Biography: Commercial Litigation

Charles Allen is a partner in Sidley Austin's Hong Kong office, where he leads the commercial litigation practice. He is admitted in Hong Kong and England, and has conducted high value, complex, commercial litigation and arbitration in Asia Pacific since 1995.

He represents and advises clients on a wide variety of commercial disputes. These include banking, insurance, funds, joint venture, shareholders and employment disputes. Wherever possible, however, Mr Allen seeks to guide clients towards settlement.

Mr Allen also works on non or quasi-contentious matters, such as FCPA regulatory and other investigations, labour law issues, and commercial transactions.

Recent cases include FG Hemisphere Associates LLC v Democratic Republic of the Congo [2011] 4 HKC 151, Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (the law of state immunity in Hong Kong), and Pacific China Holdings Limited v Grand Pacific Holdings Limited, unreported, 29 June 2011, Hong Kong Court of First Instance (setting aside an international arbitral award).

He has been recognised as a leading lawyer in Hong Kong by Chambers Asia Pacific and Practical Law Company's Cross-border Dispute Resolution Handbook (The Law and Leading Lawyers Worldwide) for his experience and capabilities in dispute resolution.

Mr Allen has been accredited as a mediator by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre. He is a member of the claims committee of the Hong Kong Law Society's professional indemnity scheme, is secretary to the ICC Hong Kong committee on arbitration, and was recently appointed a member of the Hong Kong Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal.

Mr Allen received his LLB with honours from University College London in 1990.