Practice overview

Sebastian 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”.

Sebastian's expertise

Download Commercial disputes CV

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:

  • Star Poland Limited (in liquidation) v Mr Felice and others: acting for the former directors of a Gibraltarian trust company brought by its liquidators in relation to various alleged breaches of duty;
  • British Airways plc v Airways Pension Scheme Trustee (CA): acting for British Airways in a large and high-profile dispute concerning the application of the improper purposes doctrine to the exercise of discretionary powers;
  • Michael Martin v Idverde Holdings Ltd: acting for the Defendant in proceedings concerning the construction of an SPA of a business with a large employee incentivisation scheme;
  • advising a number of high-profile corporate entities in the energy sector on the terms of an SPA and the operation of a joint venture agreement with a Russian counterparty;
  • The Silentnight Pension Scheme: acting on the high-profile claim brought by the Pensions Regulator for a Contribution Notice against various private equity owned corporate entities;
  • Wolverhampton City Council v Mitie Property Services (UK) Ltd: acting on behalf of the Defendant in proceedings brought under the terms of commercial agreement for the provision of services for alleged unpaid pension contributions to the Local Government Pension Scheme;
  • Madoff Securities International Ltd v Raven: acting on several pieces of litigation arising out of the massive international fraud perpetrated by Bernard Madoff through the largest ever Ponzi scheme in which investors lost almost $65bn. This has included acting on behalf of investment fund managers in a claim brought against them by individual investors for having invested and lost the entirety of the sums in fund in Madoff’s Ponzi scheme and on behalf of the private individual, Mrs Sonja Kohn, in defending claims worth US$19bn that were brought by the trustee in the US liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC;
  • Ertan Sami v Taskin Hamit: acting for the Defendant in proceedings brought for a claim in unjust enrichment;
  • acting for a high-profile individual in relation to his multimillion-pound claim against his former hedge fund employer;
  • BHS: acting for Sir Philip Green in relation to various aspects of the claims brought by the Pensions Regulator for a Financial Support Direction and a Contribution Notice in relation to the sale of BHS;
  • advising the FCA on the status of funds held in a client account on an insolvency;
  • In re MF Global: acting for a creditor in the MF Global administration, which was the first special administration;
  • Generics (UK) Ltd v Yeda Research and Development Co Ltd: acting for the Claimant in proceedings to restrain former internal legal advisers with access to confidential information from acting for the other party to litigation;
  • Maxfield v (i) HLB Kidsons and (ii) Baker Tilly: acting for an individual pursuing a multimillion-pound negligence claim against accountants/tax advisers in relation to deficient tax advice and a failure to disclose “secret commission”;
  • Langstone Leisure Ltd v Willers: acting for a company against its former managing director in a claim based on breaches of fiduciary duty and negligence in relation to the costs incurred by the company in funding litigation brought by the liquidator of a debtor company;
  • Withers v Langbar International Ltd and Rybak: Advising on the proprietary interests in monies held in a solicitor’s client account in respect of unpaid legal fees and appearing in the High Court before Mr Justice Morgan (with Joanna Smith QC);
  • Letsure Limited v Moneynotion Limited: Advising the defendant insurance broker in relation to alleged premiums payable to the claimant insurance provider and in relation to a counterclaim for damages for breach of the terms of an agency agreement;
  • Langbar International Limited v Rybak: Advising on various FCA aspects that applied to the case concerning allegedly forged Certificates of Deposit of over US $600m;
  • Pierse Developments Limited v Liberty Property Investment Limited: acting for a property investment company in relation to the construction of contracts for the development and sale of 28 properties;
  • acting for a Singaporean building developer in relation to the purchase of a multimillion-pound development;
  • advising a party to a long-standing trading arrangement as to rights of set-off in relation to its trading debts and as to the effect of the assignment of those debts on the right of set-off;
  • advising on the construction of various debt and other financial instruments;
  • advising lenders in relation to potential liabilities under the consumer credit legislation;
  • advising in professional liability proceedings involving a number of insurance companies potentially liable to cover the insured’s breaches of duty.

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.

 

Download Commercial disputes CV

  • Quote symbolSebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolHe combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolSebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolEasy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.

