Contact details

James Quarmby

T: +44 20 7809 2364 M: +44 7958 776 759 Email James | vCard Office: London

Awards

Personal tax, trusts, and probate

Personal tax, trusts, and probate

Private wealth law and Family offices & funds structuring

Private wealth law and Family offices & funds structuring

James Quarmby Partner

Contact details

James Quarmby

James Quarmby
Partner

T: +44 20 7809 2364 M: +44 7958 776 759 Email James | vCard Office: London

Recently recognised as "tax & trusts lawyer of the year" (Spears' Wealth Management Awards 2022), James is the head of our private wealth team. James is widely regarded  as one of the leading practitioners in the UK and is described in the Chambers HNW Guide (2019) as “very much a figurehead of the industry…… he carries a lot of experience”.
  • Profile
  • Services
  • Sectors

James has a wide ranging practice, advising on UK and international taxation, residency and domicile, offshore pensions and trusts, asset protection, succession planning and HMRC disputes.

James is one of the most prominent private client lawyers in the UK and frequently appears in the press and broadcast media (Sky News, BBC TV News, BBC Radios 2 / 3 / 4 / 5, Bloomberg TV and the BBC World Service). He writes and lectures widely on tax policy. The private client publication "e-private client" names James, for the last 8 years running, as a "Top 50 Most Influential' in the private client industry.

As well as being a solicitor, regulated by the SRA, he is a Registered Tax Technician, regulated by the Association of Tax Technicians (ATT). He is an active member of STEP and a contributing editor for Lexis/Nexis.

"James is a leading figure in the private client world. He has bags of experience and a fantastic manner with clients. He is hugely knowledgeable and very approachable."
Chambers High Net Worth 2022

  • Private wealth
  • Tax

UK property

Advised clients on the most tax efficient means of acquiring and holding UK property, both for personal occupation and investment, taking into account CGT, IHT, ATED, SDLT and VAT.

Residency planning

Recently advised a prominent Italian family on their relocation to the UK, looking at their personal assets and those in various offshore trusts.

Tax investigations

Represented a client in an HMRC investigation generated by their receipt of his leaked foreign bank account details, settling the case for less than one-tenth of the amount of tax originally claimed. 

Philanthropy

Advised a prominent Hong Kong billionaire on his proposed bequest to an US charity and created two charitable trusts and the UK and Hong Kong.

International succession planning

Recently advised a UK national resident in Belgium on estate planning for his worldwide estate, including considering the interaction between UK and Belgian death taxes.

Foreign pensions

Advised a large number of individuals and institutions on the UK tax treatment of IPPs, QROPS and QNUPS.

Jets, yachts and art

Advised clients on all legal matters including build/purchase contracts, disputes and finance concerning jets, yachts and artwork.

Transfer of ownership of a London-based contemporary art gallery

Acted for the gallery in the acquisition by an existing shareholder and advised on all aspects of the transaction, including corporate and tax-related issues.

Private client acquiring a property to house art collection

Advised on the acquisition of a property in London to house an art collection, including all of the tax and surrounding legal issues such as drafting the license for the offshore company that owns the art.

Private client art display in home owned by an offshore trust

Advised on their art collection, owned by an offshore company but displayed in their London property. This involved complex 'benefit in kind' issues with regards to the art on display, which was owned by a separate offshore company under license.

Private client’s inheritance

Advised a party to a beneficiary dispute over inherited art, owned by an offshore trust.

More: Private wealth

UK property

Advised clients on the most tax efficient means of acquiring and holding UK property, both for personal occupation and investment, taking into account CGT, IHT, ATED, SDLT and VAT.

Residency planning

Recently advised a prominent Italian family on their relocation to the UK, looking at their personal assets and those in various offshore trusts.

Tax investigations

Represented a client in an HMRC investigation generated by their receipt of his leaked foreign bank account details, settling the case for less than one-tenth of the amount of tax originally claimed. 

Philanthropy

Advised a prominent Hong Kong billionaire on his proposed bequest to an US charity and created two charitable trusts and the UK and Hong Kong.

International succession planning

Recently advised a UK national resident in Belgium on estate planning for his worldwide estate, including considering the interaction between UK and Belgian death taxes.

Foreign pensions

Advised a large number of individuals and institutions on the UK tax treatment of IPPs, QROPS and QNUPS.

Jets, yachts and art

Advised clients on all legal matters including build/purchase contracts, disputes and finance concerning jets, yachts and artwork.

More: Tax

  • Art and cultural property

Transfer of ownership of a London-based contemporary art gallery

Acted for the gallery in the acquisition by an existing shareholder and advised on all aspects of the transaction, including corporate and tax-related issues.

