Oliver advises clients on tax issues principally relating to corporate transactions, with particular focus on:

• providing tax and structuring advice in relation to private equity and general corporate M&A transactions and reorganisations;
• designing and advising on complex equity incentive arrangements; and
• providing VAT advice.

Oliver is also regularly involved in tax cases before the English and European Courts, and led the tax on the recent decision in Littlewoods v HMRC, one of the largest money judgements in English history. Oliver is recommended for Corporate Tax and Tax Litigation by Legal 500 UK, where he is described as being “thoughtful and responsive”.

Representative experience includes advising:

• Busy Bees Nursery Group in its acquisition of Treetops Nurseries Limited from Electra Private Equity, having advised Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board in its acquisition of Busy Bees Childcare from Knowledge Universe Education
• OMERS Private Equity in its sale of V.Group to an affiliate of Advent International
• Advent International Corporation in its acquisition of Brammer plc
• Oaktree Capital Management in the sale of the UK operations of Fitness First Limited to Dave Whelan Sports, and in the merger of Fitness First Asia with Celebrity Fitness
• Technology Crossover Ventures in its acquisition of Retail Merchant Services (RMS) from RMS’ founder and management who remain shareholders
• HgCapital in its acquisition of Citation from ECI Partners
• GHO Capital Partners in its acquisition of Visufarma and the European commercial operations of Nicox  
• Public Sector Pension Investment Board, along with BC Partners, in the acquisition of Keter Plastic
• Littlewoods in its landmark case against HMRC on the right to compound interest on overpaid VAT
• Securitas Direct and its core management team in connection with the restructuring of management’s equity following the acquisition of Bain’s interest in the group by Hellman & Friedman
• Shop Direct in its case against HMRC on the tax treatment of tax refunds
• the sponsors in relation to the IPO of Worldpay
• Providence Equity Partners on its “take-private,” alongside WPP Group, of Chime Communications
• the principal shareholders on the €7.2 billion sale of Spanish telecoms company ONO to Vodafone
• the Access Industries, Alfa and Renova Consortium on the $28 billion sale of its stake in the Russian oil joint venture TNK-BP, to state-owned oil company Rosneft
• Providence Equity Partners on its investment in Ambassador Theatre Group
• Gores Group on its joint venture agreement with Premier Foods in the Hovis business