Paddy Behan
Director, BEHAN & CO.
Paddy Behan is a director of Behan & Co Ltd, a niche indirect tax practice advising on VAT, Customs and stamp taxes. Its clients include a wide variety of accountants and solicitors as well as businesses instructing the company direct. Paddy gives technical advice and frequently acts for clients in indirect tax disputes, and in relation to appeals to the tax Tribunals. Behan & Co Ltd recently acted for a client in a mediation of a complex VAT dispute, the first mediation to complete under an experimental programme under which HMRC are assessing whether commercial mediation techniques might be an alternative to litigation in certain cases. Before setting up Behan & Co Ltd, Paddy was an indirect tax partner is a Group A accounting firm. He began his tax career with a “Big 4” accounting firm in Dublin before moving to the UK where he has specialised in indirect taxes since the 1990s.

Michael Conlon QC
Head of Indirect Tax
HOGAN LOVELLS
Michael Conlon QC is the Head of Indirect Tax at Hogan Lovells. Michael will be joining Hogan Lovells from Temple Tax Chambers where he is a practicing Barrister, specialising in revenue law. He was called to the Bar in 1974 and took silk in 2002. He has specialist experience in all aspects of indirect taxation, in particular VAT and also community customs duty, excise duties, insurance premium tax, and investigations. Michael Conlon has conducted high profile litigation before the tribunals, the higher courts and the European Court of Justice.

Chris Nyland
Tax Adviser
WRAGGE & CO
Chris Nyland is a solicitor and Chartered Tax Adviser working in Wragge & Co's Tax and Funds Team. He specialises in tax issues relating to the real estate and construction sectors, with a particular focus on development projects and landlord and tenant matters. Chris trained at Hammonds (now Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP), and has also worked in Deloitte's award-winning Real Estate VAT team.

Morgan Montgomery
Senior Manager - Tax
GRANT THORNTON
Morgan Montgomery is a Senior Manager in Grant Thornton's Restructuring practice and specialises in Value Added Tax. Having worked in HMRC and Practice for almost 15 years, he has a wide range of experience in indirect tax matters. However, more recently he has focused on insolvency and distressed restructuring, with a considerable amount of time spent dealing with the issues arising out of the property, motor retail and finance sectors.

Graham Elliott
Partner
WITHERS LLP
Graham Elliott practices at Withers LLP. Graham mainly advises clients on VAT (Value Added Tax). He also advises on gift aid for charities, general charity transactions and SDLT (Stamp Duty Land Tax). Regarding VAT, his main area of focus is: real estate, charities and international services. On a personal note, Graham's interests include performing classical orchestral and chamber music and playing the clarinet. He is also a trustee of a contemporary art charity.

Gary Richards
Partner
BERWIN LEIGHTON PAISNER
Gary Richards advises on a wide range of international and domestic transactions, including M&A transactions, joint ventures and corporate restructuring. He also advises on returning cash to shareholders and financing transactions. VAT planning is another area of expertise. He remains involved in the consultation process on the reform of the tax treatment of foreign profits and the worldwide debt cap.

Linda Adelson
Partner
ROSETTA TAX
Linda Adelson was until recently a VAT partner at City law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner. She advises on all aspects of indirect tax, with a particular specialism in relation to VAT on financial services and insurance. Before joining BLP she spent 5 years as Head of VAT for Lloyds Banking Group, as well as time working at Abbey National, Allen & Overy & KPMG. She is a past Chair of the British Bankers' Association VAT Working Party and currently sits on the VAT committees of the Investment Management Association, the Finance & Leasing Association and the Law Society. Linda is presently a Partner at Rosetta Tax.

Arthur Kerrigan
Head VAT Unit, TAXUD
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Arthur Kerrigan is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and works for the European Commission (DG TAXUD), currently heading sector for VAT on international services including electronic commerce and financial services. He also represents the European Commission at the OECD on consumption taxes and is a former vice-chair of the OECD Working Part on consumption taxes. Arthur frequently speaks at conferences on VAT and financial services issues and has also previously published on this topic. Recent publications include “The impact of VAT on financial services and insurances – the law of unintended consequences?” Frontiers in Finance and Economics, December 2007 and “The elusiveness of neutrality – why is it so difficult to apply VAT to financial services?” – International VAT Monitor.

Michael Thomas
Barrister
GRAY'S INN TAX CHAMBERS
Michael Thomas deals with all areas of UK taxation, both advisory and contentious. He has particular expertise in real estate taxation and advises on transactions of all shapes and sizes. This has involved him in everything from major city centre redevelopments and the acquisition of commercial investment properties with values in excess of £100 million to the partition of family farms. He has recently been involved in establishing a number of bespoke structures for property joint ventures.

Nicholas Taggart
Barrister
LANDMARK CHAMBERS
Nic Taggart’s practice covers the full spectrum of commercial landlord and tenant law, particularly dilapidations, forfeiture, rent review and lease renewals. He is also an acknowledged expert on the Electronic Communications Code. Nic was the Chambers & Partners’ Directory’s “Real Estate Junior of the Year” in 2011, and has been described therein as “a great team player and a fantastic lateral thinker”, “a property genius” and “A master of his craft, he never loses sight of the commercial objective. He is a co-editor of Hill & Redman’s Law of Landlord and Tenant.

Andrew Hitchmough
Barrister
PUMP COURT TAX CHAMBERS
Andrew Hitchmough specializes in all forms of corporate tax, VAT and Customs duties. He has a strong advisory practice but is particularly well known for his litigation experience in the Courts and Tribunals. He lectures frequently on VAT and corporate transactions

This VAT & Property Conference Will Cater for Indirect Tax Practitioners Whose Main Interest is VAT Treatment of Property and Property Transactions