Tom Allen KC

Call 1994

Silk 2015

"Very sharp and on top of his game." "Knowledgeable, approachable, technically gifted and a great jury advocate." "Very impressive, client-friendly, smart and gets to the nub of the issue." "He combines commercial acumen and diligence with being utterly down to earth, which puts High Net Worth clients at their ease even when facing the gravest of allegations. He displays great tactical nous and common sense, and blends these skills with welcome affability, making him a sought-after leader when the chips are down.”
Chambers and Partners

‘Tom is a hugely intelligent and experienced lawyer. His advice on internal investigations is informed by a wealth of experience and is always commercial. He is one of the elite barristers any corporate or senior executive will want on their team.’ "Incredibly bright and a commanding presence in court"
Legal 500

Chambers and Partners: Band 1 for Financial Crime

Legal 500: Band 1 for Business and Regulatory Crime (including Global Investigations)

Legal 500: Corporate Crime Silk of the Year Winner 2024

Bribery and Corruption

Expertise

Fraud

Acted on behalf of the director of Tom Hartley Cars Ltd who, as part of the SFO investigation into the Raedex consortium, faced prosecution for failure to comply with the terms of a notice issued under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987. The SFO ultimately offered no evidence against Tom’s client.
Successfully defended trader alleged to have defrauded Otkritie Bank of $150m.
Successfully defended the CEO of an international mining company in SFO proceedings relating to s.2 powers.
Instructed in LIBOR and EURIBOR proceedings.
Advising directors in connection with fraud allegations by SFO relating to Serco, Barclays and G4S.
Acted in Deripaska v Chernukhin criminal litigation.

Tax

Advising Premier League football club in connection with an ongoing HMRC investigation into payment of VAT.
Instructed to defend in film financing fraud.

Regulatory Matters

Recently instructed in Guernsey FSC hearings into a series of collapsed cross-border investment funds.
Acted in multiple FRC cases, including acting against PwC (auditors for JP Morgan) for failure to notice the non-segregation of up to $23bn of client funds over a period of seven years.

Disciplinary and Sports

Instructed in proceedings brought by British Rowing (Olympic selection) and British Fencing (allegations of racism).
Acted in disciplinary proceedings relating to barristers, accountants, solicitors, architects, and surveyors.

Recent instructions include multiple SFO investigations into cross-jurisdictional bribery and corruption offences.

Currently instructed in ongoing litigation in respect of the SFO’s prosecution of Glencore former employees.
Appeared in SFO v Cook, one of The Lawyer’s top cases of 2023, where his client was found not guilty of corruption charges after a long-running and complex trial that involved questions of national security. Further detail is available here . Also shortlisted in ‘Most Important Court Cases of the Year’ at the GIR Awards 2024 in Washington, DC. More information is available here.
Represented David Lufkin, global head of sales at Petrofac, in connection with bribery allegations relating to the obtaining of contracts worth $8bn and the payment of bribes of over $80m across three jurisdictions.
Defended English QC in Trinidad, charged with entering a corrupt agreement with a former Attorney General.
Advising a listed company in respect of corporate criminal liability for bribery across multiple jurisdictions.
Successfully defended the CEO of Guralp Systems Ltd in respect of bribery allegations relating to business in South Korea.
Advising directors about allegations of corruption in connection with numerous SFO investigations, including Rolls Royce PLC.