Craig Evans

Craig Evans is a Partner in the Casualty & Healthcare team. He is based in our Manchester office and has over 10 years' experience in dealing with cross border and international claims.

He has a strong reputation as a result of handling high profile and client sensitive matters of significant value in this area, both alone and where necessary in partnership with our international network of specialists.

Craig is regularly retained by European and global insurers on complex cross-border claims including motor, public liability and employers' liability. He is a specialist in issues of jurisdiction and applicable law and advises in relation to policy, liability, quantum and contractual issues. He has advised extensively on the recent and ongoing challenges following Brexit and the changing legal framework.

Craig has expertise in a variety of claims including brain injuries, significant spinal injury and fatal accidents. In addition he advises on supplier contracts and recoveries in the international travel sphere.

He is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) EU Sector Focus Team and of the Pan European Organisation of Personal Injury Lawyers (PEOPIL).

Experience

• Recently successfully settled a severe brain injury claim and saving the client circa £10 million on reserve by successfully arguing complex issues of jurisdiction, overseas applicable law, limitation and causation. In addition he successfully negotiated a complex indemnity agreement between Tour Operator, Hotel Group and international insurer.

• He successfully argued the applicability of provisions of Spanish law and Rome II legislation in relation to a complex claim involving significant orthopaedic injuries and brain injury, as a result significant limitations were put on the claimant's claim resulting in saving of £8 million from reserve.

• He negotiated a supplier and case handling agreement between a major international Tour Operator and a global hotel group. This has resulted in significant savings on both sides, streamlined the claims process and saved costs in recovery actions.

• Successfully achieved a very significant discount for contributory negligence on an overseas spinal injury claim following a cycling accident. As a result of using our international network to assist in the obtaining of evidence we were able to present a very strong case that resulted in over 50% discount on the claim.

• He represented a large hotel following a significant outbreak at the hotel that resulted in over 400 claims being presented. By working alongside the Tour Operators and implementing a claim screening process a number of claims were repudiated and significant savings for the hotel's insurers were made on reserve.

• He has argued the discount rate position in the Netherlands in order to reduce by over £7 million a claim in a complex tetraplegic claim.

• Advised on the jurisdictional and applicable law position following Brexit and the impact that this will have on cross border claims.

• Successfully achieved discontinuance following an overseas accident in a hotel. We alleged fundamental dishonesty as a result of the extensive evidence we were able to gather in the UK and in Spain.

• He has acted for a large hotel group in relation to contractual recoveries claim and successfully managed to argue that the hotel group would not be liable for the contractual recovery.