Sarabjit Singh QC

Sarabjit Singh QC specialises in tax, with a particular emphasis on all forms of indirect tax and the interface between tax and public law. He is ranked as a leading silk in tax by both Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500, and has been described in those directories as “very persuasive” and “a very compelling advocate”, whose “drafting is fantastic” and whose “performances in conference impress”. Sarabjit also specialises in public law in its own right, and frequently appears in public law and tax cases in the highest courts, including regular appearances in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Prior to becoming a silk, Sarabjit was appointed to each of the Attorney General’s A, B and C panels, and it was through his work on the panels that Sarabjit represented government departments and others in the most complex and high-profile cases in his areas of practice. His excellence in advocacy in the higher courts was recognised by his appointment as Queen’s Counsel in 2018, whilst still in his thirties.

Sarabjit has appeared in some of the most heavyweight cases in tax and public law in the last few decades, as outlined in the description of his practice in each of those areas below. He continues to act both for the government in high-profile cases, being instructed by HMRC in Brexit-related litigation, and against the government in similar cases, including in a recent £300m import tax case.

Unusually for someone who practices in tax and public law, Sarabjit is regularly instructed in and thoroughly enjoys acting in more witness-focused areas of the law such as clinical negligence, where his careful and high-quality pleadings and advocacy and tactful manner with clients invariably help secure excellent settlements and trial outcomes.

Outside of his practice, Sarabjit is heavily involved in work promoting access to the Bar and retention in the profession of those from underrepresented groups. Being from an underrepresented group himself, he feels strongly that barriers to access should be broken down, and to that end he travels all over the country to speak to students from state schools to encourage them to see the Bar as an option for them. He is also a member of the Bar Council’s Equality, Diversity and Social Mobility Committee, with a particular interest in ensuring the fair allocation of publicly funded work.