Tax Controversy Leaders guide 2021 is live: The leading tax disputes practitioners in the world

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Tax Controversy Leaders guide 2021 is live: The leading tax disputes practitioners in the world

The Tax Controversy Leaders guide 2021 is live

The 10th edition of the Tax Controversy Leaders guide, the leading international publication that lists the world’s top tax disputes advisors, has released its results for 2021. The latest research cycle has been the most comprehensive to date by reaching out to more individuals than ever before.

Legal Media Group (LMG) has published the 10th edition of the Tax Controversy Leaders guide. More than 10,000 leading tax professionals from around the globe were asked to provide their feedback about their markets and the individuals that stand out in them. The Tax Controversy Leaders guide now includes the names of almost 1,500 experts from jurisdictions in every corner of the world. 

Click to see the results of the Tax Controversy Leaders guide 2021



This year’s edition of the Tax Controversy Leaders guide – produced in association with World Tax – is the most comprehensive edition yet, as it continues to grow in both scope and scale. It covers more jurisdictions, reaches out to more individuals and recognises more practitioners than ever before – from rising stars just making a name for themselves to market leaders with decades of experience behind them. 



It is no surprise to see the Big Four dominating the rankings worldwide, accounting for more than a third of all the practitioners ranked in the guide. Outside of those, Baker McKenzie are the dominant law firm, with more than three times as many ranked leaders than any other, followed by significant names such as Dentons, Mayer Brown and Garrigues. 



Regionally, EMEA continues to dominate the rankings, with both Western and Eastern Europe among the top four sub-regions worldwide.  In the Americas, though, we see both North America and the LATAM region with more ranked practitioners than the Central and Eastern Europe region. In the Asia-Pacific, region it is Southeast Asia that stands out with the most ranked advisers.

133d6e8023124d96ae31ed1f0a19e2ea


What is the Tax Controversy Leaders guide?

The Tax Controversy Leaders guide is a list of the world's leading tax disputes practitioners. 



These individuals are the most experienced, skilled and knowledgeable advisers in each of their respective jurisdictions in the field of tax controversy – disputes that are resolved through contentious means. In an increasingly digitised world they are working at the front line of tax regulation and innovation, challenging authorities and helping clients achieve the most efficient tax structures possible. 



All the names included in the guide not only have a proven track record of success in advising clients, but they are recognised by other leaders in their field for those achievements. 



How are the Leaders selected?

As well as practical evidence of their work gathered through the World Tax-World TP research process, these individuals are nominated by their peers and recommended as trusted advisers. Contributors were asked to name the people they would refer their clients to in the event of a conflict, or those they recommend as a local representative in another jurisdiction. All those named in the guide have received recommendations from different practitioners. The resulting list is therefore a collection of tax controversy leaders recognised – by the leading names in their own and international markets – as those who perform strongest in their field. Market leaders chosen by market leaders.




Click to see the results of the Tax Controversy Leaders guide 2021

Many thanks to all the in-house counsel and firms that provided valuable feedback in the research process, as well as the partners who support the guide, which includes:

PwC

Australia

bpv Hugel 

Austria

PwC

Belgium



Lautenschlager Romeiro e Iwamizu Advogados

Brazil



Lefosse Advogados

Brazil



PwC

Brazil



PwC

Canada



Miller Thomson

Canada



PwC

Chile



Rui Bai Law Firm

China



PwC

Colombia



PwC

Ecuador



Arsene Taxand

France



NERA Economic Consulting

Germany



PwC

Greece



Chambers of Rohan Shah

India



PwC

India



DDTC Consulting

Indonesia



GNV Consulting 

Indonesia



TaxPrime

Indonesia



SF Consulting

Indonesia



Herzog Fox & Neeman

Israel



Giordano Merolle

Italy



Maisto & Associati

Italy



TLS Professionale di Avvocati e Commercialisti (PwC) 

Italy



Crowe Valente/Valente Associati GEB Partners

Italy



Zizzo e Associati

Italy



PwC

Japan



PwC

Malaysia



5 St James Court

Mauritius



PwC

Netherlands



PwC

Poland



CCR Legal

Portugal



Jamie Carvalho Esteves

Portugal



PwC

Portugal



D&B David & Baias

Romania



KPMG

Russia



PwC

South Korea



KPMG

Sweden



PwC

Sweden



Skeppsbron Skatt Taxand

Sweden



Svalner

Sweden



Lenz & Staehelin

Switzerland



PwC

Switzerland



Tax Partner Taxand

Switzerland



Nazali Tax and Legal

Turkey



PwC

Turkey



Fenwick & West

United States



PwC

United States



EY 

Vietnam



Deloitte 

Global and its member firms










more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

William Paul is being replaced as IRS chief counsel just two months after starting, it is understood
Wopke Hoekstra implored US officials to ‘truly look into the facts’; in other news, the EU Council has reached a political agreement on DAC9
The US president’s flippant approach to international trade will cause chaos for corporations, but there are opportunities for intrepid tax advisers
The ruling underscores that tax authorities must provide ‘detailed, well-supported, and logically sound justifications’ when determining reference prices in tax assessments, one expert told ITR
Tax teams and the IT experts they rely on should be wary of increased compliance, says Richard Sampson, chief revenue officer at Tax Systems
The law firm was representing a businessman in the commodities sector who had previously been convicted of tax fraud
One expert last month predicted the short-term impact of tariffs would be “devastating” for both Canada and the US, particularly if the former instituted retaliatory measures
Ahead of another busy year for the World Tax rankings and ITR Awards, we profile some of the UK’s major firms and explore key market trends
The Labor government has done more than any previous administration to crack down on multinational tax avoidance, Andrew Leigh also tells ITR
Companies that come to terms with digitised tax processes now will stand to gain from FASTER’s disruption, argues Carlos Silva of Xceptor
Gift this article