Region Area

Barristers

Michael Ashdown

Michael Ashdown

Position

Michael has a broad chancery practice, encompassing all areas of commercial and traditional work. He appears regularly in the High Court and County Court, both as sole counsel and as a junior in a larger team. Michael’s particular interests are in all aspects of litigation and advice relating to trusts law. This encompasses both traditional private client work and pension schemes, together with professional negligence in those fields.

Career

Called 2013, Lincoln’s Inn; Lecturer in Law, Somerville College, Oxford.

Formerly: Fellow and Tutor in law, Somerville College, Oxford, 2010-13; CSET Career Development Fellow in land law and trusts, University of Oxford, 2007-10; Research Assistant, Law Commission, 2005-06.

Memberships

Chancery Bar Association; Association of Pension Lawyers; Society of Legal Scholars; ConTrA.

Publications of note: ‘Disorder & delayed discovery’ (2019) 169 (7840) New Law Journal 16; ‘A modern approach to fraud on a power’ (2018) 24 Trusts & Trustees 653 (with Tiffany Scott QC); ‘Professional Advice’ in PS Davies, S Douglas and J Goudkamp (eds), Defences in Equity (Hart Publishing 2018); ‘Publication Review: Current Issues in Succession Law’ (2017) Conveyancer and Property Lawyer 158; ‘Trustee Decision Making: The Rule in Re Hastings-Bass’ (OUP 2015); ‘Laches and limitation’ (2014) Trusts & Trustees 20 (9): 958-965 (with Clare Stanley QC); ‘In defence of the rule in Re Hastings-Bass’ (2010) 16 Trusts & Trustees 826.

Education

Christ’s College, Cambridge: BA (First Class) 2005; MA 2008. Merton College, Oxford: BCL (Distinction) 2007; DPhil 2013.

Mentions

London Bar

Pensions

Leading junior4
Michael Ashdown –Wilberforce Chambers
London Bar

Private wealth and probate

Leading junior4
Michael Ashdown – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Michael is very bright, thoughtful and meticulous in detail without losing sight of the overall picture. His attention to detail is excellent and can get into the papers quickly.’
The English Bar Offshore

Trusts and private wealth

Leading junior4
Michael Ashdown – Wilberforce Chambers ‘Michael is technically excellent and able to very quickly distill complex facts in order to present sound legal arguments.'