Events / Webinars
Wilberforce Fraud, Trusts & Asset Recovery Conference 2023
Wednesday 8th November 2023 | 12.45pm - 5.30pm, followed by drinks
Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch, London
£120 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View moreSebastian is ranked as a “leading junior” with a substantial litigation practice in commercial and chancery law. He is a particularly strong advocate who specialises in company, commercial, fraud, insolvency, pensions, professional negligence and trusts matters.
He has considerable experience acting across a wide range of matters both on his own (including against Leading Counsel) and as part of a wider team led by Leading Counsel within and outside Chambers. He appears regularly in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, representing clients in interim and final applications, as well as at trial and on appeal.
Sebastian is frequently instructed on large and complex multi-party litigation, often with an international element, and has experience acting with multi-jurisdictional teams. He also has extensive experience advising and acting in relation to large regulatory investigations, including cases involving the Financial Conduct Authority, the Pensions Regulator, the Financial Reporting Council and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
Sebastian has been ranked as “highly-commended” in Legal Week’s “Future Stars of the Bar”.
Commercial disputes
Sebastian is a leading commercial chancery junior specialising in commercial litigation.
He is frequently instructed on high-profile, complex business and commercial disputes with an international element. His cases often involve allegations of fraud or breach of fiduciary duties and asset tracing. He is also regularly instructed in relation to company and partnership disputes, claims against directors or amongst shareholders as well as claims relating to investment vehicles.
The cases with which Sebastian has been involved over the years have also enabled him to build up a detailed understanding of capital structures and different forms of business financing.
Notable cases include:
Hedge/Mutual Funds
Sebastian’s broad commercial and chancery background, particularly in the fields of company, trusts, financial services and pensions law puts him in a good position to deal with the legal issues surrounding hedge funds, and other collective investment vehicles.
Financial Services
Sebastian is frequently instructed on cases that involve corporate entities within the financial services industry and persons regulated by the FCA.
Regulatory & Public Law
Sebastian does a significant amount of regulatory work for UK regulatory bodies, including advising the FCA and the Pensions Regulator. These cases often involve public law and related issues together with an appreciation of the strategic ways in which regulatory proceedings differ from ordinary commercial litigation.
Sebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.
He combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.
Sebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.
Easy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.
A genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.
Events / Webinars
Wednesday 8th November 2023 | 12.45pm - 5.30pm, followed by drinks
Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch, London
£120 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View moreCompany law
Sebastian is a leading commercial chancery junior specialising in company law.
He has extensive experience of company litigation and has worked on a number of high-profile disputes involving both offshore and onshore company and partnership law issues. He is regularly instructed on cases involving complex corporate structures and has particular experience with shareholder disputes, unfair prejudice claims and claims against directors for breaches of fiduciary duties. The breadth of Sebastian’s commercial and chancery practice means that he also frequently advises where company law issues interact with other legal areas such as trust law, commercial law, financial services and pensions law.
Notable cases include:
Sebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.
He combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.
Sebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.
Easy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.
A genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.
Pensions
Sebastian is a leading commercial chancery junior specialising in all aspects of pensions.
He has a wide range of pensions experience, as both advisor and advocate, and is frequently instructed to act in many of the largest and most high-profile pensions cases (often involving highly technical or complicated actuarial issues) including for some of the largest UK pension schemes and FTSE 100 companies.
Sebastian has extensive experience and expertise in the regulatory aspects of pensions law, acting for many years on a number of important regulatory matters, both for and against the Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund. He has appeared before the Determinations Panel, the Upper Tribunal, the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
The legal directories rank Sebastian as a leading junior in pensions.
Notable cases and published regulatory matters include:
Other pension issues on which Sebastian is frequently asked to act or advise include:
Sebastian also frequently advises the Pensions Regulator and potential targets of regulatory proceedings on confidential regulatory issues such as the issuing of Contribution Notices and Financial Support Directions, proceedings under s.231 of the Pensions Act 2004, prohibition proceedings, the validity of s.72 requests, the appointment of independent trustees, the publication of s.89 reports and the issuing of improvement notices.