    The Legal 500 2024

  • Quote symbolA genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.

    Chambers & Partners 2023

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    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 more

View all thought leadership View all events

Sebastian's expertise

Download Company law CV

Company 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:

  • advising on high-profile minority shareholder dispute;
  • Star Poland Limited (in liquidation) v Mr Felice and others: acting for the former directors of a Gibraltarian trust company brought by its liquidators in relation to various alleged breaches of duty;
  • Madoff litigation: acting on several pieces of litigation arising out of the massive international fraud perpetrated by Bernard Madoff through the largest ever Ponzi scheme in which investors lost almost $65bn. This has included acting on behalf of investment fund managers in a claim brought against them by individual investors for having invested and lost the entirety of the sums in fund in Madoff’s Ponzi scheme and on behalf of the private individual, Mrs Sonja Kohn, in defending claims worth US $19bn that have been brought by the trustee in the US liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC;
  • E. Shaw -v- Orient Express Hotels Ltd: acting for a high-profile Bermudian company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in multimillion-pound litigation brought by the claimant hedge funds concerning the legality of its share ownership structure. Successful in defending the claimant’s petition and striking out various allegations made against the directors of the company for breaches of fiduciary duties and unfair prejudice;
  • Chapman -v- Vigar: Acting for the director and majority shareholder of a private company in relation to successful proceedings concerning the ownership of certain shares in the company which had been settled on a workers’ trust that had failed;
  • Langstone Leisure Limited -v- Willers: acting for a company on its ongoing claims against its former managing director based on negligence and breaches of fiduciary duty in relation to the costs incurred by the company in funding litigation brought by the liquidator of a debtor company;
  • Re Foxcrest Ltd: advising the directors of the company on the appropriate procedure for an application for the reduction of share capital and successfully obtaining an order from the Companies Court;
  • Re IPEC Limited: advising on the form and contents of an application to rectify the register of members of a company at Companies House;
  • Re Nortel Networks UK Pension Fund: Advising the trustee of the Nortel Networks UK Pension Scheme in regulatory proceedings that involved substantial issues of company valuation where a single company in an interdependent group fails to be valued;
  • advising members of a corporate residents’ association on a potential derivative action based on the legal validity of actions taken by the company and by certain members of the company including the requisitioning of an Extraordinary General Meeting of the shareholders, the replacement of the directors and the approval by the company of a deed granting rights of way to the members of the company;
  • advising on a number of company law and partnership issues arising in the context of a large international farming partnership This case involved not only a number of complex legal issues but also the sensitive handling of what was a particularly acrimonious partnership dissolution;
  • advising on and successfully obtaining numerous winding-up petitions on behalf of creditors of companies.

Download Company law CV

  • Quote symbolSebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolHe combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolSebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolEasy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.

    The Legal 500 2024

  • Quote symbolA genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.

    Chambers & Partners 2023

Sebastian's expertise

Download Pensions CV

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:

  • British Airways plc v Airways Pension Scheme Trustee (CA): acting for British Airways in a large and high-profile dispute concerning the application of the improper purposes doctrine to the exercise of amendment powers;
  • Safeway v Newton (CA and CJEU): acting for Safeway in the largest ever equalisation case which overturned the long-standing authority of Warren J in Harland v Wolff;
  • Airways Pension Scheme Trustees v Fielder: acting for British Airways in Beddoe proceedings brought by the Trustee of the Airways Pension Scheme;
  • The Silentnight Pension Scheme: acting on the high-profile claim brought by the Pensions Regulator for a Contribution Notice against various private equity owned corporate entities;
  • BHS: acting for Sir Philip Green in relation to the claims brought by the Pensions Regulator for a Financial Support Direction and a Contribution Notice in relation to BHS;
  • R (on the application of Grace Bay II Holdings SARL and others) v The Pensions Regulator: acting for private equity entities who were the targets of a long-standing regulatory investigation in bringing judicial review proceedings against the Pensions Regulator;
  • Southern Water: acting for the Pensions Regulator on a funding case brought under s.231 of the Pensions Act 2004;
  • Tata Steel: acting for the Pensions Regulator on various issues arising out of the collapse of Tata Steel;
  • Prohibition proceedings against Mr Johnson, Ms Turner and Mr Stowers: acting for the targets of prohibition proceedings brought by the Pensions Regulator in which a successful settlement was reached;
  • Wolverhampton City Council v Mitie Property Services (UK) Ltd: acting on behalf of the Defendant in proceedings brought in for alleged unpaid pension contributions of a Government contractor to the Local Government Pension Scheme;
  • Nortel Networks UK Pension Plan: acting for the trustees of the Nortel Networks UK Pension Plan in relation to the largest ever financial support direction case brought by the Pensions Regulator under the Pensions Act 2004, involving a multibillion-pound buy-out deficit. This has also involved advising the trustee on the interaction of its claim to a financial support direction as a result of the successful UK regulatory proceedings with the insolvency proceedings in various jurisdictions, including in the UK, the US and Canada;
  • Re the Derfshaw Limited Retirement Benefits Scheme: acting for the Pensions Regulator in an oral hearing before the Determinations Panel and before the Upper Tribunal in relation to an application by the trustee for the winding-up of the scheme under S 11(1)(c) of the Pensions Act 1995.

