Richard G. Evans

Richard Evans is a Partner in the British Virgin Islands Litigation & Restructuring practice and one of the longest established advocates in the jurisdiction.

He is a leading commercial litigator and advocate in the BVI, having acted in over 30 reported commercial disputes within the jurisdiction. He is experienced in obtaining and securing the enforcement of, or alternatively facilitating the discharge of, all forms of urgent interim relief, and regularly works closely with international legal teams on emergency and cross-border relief. Richard is an expert in shareholder disputes and connected litigation, with a particular emphasis on disputes originating in Asia and Eastern Europe. He has appeared as counsel in the Privy Council in two of the recent leading decisions in the area, namely Ming Siu Hung v JF Ming Inc [2021] UKPC 1 and Kwok v Yao [2022] UKPC 52.

In addition, he is frequently instructed to enforce high value awards from the world’s leading arbitration jurisdictions, and is experienced in all aspects of strategy and coordination of action to achieve maximum recovery. His practice extends to disputes in the technology sphere and he is one of the few BVI litigators to have acted in several crypto disputes in the jurisdiction.

Richard has appeared in a number of leading BVI cases concerning the interpretation and operation of the Insolvency Act 2003. He led the Conyers team (alongside US and Israeli co-counsel) in a major “soft touch” liquidation restructuring in the BVI, and currently leads the BVI team acting for a major party in the Three Arrows crypto collapse. He is equally at home in court, frequently acting as counsel before the Privy Council (having appeared several times in the Privy Council in recent years), the Court of Appeal and the Commercial Court, as he is in giving timely strategic advice.

Richard has been ranked in the leading legal directories for 16 years, and top ranked for more than 10. Some of his recent directory quotes and client testimonials include:

“Richard is one of the foremost BVI litigators. He is really pleasant to work with but also really tough.” [Chambers Global 2024]

“Richard has excellent judgement and insight. He makes the often challenging process of litigation straightforward, providing strategic simplicity to complex cases.” [Chambers Global 2024]

“Richard is an excellent lawyer. He is loyal, personable, tenacious and great to have on your side. No task is too big or small. He is effective, commercial and technically strong; a pleasure to work with.” [Chambers Global 2024]

“Richard Evans: you will not find a more knowledgeable and seasoned BVI litigator. He has seen it all, been there and done it. Yet he is utterly charming and unflappable – and a real pleasure to work with.” [Legal 500 2024]

“Richard Evans has vast experience of big ticket commercial litigation in the BVI and Asia more widely. He knows the system, the court, the procedure and the law as well as anyone. He is exceptionally pleasant to deal with and absolutely committed to the best interests of his clients.” [Legal 500 2023]

“Richard Evans is excellent: knowledgeable, personable, responsive and tenacious, equally effective in shaping strategy and addressing minutiae. He is great to work with and an asset to any team.” [Legal 500 2023]

“Richard Evans receives high praise for his capabilities as an advocate. His recent work includes unfair prejudice claims and high-value BVI liquidation proceedings alongside ground-breaking cryptocurrency matters. ‘He is fantastic to work with. He is upbeat, has a can-do attitude, and is unflappable, always positive and absolutely determined.'” [Chambers Global 2022]

“The pre-eminent Richard Evans has exceptional experience in shareholder disputes and contentious insolvency matters. Among his recent work, he represented the claimant in a significant cryptocurrency dispute. He maintains a strong reputation among his peers, who recognise him as a ‘leading lawyer’.” [Chambers Global 2020]

Richard is the author of numerous contributions to INSOL International texts and served on the technical committee for INSOL San Diego (2024). He is the author of the BVI Chapter of Cross-Border Judicial Cooperation in Offshore Litigation (The British Offshore World) (First and Second Editions – Wildy, Simmonds and Hill Publishing) and of the BVI Chapter of the Practical Law Restructuring and the Insolvency Cross-Border Handbook. In addition, he has authored numerous articles and given seminars and webinars related to his areas of specialist practice.