"Memery Crystal is always responsive, engaging and commercial."
Chambers & Partners, 2025Richard Evans Partner, Head of Real Estate Litigation
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Contact Richard Evans
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Expertise
Richard Evans is the Head of the Real Estate Litigation team at Memery Crystal. Richard advises leading UK property companies and retailers such as the Freshwater Group, St. Modwen Properties and the Steinhoff Group as well as tenants, developers and investors of all kinds. His practice focuses on complex property disputes resulting out of the acquisition, development and management of commercial real estate. His experience includes acting for clients in disputes involving breach of covenant, rights of light, easements, construction, judicial review, 1954 Act lease renewals, rent reviews, noise nuisance, applications for consent to assign, trespass and real estate disputes with an insolvency aspect.
Richard has appeared in the leading Court of Appeal case on Section 62 of the Law of Property Act 1925 (Wood vs. Waddington) and has a broad range of High Court and Court of Appeal experience dealing with contractual and development disputes including claims for specific performance and injunctive relief. A significant part of Richard’s current practice involves advising both tenants and landlords in contested high value dilapidations disputes.
Richard has been recommended for his real estate litigation work in the 2019 edition of The Legal 500 UK, where he is described as being ‘fantastic with clients’, ‘fiercely intelligent’ and ‘strong and robust in presenting’. He and his growing team are praised for their ‘depth of knowledge in property litigation’ and for providing ‘good advice in a respectable, timely manner’.
Richard is a member of Property Litigation Association (PLA), RICS Dilapidations Forum, Westminster Property Association (WPA), and Leisure Property Forum (LPF).
Outside of the office, Richard is a keen runner and triathlete. He is a Harlequins season ticket holder and enjoys watching and playing most sports.
In detail
Recent experience
Advising long-standing client Freshwater Group of Companies on a wide range of property disputes across their substantial commercial and residential portfolio.
Advising St. Modwen Properties on a range of day-to-day estate management matters.
Advising retailers Steinhoff on a range of disputes across its large UK property portfolio.
Wood v Waddington [2015] EWCA Civ 538 – obtained a successful judgment in the Court of Appeal acting for Mr & Mrs Wood, the appellants in a case involving a number of rights of way issues over a neighbour’s land.
Ikbal v Sterling Law [2013] EWHC 3291 (Ch) – acted for Mr Ikbal in a claim against a firm of solicitors acting on his behalf on the purchase of a property as to whether they were liable for a breach of trust and/or breaches of duty of care, after it failed to recognise that a property purchase was a fraudulent transaction, the result of which being that Mr Ikbal did not obtain legal title.
Career history
- 2012 – Present: Partner, Memery Crystal
- 2010 – 2012: Senior Associate, Memery Crystal
What our clients think about us
“Richard Evans is clever and commercially astute, backed up with cutting-edge industry awareness. An absolute pleasure to work with.” – Legal 500, 2022
“Richard Evans is great with clients and very responsive.” – Legal 500, 2022
“Richard Evans – diligent, savvy and a pleasure to work with.” – Legal 500, 2021
“Richard Evans is great with clients.” – Legal 500, 2021
“Richard Evans – leads an excellent team. Brilliant strategist.” – Legal 500, 2021