What 11 New Square does

11 New Square is a London-based barristers' chambers — formally styled "The Chambers of John Gardiner KC" — specializing exclusively in UK and international tax law. Founded in 1880, it is the oldest established set of chambers to focus solely on tax, and currently comprises 8-9 self-employed barristers including 5 King's Counsel (John Gardiner KC, Francis Fitzpatrick KC, John Brinsmead-Stockham KC, Jonathan Peacock KC, Hui Ling McCarthy KC) plus four junior counsel (Edward Hellier, Michael Ripley, Sarah Black, Susanna Mockford). Members practise across all areas of direct and indirect tax — corporation tax, income tax, VAT, SDLT, customs duties, petroleum revenue tax, and insurance premium tax — and appear in every UK tax tribunal and superior court (First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal, High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court), as well as the CJEU, ECHR, and foreign courts as expert witnesses.

The chambers operates a referral-led professional services model. Instructions flow from domestic law firms, accountancy practices, and in-house corporate legal teams, coordinated by the Senior Clerk (Tom Rook) through the Clerks' room. Four core service lines are offered: Tax Litigation (advocacy in tribunals and courts), General Advisory (fixed-fee written opinions and conference advice), Tax Planning (structuring advice for corporates, groups, and private estates), and International Tax (treaty interpretation, EC law, cross-border mandates). Revenue is generated through brief fees and refreshers for hearings, fixed fees for advisory opinions, hourly or fixed fees for ongoing instructions, and conditional fee arrangements for suitable matters. The chambers also accepts direct lay-client instructions via the Public Access Scheme and runs a 12-month pupillage programme to feed its own talent pipeline.

11 New Square serves a counter-cyclical blue-chip client base that includes Barclays, HSBC, Royal Bank of Canada, Shell, Vodafone, Tesco (in the successful £140m VAT input tax appeal), McDonald's, GlaxoSmithKline, Investec, Lloyd's Syndicates, and HMRC itself. Geographic reach extends to Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. Marketing is conducted primarily through elite legal directory rankings (Chambers and Partners, Legal 500), academic teaching at Oxford, conference speaking, and publications in tax journals. The chambers is regulated by the Bar Standards Board, holds Cyber Essentials certification, and maintains professional indemnity cover through the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund.

Name

11 New Square

Legal name

11 New Square

Website

https://www.11newsquare.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

11 New Square is a legal firm that specializes in offering a complete range of advisory and litigation work on tax law.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hearing Fees: Fees for hearings commonly charged on brief fees and refreshers basis. Brief fees are typically charged at the commencement of a case with refresher fees for subsequent hearing days.
2. Legal Services - Advisory Fees: Advice commonly provided on a fixed fee basis. Written opinions or settled notes following conferences.
3. Legal Services - Ongoing Instructions: Work undertaken as part of longer running instructions commonly charged on fixed fees or hourly rates.
4. Conditional Fee Agreements: Barristers accept instructions under conditional fee agreements in certain circumstances for suitable cases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

11 New Square is a barristers' chambers providing specialist advocacy and advisory services exclusively in tax law. Members represent and advise clients in tax litigation across UK tribunals and higher courts, general advisory on direct and indirect taxes, tax planning for corporates and individuals, and international tax matters including double tax treaties. Instructions are received via referrals from solicitors, accountants, and in-house legal teams, with a public access scheme for direct lay-client work.

