Call 2015
"Truly outstanding barrister - way beyond his years. Incredibly fast and efficient at getting through work."
Legal 500
George Hack
Team Leader
+44 (0)207 842 3762
Click here to email
Jamie Thomas
Team Leader Assistant
+44 (0)20 3873 6851
Click here to email
Max Evans is a commercial barrister who regularly acts in heavy, complex and high-value litigation. Max is ranked in his core practice areas of Commercial Dispute Resolution, International Arbitration, Insurance, Civil Fraud, and Banking and Finance. Max also has a growing professional negligence practice.
The legal directories describe him as follows:
Max authors the Conflict of Laws chapter in MacGillivray on Insurance Law, the authoritative text on non-marine commercial insurance.
Nigeria v P&ID
Acting in proceedings concerning an arbitration award worth over $10 billion, involving wide-ranging allegations of fraud and bribery, in the original trial, the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Business interruption insurance test case
Acting for the FCA in the High Court and Supreme Court test case considering coverage under business interruption insurance policies following the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to more than £1.5 billion being recovered by policyholders.
Fiesta Hotels v Deutsche Bank
Acting for the Claimants in a €500 million FX derivatives dispute involving alleged fraudulent misrepresentation.
Marme v Natwest
Acting for Natwest in its successful defence of a fraudulent misrepresentation claim worth c. €1 billion; the first civil claim concerning alleged manipulation of the EURIBOR benchmark.
Oil and gas arbitration
Acting for the respondent to a $1.6 billion arbitration claim based on an alleged fraud in the oil and gas sector.
Max has extensive experience across all aspects of banking and finance work, with claims ranging from derivatives and other complex financial instruments, mis-selling and misrepresentation claims, guarantee and surety disputes, to rate manipulation and fraud actions by and against banks. Max is ranked for Banking & Finance in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500.
Recent banking fraud claims include Fiesta v Deutsche Bank (c.€500 million FX derivative dispute, led by Laurence Rabinowitz KC and Tony Singla KC), Targetfollow v Bank of Scotland (£1 billion misrepresentation / rate manipulation claim, led by Andrew Mitchell KC) and Marme v Natwest (c. €1 billion swaps dispute, led by David Quest KC).
Many of Max’s cases concern disputed loans, repos, performance bonds and guarantees, including Regera v Cohen (guarantors resisting claims against them, led by Simon Atrill KC) and ICICI Bank v Assam Oil (successful summary judgment in favour of the bank, despite fraud allegations made against it, for >£40 million, led by Laura John KC).
Max is also comfortable working in large group actions, having acted for Citigroup in the proposed c.£2.5 billion group action over alleged FX rigging (Evans v Citigroup and others, led by Richard Handyside KC and Tony Singla KC).
Max regularly advises on mis-selling claims including relating to mortgages, swaps and PPI policies.
Max is ranked for Banking & Finance in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500.
Most of Max’s cases involve fraud, and he has experience of all aspects of fraud claims, from injunctions and other interim and urgent relief, to heavy and lengthy trials.
Recent cases include Nigeria v P&ID (concerning an arbitration award worth over $10 billion and encompassing wide-ranging allegations of fraud and bribery, described by Bloomberg as “one of the world’s biggest lawsuits”), the Mozambique ‘tuna bonds’ dispute, and a $1.6 billion oil and gas arbitration involving wide-ranging fraud and bribery allegations (led by Alexander Milner KC).
Max also has experience of heavy banking fraud claims, including Fiesta v Deutsche Bank (c.€500 million FX derivative dispute, led by Laurence Rabinowitz KC and Tony Singla KC), Targetfollow v Bank of Scotland (£1 billion misrepresentation / rate manipulation claim, led by Andrew Mitchell KC) and Marme v Natwest (c. €1 billion swaps dispute, led by David Quest KC).
Many of Max’s cases involve complex, cross-border issues, such as Bourlakova v Bourlakov (anti-suit injunction in the context of a complex and multi-billion dollar inheritance dispute). Max’s fraud experience also extends to SPA and M&A disputes, for example Kingfisher v Powis (a £25 million claim for fraud and breach of warranty under an SPA for the sale of an insurance intermediary).
Max is ranked for Civil Fraud in Chambers & Partners.
Max is ranked for Commercial Dispute Resolution in Chambers & Partners – UK and Chambers & Partners – Global.
Max’s commercial practice extends to some of the most widely reported disputes in recent years, including the FCA business interruption insurance test case, alleged rate manipulation, the Mozambique ‘tuna bonds’ dispute. Max has also been instructed in connection with the Pogust Goodhead/Mariana Dam litigation controversy, Tesco’s profit misstatement, and HP’s purchase of Autonomy Corporation.
Max acted for the Baltic Exchange in one of the first civil claims arising from events in the Strait of Hormuz (led by James McClelland KC), and in A Company v Secretariat, the leading Court of Appeal authority on whether independent experts owe fiduciary or contractual duties of loyalty to their instructing clients (led by Anneliese Day KC / Charles Hollander KC).
Max’s sector experience is addressed elsewhere and includes many, high-value and heavy cases including Nigeria v P&ID ($10 billion arbitration award), Targetfollow v Bank of Scotland (£1 billion banking dispute) and a $1.6 billion oil and gas arbitration.
Max regularly acts in claims arising from corporate transactions, SPA disputes and M&A deals, including Kingfisher v Powis (£25 million fraud and breach of warranty claims under an SPA), Styles & Wood Group (£100 million+ claim arising out of the acquisition of real estate businesses), and Gwynt y Mor OFTO v Gwynt y Mor Offshore Wind Farm (£15 million SPA concerning one of the UK’s largest offshore wind farms).
Max has acted in a range of insurance and reinsurance cases, is ranked for Insurance in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500, and authors the Conflict of Laws chapter in MacGillivray on Insurance Law.
Recent experience includes:
Max has wide-ranging arbitration experience, including LCIA, ICC, SCC and other rules, as well as ad hoc arbitrations. Max is ranked for International Arbitration in Legal 500.
Max also has experience of arbitration-related litigation in the Commercial Court, such as Nigeria v P&ID (arbitral award worth over $10 billion).
Much of Max’s arbitration work is confidential, but instructions include:
Max has extensive experience of acting in claims brought against all kinds of professionals, including solicitors, barristers, accountants, auditors, litigation experts, and construction professionals.
Recent instructions include:
Max also has substantial experience in the related area of professional discipline, including advising law firms on their regulatory obligations. Other instructions include:
University of Cambridge / Clare College:
Middle Temple:
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George Hack
Team Leader
+44 (0)207 842 3762
Click here to email
Jamie Thomas
Team Leader Assistant
+44 (0)20 3873 6851
Click here to email
University of Cambridge / Clare College:
Middle Temple:
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