James Hill

James Hill concentrates on the corporate taxation aspects of mergers and acquisitions, group reorganisations, and corporate finance. He advises clients on a wide range of tax issues including the tax consequences of selling businesses, structures for business acquisitions, intra-group transfers of businesses, international structures and treaty claims, solvent and insolvent reconstructions, tax issues arising on the exploitation of IP, partnership structures, the taxation of debt and venture capital investments.  

James also concentrates on the employment tax consequences of share incentives, carried interest arrangements, bonus plans, and other benefits. He advises clients on various employment related tax matters including share options, long term incentive plans, flowering shares, employee benefit trusts, the taxation of termination payments, internationally mobile employees and disguised remuneration.  

• Advised Patrick Drahi’s BidFair on acquisition of Sotheby’s.
• Advised Vitruvian Partners on its acquisition of, and acquisition financing in relation to, Travel Counsellors, a UK based travel agents network.
• Advised Halifax Group, a leading US based mid-market private equity firm, on the sale of the Pirtek Europe to PNC Riverarch Capital, a US-based private equity firm. Pirtek Europe is the leading on-site provider of hydraulic hose replacement and associated services across Europe.
• Advised a major energy company on its merger with a UK listed company to create a multi-billion dollar upstream oil & gas company.
• Advised a listed multinational on the restructuring and sale of one of its UK businesses.

• "James Hill has consistently delivered clear, practical advice and always takes on board business constraints to deliver workable solutions." - Legal 500
• Named as a Highly Regarded practitioner and a key contact for UK Transactional Tax - ITR World Tax Leaders
• "I have worked on cross-border deals with James Hill and Kitty Swanson and they are knowledgeable, responsive, commercially minded –  James in particular is an extremely calm presence during high-stress times. They also fill me with confidence in their ability to tackle any issue and they have good international reach." James has "unparalleled commitment to helping clients achieve their objectives" Legal 500
• Recommended in the Tax Directors Handbook

• The London School of Economics and Political Science, LLM (Taxation, with distinction)
• Chartered Institute of Taxation, CTA (Fellow)
• The College of Law, York, LPC
• Leicester University, LLB

• England and Wales

• Member, Income Tax Sub Committee of the Tax Law Committee of the Law Society
• Member, Share Plan Lawyers.