Matthew Evans

Spear’s Review

At Hugh James, Matthew Evans serves as a partner and head of private wealth. His speciality lies in contentious probate, particularly matters relating to contesting/defending wills, estates and trust disputes, Court of Protection disputes and claims founded in doctrines of equity.

A highly publicised case on which Evans acted is Iqbal v Ahmed [2011], where a woman who had been married for 22 years was left only £8,000 of her deceased husband’s estate. Her husband had permitted her to remain in their matrimonial home, providing she fixed any problems in regard to insurance and repairs. The wife, represented by Evans, was ultimately awarded £28,000 and given the unconditional right to remain in her home.

Adviser Profile

Matthew is a partner and heads up the firm’s Private Wealth group; one of the largest in the UK. Matthew has many years’ experience of practising in the area of contentious probate, and has acted in several landmark reported cases including Re: Edwards 2007 (fraudulent calumny in relation to wills), Iqbal v Ahmed 2011 (Inheritance Act) and Davies v Davies 2016 (proprietary estoppel). 

Matthew has also previously sat on the Law Commission’s advisory group on reforming the law on wills. Matthew regularly deals with a wide range of clients including lay beneficiaries, professional trustees and executors, company directors, charities, financial institutions and trust corporations.