Product overview

11 New Square is a leading set of barristers' chambers specializing exclusively in tax law, founded in 1880. The chambers operates as a collection of self-employed barristers providing legal services through four interconnected core service areas: Tax Litigation Services (advocacy in UK tax tribunals and courts), General Advisory Services (advice on direct and indirect taxes), Tax Planning Services (tax-efficient structuring for corporates and individuals), and International Tax Services (cross-border transactions and double taxation matters). Additional offerings include ADR/Mediation Services and a Pupillage Program for aspiring tax barristers. The chambers serves individual taxpayers, blue-chip multinational firms, and government bodies through domestic law firms, accountancy practices, and in-house legal teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tax Litigation Services Representation and advocacy in all types of tax litigation in UK tax tribunals, higher courts, and other jurisdictions including the Court of Justice of the EU and European Court of Human Rights. For clients facing disputes with HMRC or other tax authorities.
• General Advisory Services General advisory on all taxes and duties, both direct and indirect, including consideration of tax effects of past and future transactions with practical, legally precise and commercially sound advice. Provided to corporate and individual clients.
• Tax Planning Services Advice on tax-efficient structuring of transactions and general tax planning for large multinational companies, groups, private individuals, and estates.
• International Tax Services Advisory on international tax matters including EC law, the European Convention on Human Rights, fiscal laws of other jurisdictions, double taxation conventions, and cross-border transactions. For clients with multi-jurisdictional tax issues.
• ADR and Mediation Services Alternative dispute resolution services including arbitration and mediation for tax disputes, with senior members also available as expert witnesses in foreign proceedings.
• Public Access Legal Services Direct legal advice and representation from qualified barristers who have completed the Public Access Course, without requiring instruction through a solicitor, in suitable cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• High success rate in landmark tax cases in Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and tax tribunals
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bar Council/Bar Standards BoardcoreOthersAll members of chambers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board of England and Wales. Chambers operates under Standard Contractual Terms for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons 2012.
• Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund LimitedcoreOthersAll Members of Chambers maintain professional liability insurance provided by Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund Limited, 90 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 4ST, on a worldwide basis subject to the terms of cover.
• Legal OmbudsmanminorOthersExternal complaints resolution service for clients dissatisfied with chambers' internal resolution. Investigates complaints about poor service from lawyers up to six years from date of problem.
• Lincoln's InncoreOthersChambers is situated within Lincoln's Inn, one of the four Inns of Court. Access through the gate at the south-east corner of Lincoln's Inn Fields.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pump Court Tax Chambers: Pump Court Tax Chambers is a London-based set of barristers specialising in tax law, providing tax litigation and advisory services. It is a directly competing tax-specialist chambers and the closest functional peer to 11 New Square in terms of exclusive specialism and UK tribunal/court focus.
• Field Court Tax Chambers: Field Court Tax Chambers is a London barristers' chambers specialising in revenue, tax, and customs law. It competes directly with 11 New Square for complex tax litigation and advisory instructions, serving similar instructing solicitors, accountants, and corporate clients.
• Gray's Inn Tax Chambers: Gray's Inn Tax Chambers (GITCh) is a London chambers focused on tax, customs, and excise law. It is a direct competitor in the specialist tax-bar market, with overlapping instructing clients and similar court/tribunal practice areas to 11 New Square.
• New Square Chambers: New Square Chambers is a Lincoln's Inn-based barristers' set with a strong tax, trust, and probate practice. It is a direct peer given its similar central London location, comparable chambers structure, and overlapping tax advisory and litigation work.
• Ten Old Square: Ten Old Square is a Lincoln's Inn chambers with a leading tax, trust, and chancery practice. It is directly comparable as a chambers providing specialist tax advisory and litigation, frequently appearing in the same tribunals and courts as 11 New Square.

Broad incumbents

• One Essex Court: One Essex Court is a top-tier commercial barristers' chambers with a significant tax litigation practice alongside broader commercial, regulatory, and arbitration work. It is a broader incumbent offering overlapping tax advocacy capability as part of a much wider portfolio.
• Slaughter and May: Slaughter and May is a Magic Circle law firm with a leading corporate tax practice that handles complex advisory and tax dispute work. It is a broader incumbent offering tax capability alongside a full corporate practice, sometimes competing with 11 New Square for the same mandates.
• Clifford Chance: Clifford Chance is a global Magic Circle firm with a substantial international tax practice spanning advisory, controversy, and transfer pricing. It competes with 11 New Square on complex international and corporate tax mandates, particularly cross-border matters.
• Linklaters: Linklaters is a Magic Circle law firm with a large, highly regarded tax practice advising on corporate, international, and contentious tax matters. It is a broader incumbent whose tax team competes with specialist chambers on high-value mandates.
• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer: Freshfields is a global Magic Circle law firm with a strong corporate tax practice handling complex advisory and disputes work. It is a broader incumbent offering tax capability as part of a wider corporate, dispute resolution, and transactions practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/11newsquare

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 11 New Square