Other pension issues on which Sebastian is frequently asked to act or advise include:

  • pensions restructuring and other corporate pension issues, including moral hazard concerns;
  • the construction of scheme documents and the exercise of trust powers, including the scheme amendment power;
  • rectification claims;
  • the application of pensions legislation;
  • equalisation;
  • estoppel;
  • RPI and CPI issues;
  • pensions fraud and liberation;
  • insolvency and the winding-up of pension schemes;
  • breaches of fiduciary duties and scheme investment rules;
  • Pensions Ombudsman complaints and appeals;
  • personal pension schemes; and
  • taxation of pension schemes.

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.

Download Pensions CV

  • Quote symbolSebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolHe combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolSebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolEasy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.

    The Legal 500 2024

  • Quote symbolA genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.

    Chambers & Partners 2023

Pensions insights & events View all thought leadership View all events

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    News

    Wilberforce shortlisted for The Legal 500 Bar Awards 2023

    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

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    Publications

    The Edward Nugee Memorial Lectures 2022

    Michael Furness KC | Jonathan Hilliard KC | David Pollard | Edward Sawyer | Thomas Robinson | Sebastian Allen | Jennifer Seaman | Michael Ashdown | Joseph Steadman | Caspar Bartscherer
    June 2022

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    Events / Webinars

    Wilberforce Nugee Pensions Lectures: Using old law to solve new problems – Lecture 3

    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

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    Events / Webinars

    WATCH: Hot Topic Webinar: Safeway v Newton and Safeway Pension Trustees

    Monday 27 July 2020 | 11am - 11.45am
    Online, Zoom webinar

    1.0 CPD

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Sebastian's expertise

Download Insolvency CV

Insolvency

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:

  • Star Poland Limited (in liquidation) v Mr Felice and others: acting for the former directors of a Gibraltarian trust company brought by its liquidators in relation to various alleged breaches of duty;
  • advising the FCA on the status of funds held in a client account on an insolvency;
  • In re MF Global: acting for a creditor in the MF Global administration, which was the first special administration;
  • BHS: acting for Sir Philip Green in relation to various aspects of the claims brought by the Pensions Regulator for a Financial Support Direction and a Contribution Notice in relation to the sale of BHS before it went into administration;
  • Silentnight: acting for the respondents to regulatory proceedings relating to the sale of the Silentnight business out of a pre-pack administration at what was alleged to be an undervalue;
  • Re Nortel Networks UK Pension Fund: acting for the trustee of the Nortel Networks UK Pension Plan in relation to the largest ever financial support direction case brought by the Pensions Regulator under the Pensions Act 2004, involving a multibillion-pound buyout deficit. This has also involved advising the trustee on the interaction of its claim to a financial support direction as a result of the successful UK regulatory proceedings with the insolvency proceedings in various jurisdictions, including in the UK, the USA and Canada. In the UK, this resulted in the joint application by the UK administrators of Nortel and Lehman Brothers as to the provability of liabilities under a financial support direction in Bloom v The Pensions Regulator [2010] EWHC 3010 (Ch);
  • advising in relation to questions of priority and entitlement upon the winding up of companies and pension schemes, both under statute and at common law where issues of security are involved;
  • advising as to the liability of directors upon winding up, both under statute (including fraudulent and wrongful trading) and common law;
  • advising in relation to validation orders under S 127 of the Insolvency Act 1986;
  • successfully obtaining and defending numerous winding up petitions in the Companies Court;
  • successfully obtaining and defending bankruptcy.

