Excise, Legal 500 2024
"Josh is commercially minded and provides sensible advice on the merits of a case. He is a passionate and compelling advocate with creativity in his approach."- Tax: Corporate, Legal 500 2024
"Josh is particularly skilled on VAT matters and his advice is extremely pragmatic." - Tax: VAT and Excise, Legal 500 2023
Joshua is a specialist in direct and indirect tax litigation both for taxpayers and HMRC. He gives pragmatic advice and is highly regarded for his advocacy skills. Joshua regularly appears on his own, leading other barristers and is occasionally led, in the First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal and High Court. He is particularly sought after in judicial review Claims, as well as tax appeals and investigations where HMRC suspect criminal activity.
Prior to private practice at the Bar, Joshua was a member of the HMRC VAT Litigation Team. He has appeared in the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) on a variety of issues and was the lead lawyer for HMRC in London in respect of a significant number of Missing Trader Intra-Community Tax (MTIC) cases. Cumulatively, Joshua has defended in excess of £650 million worth of VAT in litigation on behalf of HMRC. He is also very experienced in matters involving the use of Schedule 36 Finance Act 2008 powers by Revenue and Customs officers as well as issues involving HMRC’s use of Schedule 24 Finance Act 2007 penalties, Schedule 55 Finance Act 2009 and s63 Value Added Tax Act 1994 misdeclaration penalties.
He is a leading barrister in respect of tax penalties having been instructed in the three lead authorities relating to the test to be applied for “reasonable excuse”, the impact of proportionality on penalties, and what might amount to “special circumstances”. More recently Joshua has been instructed in direct tax cases arising out of damages settlements and the tax treatment of such sums of money (i.e. are they emoluments from employment).
Some example of the types of work that he has been instructed in include:
Joshua accepts instructions in IR35 matters for both HMRC and the taxpayer.
His most recent matters relate to the tax treatment of the earnings of two sports broadcasters and their production company.
Joshua has extensive experience in Commercial Litigation, including during his practice as a solicitor in Australia.
Amongst his notable instructions are an international joint venture dispute for one of the leading mining companies in the world and a $8m AUD (£4.6m) breach of contract case where the allegation was, amongst other things, that there were breaches of an implied term of the contract and whether the damages that were claimed were too remote.
More recently he has been engaged in actions arising out of claims of misfeasance in public office, as well as breach of contract. He has also been sought out to give advice about fraudulent and negligent misstatement claims involving a company with a £200M annual turnover.
Joshua’s white collar criminal practice encompasses financial crime, criminal tax, and proceeds of crime matters (including account/cash freezing orders and account/cash forfeiture orders).
He has been separately instructed to defend alleged frauds on both the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office where there were millions of pounds said to have been defrauded.
He accepted instructions in a money laundering matter where the Defendant was accused of converting criminal property. He also recently successfully defended an accountant who was alleged to have conspired to defraud the revenue of over a million pounds of corporation tax.
He brings experience as an accomplished tax practitioner to the criminal sphere to aid his clients. He is often called on to deploy his tax experience to counter allegations made by the Crown that someone has evaded VAT or somehow cheated the revenue. As part of his robust defence of his clients in tax cases he has been able to raise arguments about the manner in which VAT assessments have been made, both in terms of time limits within which they ought to have been made and the value of the assessments. This often includes advising at the investigative stages where HMRC have opened an enquiry, or are considering whether to make a VAT assessment/deregister a trader.
Court of Appeal
High Court (Reported decisions)
Upper Tribunal (Tax and Chancery Chamber)
First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber)
Contributor to the Revenue Volume of Atkins Court Forms.
Appointed to the Attorney General’s B Panel of Counsel - effective for five years from 1 September 2022