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Ben Trust
Partner

Ben Trust

Co-Head of Litigation and Arbitration

Languages
  • English
Social media

Ben Trust is Head of the firm's Disputes practice. With a strong international perspective, Ben resolves complex disputes for primarily corporate clients and financial institutions. He acts in both an advisory and representative capacity for clients from a diverse range of sectors including, financial services, construction, sports, gaming, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, real estate and energy.

Clients benefit from Ben’s considerable experience as a commercial litigator both in the English courts at all levels, as well as internationally, including offshore jurisdictions. Ben’s practice is far reaching and includes the full range of commercial activity, with a formidable track record in disputes arising out of joint ventures, shareholder activism, claims against directors, fraud and investment/M&A transactions. 

Ben also advises on sports and esports claims, including advising on strategy, governance and wider transformational change. Ben acts in a wide range of disputes for both individuals and corporate clients, relating to football, rugby, motorsport, tennis and golf. 

Awards & Recognitions
01
  • Quote
    "He's extremely well-rounded, exceptionally intelligent and can change gears without missing a step."
    Chambers UK, 2025
  • Quote
    "Ben is always available for his clients and always exercises extremely good judgement."
    Chambers UK, 2025
  • Quote
    "He has a very impressive grasp of where the litigation fits in the hierarchy of the client's more global ambitions which is particularly valuable."
    Chambers UK, 2025
  • Quote
    "Ben Trust is one of the best in the business and that feeds the quality of the rest of the team."
    Legal 500, 2025
  • Quote
    "Ben Trust is one of the most talented litigators in London. A tireless worker with a brilliant eye for detail he runs a great team."
    Legal 500, 2025
  • Quote
    "Honesty and transparency at all times. Ben Trust consistently demonstrates the leadership and clarity to navigate his way through process and narrative to an exceptional level."
    Legal 500, 2025
  • Quote
    "Demonstrated immediate and thorough mastery and understanding of complex issues"
    Client Testimonial
  • Quote
    "Calm, sharp, thoughtful and responsive"
    Client Testimonial
  • Quote
    "He gave first-class advice on our case and was highly valued by us"
    Client Testimonial
  • Quote
    "Hugely reassuring to clients"
    Client Testimonial
  • Quote
    “Dynamic, charismatic and brilliant”
    Legal 500, 2024
  • Quote
    "He has a great tactical mind and is commendably practical at the same time”.
    Chambers, 2024
  • Quote
    "He has excellent judgement, is very hard-working and seems to be able to fit 25 hours of work into a 24-hour day."
    Chambers, 2024
  • Quote
    "To say that Ben is held in high regard by clients is an understatement. He is representing some seriously significant clients. He has a great tactical mind, which he brings to bear significantly on cases."
    Market Commentator
  • Quote
    Ben Trust “has extensive experience handling complex, cross-border disputes for significant corporate clients”.
    Chambers, 2024
  • Quote
    "Ben is an all-round excellent partner, both as a lawyer and as co-counsel."
    Market Commentator
  • Quote
    "Ben’s level of sophistication is very strong. His commercial vision is strong. He gave first-class advice on our case and was highly valued by me and my colleagues. He was always accessible and was clear and comprehensible in his explanations."
    Client Testimonial
  • Quote
    Ben Trust is an “excellent and imaginative lawyer” with a “breadth of experience in corporate governance and transactional disputes”.
    Legal 500
  • Quote
    "Very experienced and very practical”
    Chambers

Relevant experience

Recent highlights include:

  • A Distribution and Agency dispute involving a world leading automotive brand. 
  • A joint venture dispute regarding a significant heritage vehicle manufacturer.
  • Former Non-executive directors of Petropavlovsk Plc, a UK registered corporate, involved in English High Court proceedings concerning allegations in relation to director’s duties and shareholder activism.  
  • Two Chinese financial institutions in relation to a complex and long running fraud dispute regarding a well-known multiplayer online role playing platform. 
  • A Bank regarding allegations of breaches of funding and confidentiality agreements with a high profile European toy manufacturer. 
  • Liquidators of a UK entity – advising when pursuing seven defendants, each of whom was involved in the operation and management of the insolvent company and whose actions had caused significant loss to the company and its ultimate owners. The matter was multi-jurisdictional with defendants based in the UK, Czech Republic and Mauritius and assets transferred through those and other countries, including Slovakia and Luxembourg. Criminal investigations and charges were also advanced in Luxembourg.
  • Leading pharmaceutical company – representing them in the largest claim in English legal history under a cross undertaking in damages following the granting of an injunction. Advising the client in relation to proceedings spanning almost three years before the Patents court.
  • Directors of an offshore trust – defending them from allegations they acted in breach of their duty and without authority in relation to certain transactions. The transactions involved the purchase and sale of high profile assets in the UK and abroad. This included an ancillary action representing the corporate service provider in claims before the Chancery Division of the High Court. The claims included rectification/construction of certain contractual provisions in relation to the operation of a contractual profits waterfall following the sale of the Somerfield supermarket group
  • F1 organisation – advising them in a dispute with a significant investor and the associated identification, attribution and separation of collective business interests and assets.
  • Reported cases include: Murray Holdings Limited v Kaupthing Hf & Ors; S v A; Picnic at Ascot; Pets at Home; Tamsin Barks v Instant Access Properties & Ors; Goodman v Tangerine Investments (part of Axiom); Thirdway Group.

A full CV of relevant experience, sector expertise and practise history is available on request.

Publications

  • Ben is also widely published and a frequent contributor to technical and industry publications.

Lectures list

  • Ben is a regular speaker on a variety of disputes issues, in addition to payments law, electronic disclosure and the wider issue of technology-led litigation solutions.

Education

  • 1999 – LL.B, University of Wales, Cardiff
  • 2000 – Legal Practice Course (PG. Dip), (Distinction), University of Wales, Cardiff
  • 2005 – LL.M, (1st in year) Nottingham Law School