Download Insolvency CV

  • Quote symbolSebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolHe combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolSebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolEasy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.

    The Legal 500 2024

  • Quote symbolA genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.

    Chambers & Partners 2023

Insolvency insights & events View all thought leadership View all events

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    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 more

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Professional 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:

  • Symrise AG v Baker & McKenzie: acting for Baker & McKenzie in relation to allegations of professional negligence arising in the context of a multi-jurisdictional structuring of a billion-pound merger and acquisition;
  • Star Poland Limited (in liquidation) v Mr Felice and others: acting for the former directors of a Gibraltarian trust company brought by its liquidators in relation to various alleged breaches of duty;
  • Radley Yeldar v HGT: acting for the Claimants in relation to allegations of professional negligence brought against their independent financial adviser;
  • Disciplinary proceedings brought by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries: acting for the respondent actuary in disciplinary proceedings brought by the IFoA;
  • Langstone Leisure Ltd v Willers: acting for a company against its former managing director in a claim based on breaches of fiduciary duty and negligence in relation to the costs incurred by the company in funding litigation brought by the liquidator of a debtor company;
  • British Airways plc v Airways Pension Scheme Trustee (CA): acting for British Airways in relation to proceedings that involved various allegations of breaches of fiduciary duty against trustees, including allegations that the trustees were predetermined in their decision-making, acted for an improper purpose and took into account irrelevant considerations and failed to take into account relevant considerations;
  • Madoff Securities International Ltd v Raven: acting on several pieces of litigation arising out of the massive international fraud perpetrated by Bernard Madoff through the largest ever Ponzi scheme in which investors lost almost $65bn. This has included acting on behalf of investment fund managers in a claim brought against them by individual investors for having invested and lost the entirety of the sums in fund in Madoff’s Ponzi scheme and on behalf of the private individual, Mrs Sonja Kohn, in defending claims worth US$19bn that were brought by the trustee in the US liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC;
  • Prohibition proceedings against Mr Johnson, Ms Turner and Mr Stowers: acting for the targets of prohibition proceedings brought by the Pensions Regulator in which a successful settlement was reached;
  • Charterhouse v Michael Sherry: acting for the Defendant in relation to allegations of professional negligence against a tax barrister;
  • Federated Flexiplan No.1 Pension Scheme v Capita: acting for the Claimant in relation to allegations of professional negligence against an administrator of a pension scheme;
  • Generics (UK) Ltd v Yeda Research and Development Co Ltd: acting for the Claimant in proceedings to restrain former internal legal advisers with access to confidential information from acting for the other party to litigation;
  • Maxfield -v- (i) HLB Kidsons and (ii) Baker Tilly: acting for an individual pursuing a multimillion-pound negligence claim against accountants/tax advisers in relation to deficient tax advice and a failure to disclose “secret commission”.

 

Download Professional liability CV

  • Quote symbolSebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolHe combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolSebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolEasy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.

    The Legal 500 2024

  • Quote symbolA genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.

    Chambers & Partners 2023

Professional liability insights & events View all thought leadership View all events

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    Events / Webinars

    Wilberforce Professional Liability Conference 2020

    Thursday 13 February 2020
    One Moorgate Place, Chartered Accountants' Hall, London EC2R 6EA

    £75 + VAT | 3.0 CPD

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    Events / Webinars

    Professional Liability Conference: Unravelling the Causation Knot

    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

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Trusts, 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:

