Asset Tracing & Recovery Lawyers in London
Financial Fraud Investigation
International Asset Tracing
Divorce and Matrimonial Asset Recovery
Corporate Fraud Recovery
Bankruptcy and Insolvency
Cybercrime and Digital Asset Recovery
Trust and Estate Asset Recovery
Asset Recovery from Fraudulent Investment Schemes
Intellectual Property and Counterfeit Goods
Money Laundering Investigations
Asset Tracing & Recovery Lawyers in London
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Have you lost assets due to fraud?
Have you lost assets due to fraud?
Sky Solicitors is a renowned fraud specialist law firm with a strong commercially-minded team of asset recovery lawyers who specialise in complex, high-profile fraud cases. We utilise various legal tactics, including asset tracing, freezing orders, disclosure orders and search and seize orders, to secure assets that have been misappropriated.
With extensive experience in UK and cross-border asset recovery, as well as non-performing loan recovery, our specialised white-collar crime solicitors based in Northampton, London and Birmingham can work across multiple jurisdictions. We have the skills and knowledge to not only investigate your case and obtain relevant evidence but also to represent you on trial and ensure that any judgement in your favour is enforced by the relevant authorities.
Whether you would like to raise an asset recovery claim against someone, or a claim has been made against you, you can rely on Sky Solicitors to offer an efficient and discrete service to resolve the matter as quickly and smoothly as possible.
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How We Can Help
How We Can Help
At Sky Solicitors, we have been helping victims of civil and commercial fraud since 1986. We have vast expertise in tracing and recovering assets for clients across all industries. With more than five decades of experience, we know what it takes to devise and implement a successful asset recovery strategy including
- In-depth case analysis and strategy assessment
- Asset tracing (nationally and internationally)
- Non-performing loans service
- Freezing orders/injunctions
- Third-party disclosure orders
- Obtaining evidence (search and seize orders)
- Travel ban and passport orders
- Conducting investigations and making discreet enquiries
- Search orders
- Disclosure orders
- Orders for questioning
- Third-party disclosure orders
- Travel restraint orders
- Instructing tracing agents
Asset Tracing
To be able to recover any misappropriated assets you have to be able to find them first. Our asset recovery experts use various techniques to “ follow the money” and track the movement of your assets across different accounts and jurisdictions. We have experience with tracking cross-border assets, as well.
Evidence Gathering
We have a number of legal tools in our arsenal that allow us to gather valuable evidence to help you recover your assets in court. For example, we can obtain evidence from third parties, such as banks and mobile phone operators, using disclosure orders, and we can also secure search and seize orders to get evidence that may be located in the fraudster’s private or business property.
Freezing Orders
Once we have traced your assets, we can secure a freezing injunction against the defendant so that the assets cannot be dissipated or disposed of. Our asset recovery lawyers can also take action against the other party if they fail to comply with the freezing order.
Recovering Asset
Once we have gathered all the evidence and we have made a claim, the court could either issue a summary judgement against the defendant directly or take your case to trial where our team will represent you. Once the court has ruled in your favour, our asset recovery solicitors will ensure the enforcement of this judgement so you receive what you are owed.
In some cases, the defendant may be willing to offer a settlement agreement in which case we will advise you whether accepting the proposition is in your best interest and negotiate better terms if needed.
Non-Performing Loans Recovery
Due to our commercial fraud experience, at Sky Solicitors, we can also assist you in recovering non-performing business loans. We provide a loan, mortgage and cash flow analysis, as well as asset valuation, to build the most efficient legal strategy.
Asset Recovery Defence
If you are facing an asset recovery allegation and believe that your rights have been breached by unfounded freezing and seizure orders, we can offer confidential legal advice for a quick resolution. By taking swift action, we can minimise the damage to your reputation and the negative impact of the proceedings on your daily life.
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Our Approach
What is civil fraud?
Civil fraud (also known as commercial fraud) applies to situations where the defendant has made a fraudulent misinterpretation to the claimant, or in other words when someone has consciously misled you to acquire assets that belong to you. At Sky Solicitors, we have a specialised team of civil fraud solicitors who can offer advice on all types of fraud.
What’s the difference between civil fraud and criminal fraud?
In a criminal fraud case, the defendant is being persecuted by the authorities for committing a criminal offence. A civil fraud claim can be made parallel to the criminal case by an individual who is looking to get compensation or recover misappropriated assets.
