Anthony Inglese
General counsel and solicitor
HM Revenue & Customs
Anthony Inglese oversees a large team of 400 staff, of which around half are lawyers. He has historically used private practice solicitors for litigation and commercial work but has reduced this considerably to cut costs over recent years. However, external legal spend at HM Revenue & Customs currently stands at around £20m, with any spend on law firms being first approved by the Attorney General.
Inglese says he likes to instruct efficient lawyers that can work in partnerships and understand HMRC’s stance on key issues. HMRC uses the central government’s 48-strong legal panel, which has been under review since late 2011 and was expected to be finalised in January 2013.
2008-present: General counsel and solicitor, HM Revenue & Customs
2002-08: Solicitor and director general of legal services, Department of Trade and Industry
1997-2002: Deputy head of legal, The Treasury Solicitor’s Department
1995-97: Head lawyer, Ministry of Defence
1991-95 Legal director, Office of Fair Trading