Sebastian recently successfully defended a Scheme Actuary in disciplinary proceedings brought by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
Sebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.
He combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.
Sebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.
Easy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.
A genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.
News
We are delighted to announce that Wilberforce has 11 nominations across 9 different categories at The Legal 500 Bar Awards 2023. Set of the Year Chancery Set of the Year Chancery Junior of the Year: Edward Sawyer, Sebastian Allen Chancery... Read more
Wednesday 12 July 2023
View moreEvents / Webinars
Monday 20 June 2022 | 6.30pm - 7.30pm, followed by drinks
Ashworth Centre (and online via Zoom), Lincoln's Inn, London, WC2A 3TL
£75 + VAT | 1.0 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Monday 27 July 2020 | 11am - 11.45am
Online, Zoom webinar
1.0 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Wednesday 26 June 2019 | 6.30pm - 7.30pm followed by drinks
58VE, 58 Victoria Embankment, Temple, London EC4Y 0DS
£70 + VAT | 1.0 CPD
View moreInsolvency
Sebastian is a leading commercial chancery junior specialising in insolvency law.
The breadth of Sebastian’s commercial and chancery practice means that he frequently advises where insolvency law issues interact with other legal areas such as trust law, commercial law, financial services and pensions law.
Notable cases include:
Sebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.
He combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.
Sebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.
Easy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.
A genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.
Events / Webinars
Wednesday 8th November 2023 | 12.45pm - 5.30pm, followed by drinks
Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch, London
£120 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View moreProfessional liability
Sebastian is a leading commercial chancery junior specialising in professional liability litigation.
He is regularly instructed on a wide range of professional liability cases across the commercial and chancery law spectrum. He has extensive experience acting for and against professional advisers in a wide variety of contexts, including company directors, financial advisers, insurance brokers, investment advisers, executors, accountants, actuaries, trustees and legal advisers.
Sebastian has had particular experience in actions involving allegations of fraud and the wider consequences of fraudulent conduct, often in the context of insolvency proceedings.
Sebastian also has experience in regulatory and professional disciplinary proceedings against trustees and actuaries.
Notable cases include:
Sebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.
He combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.
Sebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.
Easy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.
A genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.
Events / Webinars
Thursday 13 February 2020
One Moorgate Place, Chartered Accountants' Hall, London EC2R 6EA
£75 + VAT | 3.0 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Wednesday 31 January 2018 | 8:30am -1.10pm followed by lunch and refreshments
The Brewery, 52 Chiswell St, London EC1Y 4SD
£75 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View moreTrusts, probate and estates: contentious
Sebastian is a leading commercial chancery junior specialising in all aspects of trusts and private client work.
He has significant experience of trust-related matters both offshore and onshore and he regularly advises on both contentious and non-contentious matters.
Sebastian has acted for a number of very high-profile private clients on a variety of trusts and probate related issues.
Sebastian is also frequently instructed on trust-related issues that arise in commercial contexts, in particular commercial disputes involving allegations of breaches of duty, cases involving collective investment vehicles and in corporate transactions.
Notable cases (most of which are confidential) include the following:
Sebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.
He combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.
Sebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.
Easy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.
A genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.
Events / Webinars
Wednesday 8th November 2023 | 12.45pm - 5.30pm, followed by drinks
Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch, London
£120 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View moreNews
We are delighted to announce that Wilberforce has 11 nominations across 9 different categories at The Legal 500 Bar Awards 2023. Set of the Year Chancery Set of the Year Chancery Junior of the Year: Edward Sawyer, Sebastian Allen Chancery... Read more
Wednesday 12 July 2023
View moreArticles
To read and download this piece as a pdf, please click here. Commentary by Sebastian Allen. Introduction The universe of socially responsible or “ethical” investments has been expanding exponentially in recent years. It has long been the case that the... Read more
By Sebastian Allen
Monday 18 July 2022
Events / Webinars
Monday 1 February 2016 | 9am - 5pm Followed by drinks reception (and dinner)
The Dorchester, Park LaneLondon
from £299 + VAT | 5.5 CPD
View moreRegistered name: Mr Sebastian Alexander Payard Allen
VAT number: 919946177