  • acting for trustees against Leading Counsel in proceedings brought under the Variation of Trusts Act 1958 for the variation of a high-profile family settlement;
  • acting for a high-profile individual in relation to multi-jurisdictional estate planning;
  • Star Poland Limited (in liquidation) v Mr Felice and others: acting for the former directors of a Gibraltarian trust company brought by its liquidators in relation to various alleged breaches of duty;
  • Airways Pension Scheme Trustees v Fielder: acting for British Airways in Beddoe proceedings brought by the Trustee of the Airways Pension Scheme;
  • Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions – Re 35 Hour Week Support Fund: acting for the trustees of a charitable fund that had be established to support a campaign in the shipping and engineering sector for a 35 hour week where the campaign had ceased but the funds had not be fully exhausted and there were no winding-up provisions in the trust deed;
  • Radley Yeldar v HGT: acting for the Claimants in proceedings which concern the private pensions and tax positions of the Claimants;
  • Lord Lloyd-Webber and the Andrew Lloyd Webber Art Foundation v HMRC: representing HMRC on a case that concerned the tax positions of the claimants in the context of their entitlement to Gift Aid Relief which involved issues of the valuation of licences for works of art of substantial value;
  • advising on the tax consequences of a pension scheme making unauthorised payments;
  • acting in respect of a high-profile estate and advising in relation to a claim for rectification of a will under s.20 of the Administration of Justice Act 1982;
  • advising on international aspects of estates, including where property bequeathed under a will is located outside the jurisdiction and where there are competing wills in different jurisdictions;
  • acting and advising in respect of cases under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975;
  • advising in respect of the beneficial ownership of shares in a company listed on the London Stock Exchange belonging to a Belgium national who died intestate where all the relevant documents were in French;
  • placement with a firm of solicitors in order to assist with the complex administration of a particular high-value estate;
  • advising in relation to the construction of wills, the validity of wills, the potential claims against the administrators of an estate and the appropriate steps to take in the administration of estates;
  • advising a beneficiary under a will in relation to the ability to require the administrators of an estate to make a distribution under the terms of the will and in relation to any potential claims against the administrators for incurring unnecessary capital gains tax for the estate;
  • advising in relation to solicitors’ conflicts of interest in acting for more than one beneficiary under a will.

Download Trusts, probate and estates: contentious CV

  • Quote symbolSebastian is well and truly a rising star. Technically gifted and wonderfully easy to work with.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolHe combines phenomenal intellect with keen commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for getting the best result for the client.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolSebastian is a pleasure to work with, full of ideas and ready to take an innovative approach to pensions matters.

    Chambers & Partners 2024

  • Quote symbolEasy to work with. Incredibly bright and client focused.

    The Legal 500 2024

  • Quote symbolA genuinely gifted technical lawyer - scarily clever, and completely on top of his brief.

    Chambers & Partners 2023

Trusts, probate and estates: contentious insights & events View all thought leadership View all events

  1. Placeholder

    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 more
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    News

    Wilberforce shortlisted for The Legal 500 Bar Awards 2023

    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

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    Articles

    Fiduciaries and the power of investment: when is an ethical investment not an investment?

    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

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    Events / Webinars

    Annual Trust Litigation Day 2016

    Monday 1 February 2016 | 9am - 5pm Followed by drinks reception (and dinner)
    The Dorchester, Park LaneLondon

    from £299 + VAT | 5.5 CPD

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Sebastian's Details

BSB/VAT information

Registered name: Mr Sebastian Alexander Payard Allen
VAT number: 919946177

Privacy Notice pdf

Qualifications and Appointments

  • Law scholar at Christ Church College, Oxford, where he was awarded the Lovell’s Prize for his undergraduate degree and the Hugh Pilkington scholarship for his bachelor of civil law degree.
  • Awarded the main Lincoln’s Inn Scholarship, the Lord Mansfield scholarship, as well as the Hardwicke scholarship and the Buchanan Prize for obtaining a distinction in his bar school exams.

 

Memberships

  • Chancery Bar Association
  • Bar Pro Bono Panel
  • Commercial Bar Association

Publications

  • Safeway v Newton: a limited lifeline for defeasible benefits? (2018) Practical Law Company
  • White v Jones: what if the claimant was not the client? (2012) Trusts and Trustees
  • Transaction Avoidance in Insolvencies (2011) OUP Contributing Editor
  • ‘The construction of pension scheme documents’ (2009) Practical Law Company

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