Former BLP partners launch tax boutique with CMS lawyer

Former BLP partners Linda Adelson and Charles Goddard established the boutique at the beginning of the year in conjunction with barrister Peter Mason, who is currently still a consultant at CMS Cameron McKenna.

Adelson and Goddard both left BLP in 2012. Adelson was a partner there for two years, specialising in VAT, and was previously head of VAT at Lloyds Banking Group. Goddard was a partner at BLP for six years until last year, when he left to become a consultant at NGM Tax Law.

Mason, who has been a consultant and head of VAT at CMS since 2005, will retain his position at the firm in addition to his new role as partner at Rosetta Tax. Mason also previously headed the VAT division of Abbey National.

The three partners are also joined by the recent addition of corporate tax solicitor Graham Brough, who previously practised in the London office of the now defunct Dewey & LeBoeuf. He originally trained and qualified at BLP.

The boutique will focus on advising banks, insurance companies and other large corporates on a range of tax issues and is also looking to lend its services as an outsourced tax department for lawyers or law firms requiring specialised VAT and other tax advice.

Mason will initially provide additional advocacy services to the team and will continue with his current responsibilities at CMS. The two firms have also confirmed that they will be collaborating on a number of projects together.

Commenting on the new venture Linda Adelson, who is managing partner of the firm, said: “Rosetta’s USP is in the exceptional quality of our team, who are all senior solicitors and barristers, and who are passionate about providing practical and commercial advice. We know the importance of this for our clients as we’ve been there ourselves: Peter Mason has been head of VAT at Abbey National and I’ve also been in-house, during my time as head of VAT at Lloyds Banking Group.

“We’re also unusual in providing a seamless service which spans everything from transactional support and negotiation, advice and consultancy, all the way through to dispute resolution and advocacy.’

The firm’s name gains its inspiration from the Rosetta Stone, added Adelson, saying. “We strive to understand and demystify the complexities of tax law, just as the Rosetta Stone provided the key to understand Egyptian hieroglyphs. This is the reason we chose the name Rosetta Tax.”