Private client acquiring a property to house art collection

Advised on the acquisition of a property in London to house an art collection, including all of the tax and surrounding legal issues such as drafting the license for the offshore company that owns the art.

Private client art display in home owned by an offshore trust

Advised on their art collection, owned by an offshore company but displayed in their London property. This involved complex 'benefit in kind' issues with regards to the art on display, which was owned by a separate offshore company under license.

Private client’s inheritance

Advised a party to a beneficiary dispute over inherited art, owned by an offshore trust.

More: ​Art and cultural property

Awards

Personal tax, trusts, and probate

Personal tax, trusts, and probate

Private wealth law and Family offices & funds structuring

Private wealth law and Family offices & funds structuring

Latest news & insights

14 Jul 2023

From Insights

CAPITAL letters - Issue 33

The UK property market has for the longest time been regarded as a safe bet; with predictable and stable growth and a lack of regulation and tax, it is an attractive a..

More

16 Jan 2023

From News

James Quarmby included in eprivateclient's 50 most influential advisers list

Stephenson Harwood partner and head of private wealth, James Quarmby, has been named one of the '50 Most Influential' advisers in 2023 by eprivateclient.

More

19 Dec 2022

From Insights

Luxembourg Business Registers and Sovim: the CJEU brings EU’s transparency journey to a shuddering stop

In a recent Tax Journal article, partner James Quarmby discusses the CJEU's judgment in the joined cases of Luxembourg Business Registers and Sovim, and how its decisi..

More

04 Nov 2022

From News

James Quarmby wins tax and trust lawyer of the year award

Stephenson Harwood partner James Quarmby has won the tax and trust lawyer of the year award at the Spear's Awards 2022.

More

28 Oct 2022

From Insights

CAPITAL talk – private wealth in a podcast

CAPITAL talk – private wealth in a podcast; hosted by James Quarmby, who examines the important topical issues facing the private wealth industry by way of searching i..

More

26 Sep 2022

From Insights

Nothing 'mini' about it...

If the Summer seemed to drag on with the nation anxiously awaiting answers to the many pressing economic issues whilst the Conservative party decided who was going to ..

More

15 Jul 2022

From Insights

Sanctions: UK to introduce new sanctions targeting Russian connected trusts

Following the EU's introduction of sanctions against EU trust and company service providers ("TCSPs") in May 2022, the UK government has now announced that it will fol..

More

14 Apr 2022

From Insights

EU sanctions: impact on the trust industry

The EU has expanded its sanctions against Russia by introducing restrictive measures, prohibiting EU trust and company service providers ("TCSPs") from providing admin..

More

26 Jan 2022

From News

James Quarmby named one of 2022 eprivateclient 50 most influential advisers

Stephenson Harwood partner and head of private wealth, James Quarmby, has been named one of the '50 Most Influential' advisers in 2021 by eprivateclient, for the seven..

More

14 Jan 2022

From Insights

CAPITAL letters - Issue 32

What does Judy Garland, a mysterious envelope and Tinder have to do with digital estate planning?

More

01 Oct 2021

From News

Success in Spear's Magazine's 2021 rankings

Members of Stephenson Harwood's employment, pensions and private wealth team have been recognised in Spear's Magazine's 2021 rankings for the best tax and contentious ..

More

02 Feb 2021

From News

James Quarmby named one of the '50 Most Influential' advisers

Stephenson Harwood partner and head of private wealth James Quarmby has been named one of the '50 Most Influential' advisers in 2021 by eprivateclient, for the sixth y..

More

14 Sep 2020

From News

James Quarmby: top ten leading tax and trust lawyer

Stephenson Harwood partner James Quarmby has been named in Spear's Magazine's top ten tax and trust lawyers of 2020. It’s the third year running that Quarmby has featu..

More

13 Jul 2020

From Insights

CAPITAL letters - Issue 31

I have written before about the shifting sands of the UK property taxation regime for non resident landlords. Since I wrote that article, the government has introduced..

More

19 Jun 2020

From Insights

The laws of love

Writing for STEP Journal, partner and head of the firm’s private wealth team, James Quarmby explains the difference in LGBT+ rights across the globe.

More

04 Sep 2019

From News

James Quarmby named leading tax lawyer for second consecutive year

Stephenson Harwood partner and head of private wealth James Quarmby has been named in Spear's Magazine's top ten tax and trust lawyers of 2019, for the second consecut..

More

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© Stephenson Harwood LLP 2016. Any reference to Stephenson Harwood in this document means Stephenson Harwood LLP and/or its affiliated undertakings. Any reference to a partner is used to refer to a member of Stephenson Harwood LLP.