Neil is a Principal in Sladen Legal’s Federal Taxes team. He advises private business owners, founders, family groups, and their advisers on Australian tax law. As an Accredited Specialist in Tax Law and Chartered Tax Adviser, Neil combines strong technical knowledge with a practical, plain-English style. He helps clients resolve complex tax matters, including ATO audits, reviews, and disputes.

Neil's advisory and transactional practice covers private business and family wealth matters. He regularly advises on family-business structuring and succession planning, Division 7A compliance and remediation, trust distributions and restructures, and family trust elections and family trust distributions tax. On transactions, Neil acts on CGT issues arising from business sales (including small business concessions and roll-overs), cross-border investments for private groups, and GST on property developments and commercial dealings.

When disputes arise, Neil represents private business owners and family groups in ATO audits, reviews, and objections, and in appeals before the Administrative Review Tribunal and Federal Court. He works closely with clients' accountants and financial advisers to resolve matters efficiently and, where possible, settle pragmatically with the ATO.

‍Neil’s tax work is well recognised across the profession. Best Lawyers in Australia has listed him for Tax Law each year since 2019, and Doyle’s Guide has recommended him as a leading tax lawyer since 2021. Beyond client work, Neil contributes to SME and private wealth tax policy through senior roles in professional bodies.

Neil chairs the Tax Committee of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia and sits on the Law Institute of Victoria's Taxation and Revenue Law Committee and Tax Law Specialisation Committee. He is a member of The Tax Institute's National SME Technical Committee.

‍Neil takes a practical approach, explains issues in plain English, and responds promptly. His clients include owner-managed businesses, family offices, founders planning an exit, professional practices, and high-net-worth individuals with Australian and cross-border interests. Accountants, financial advisers, and other lawyers regularly engage Neil as an external adviser on complex tax issues.

Neil regularly presents to professional audiences on SME and private wealth tax issues. Accounting bodies and industry groups invite him to speak on new tax developments for practitioners and business owners.

‍Neil’s practice areas include:

• company and international taxation

• mergers and acquisitions

• capital gains tax

• Division 7A

• trusts and deceased estates

• family trust elections and family trust distributions tax

• taxation of family law settlement arrangements

• cross-border financing

• inbound and outbound investment

• foreign currency transactions and the taxation of financial arrangements, and

• goods and services tax

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