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Overview
Sean Knight is a London-based Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution department with over 8 years’ experience, specialising in contentious trusts and estates. He advises clients across the UK and internationally on complex estate, inheritance and trust disputes, including will validity challenges, trustee and executor disputes, claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 and Court of Protection proceedings. Sean is known for his analytical, detail-focused and solutions-driven approach, guiding clients through sensitive and high-value disputes with clarity and efficiency.
Languages: English and conversational Cantonese.
Expertise
Sean specialises in:
- Contentious trusts and estates disputes
- Will validity challenges, including testamentary capacity and undue influence
- Executor and trustee disputes, including removal applications
- Claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
- Constructive and resulting trusts
- Court of Protection proceedings
- Charity disputes and governance issues
- Commercial disputes
Reported Cases
- Acted for the successful party in a trustee removal dispute: FMA v (1) BBA and (2) FTA [2026] EWHC 995 (Ch)
- Acted for the successful respondent in resisting an application for summary judgment and/or strike out of her claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975: Bridgwater v (1) SBTL (2) Mordue and (3) Rogers
- Acted for the successful claimant in a Will validity dispute: Badvie v Badvie [2025] 7 WLUK 1010 and the costs of the dispute: Badvie v Badvie [2025] 7 WLUK 1009
- Acted in a charity related dispute: Bisrat v Kebede [2020] EWHC 1493 (Ch) & Bisrat v Kebede [2021] EWHC 1657 (Ch)
Qualifications & Accreditations
Sean qualified as a solicitor in 2018 and joined Payne Hicks Beach in 2022. He is a member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS) and ConTrA.
Awards & Accolades
- Sean is recognised as a “Leading Associate” in the Legal 500 UK 2027, where he is described as “surely destined for great things” and has previously been described as “a rising young star”.
