The eprivateclient 50 Most Influential is the definitive rankings of the key players in the UK and offshore private client practitioner sector.
To showcase the achievements of those listed this year and to get to know them a bit better, eprivateclient has begun publishing a new Q&A series with our 2021 50 Most Influentials.
This week we spoke to James Quarmby, a partner and head of private wealth at international law firm Stephenson Harwood. James specialises in international tax planning and asset protection for high net worth individuals and their businesses. He provides advanced international tax planning for high net worth individuals, family companies and entrepreneurs in the UK and abroad. James also provides advice on domicile and residency, creating private wealth structures and complex cross-border trading structures.
What have been your proudest personal/team achievements this year?
I think we can all agree that 2020 was a lamentable year, but I'm proud of my team, which has managed to transition to remote working in such a successful way.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don't take it all so seriously.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
I enjoy solving problems, so its rewarding when we get good outcomes for our clients.
What challenges do you see your firm/clients facing in 2021?
Covid-19 remains the main challenge – when will restrictions end, when will the economy bounce back? We need to manage a transition back to some kind of normality and, hopefully, manage growth in business that flows form that. It should be an exciting year ahead…
What does being named a 50 Most Influential mean to you?
Hopefully it means a few glasses of free champagne if we ever get back to cocktail receptions! On a more serious note, its great to be recognised for making some kind of impact in the private client world. No one wants to be invisible.
What is the favourite part of your job?
I enjoy traveling and meeting people, which is something I've not been able to do this year. Roll on 2021.
What made you choose to focus on private client work?
I fell into private client work by accident and decided I quite liked it.
What book/luxury item would you want with you on a desert island?
My iPhone X
If you were not in (and it is not) your current role, what would be your dream job?
I would be a successful artist with a loft studio in Hackney.
What’s your favourite hobbies/passions/interests outside of work?
My real passion is art, so I spend a lot of time looking at it and quite some time creating it.
What one piece of advice has benefited you the most in your career?
Measure twice, cut once.