How can I freeze someone’s assets?
To freeze someone’s assets, you need to be granted a freezing order. A freezing order can be granted only if:
- You have a cause of action
- The order is just and convenient
- You have a valid case supported by evidence
- There is a risk that the defendant will dissipate the assets
If you intend to bring a freezing order against someone, you are required by law to give a ‘full and frank disclosure’. If at a later stage, it’s proven that you withheld information or provided misleading information, you will be liable for damages incurred by the defendant as a result of the freezing injunction issued against them.
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Why choose Sky Solicitors?
Our Approach
Our solicitors have a variety of approaches when it comes to delivering results on their asset-tracing services and strategies.
Gathering Information
Our team has extensive experience conducting inquiries to learn as much as they can about a defendant and their assets. We know how crucial it can be to avoid giving the defendant any information due to the possibility of additional concealment. Therefore, we take care to carry out all investigations thoroughly to reduce the chance of the defendant developing doubts.
Within such investigations, information is gathered from reputable sources such as the Land Registry and Companies House.
Lifting The Corporate Veil
The legal division between a business and its members is known as the “corporate veil.” Limited firms are typically regarded as distinct legal entities from the people who own and operate them. They can possess property and are responsible for their own debts. However, the corporate veil may be lifted to reveal the facts, enabling the claimant to pursue their claim against the accountable parties if someone employs a company structure to hide assets in legal proceedings.
Search and Seize Orders
In civil lawsuits, claimants may be able to get injunctive relief by a variety of means, including search and seizure orders.
These orders enable a claimant and their solicitor to go into the defendant’s residence or place of work to look for, copy and retrieve information and materials, such as private data or intellectual property that the defendant may have obtained through fraud or theft.
These orders are challenging to get and require specialised legal advice as they can have devastating consequences for the defendant.
Disclosure Orders
Another type of injunctive relief is a disclosure order. This order enables a claimant to learn the worth and whereabouts of assets as well as other facts that can help their case.
Orders For Questioning
When a county court judgement has been rendered in favour of the claimant concerning an unpaid debt, the claimant may request an order for questioning (also known as an order to obtain information) to compel the defendant to appear in court and respond to specific questions about their assets and financial resources.
Such orders may be necessary if the defendant refuses to pay the balance of the judgement and refuses to help the claimant with their efforts to determine their capacity to pay. When considering whether to pursue additional enforcement action and what kind of action to take, the claimant might use the outcome of the proceedings as guidance.
An order for interrogation can be used to convince a defendant to comply because disobeying one could be viewed as contempt of court and even lead to committal procedures.
Third-Party Disclosure
Third parties might be helpful sources of information if a debtor is withholding information about the whereabouts or value of their assets. Information might be available from financial institutions, real estate brokers, qualified experts, and other parties. In addition, the claimant might be able to get a disclosure order against a third party to force them to divulge information.
Travel Restraint Orders
A court could be willing to issue a travel constraint order in some circumstances to stop a defendant from evading justice or hiding assets by fleeing the country.
Instructing Tracing Agents
Tracing agents are experts that can be hired to find somebody and give a report on their whereabouts and possessions. Locating debtors and assets abroad can also be requested by international tracing agents.
In many circumstances, tracing agents can also be asked to serve court papers, such as a summons to appear in court for interrogation over assets. This enables claimants to locate defendants and personally serve them with legal documents.
Tracing agents can conduct a variety of investigations, such as credit checks, to learn important details about the kind of accounts the defendant has and their outstanding debts.
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FAQ
Our Approach
Our solicitors have a variety of approaches when it comes to delivering results on their asset-tracing services and strategies.
Gathering Information
Our team has extensive experience conducting inquiries to learn as much as they can about a defendant and their assets. We know how crucial it can be to avoid giving the defendant any information due to the possibility of additional concealment. Therefore, we take care to carry out all investigations thoroughly to reduce the chance of the defendant developing doubts.
Within such investigations, information is gathered from reputable sources such as the Land Registry and Companies House.
Lifting The Corporate Veil
The legal division between a business and its members is known as the “corporate veil.” Limited firms are typically regarded as distinct legal entities from the people who own and operate them. They can possess property and are responsible for their own debts. However, the corporate veil may be lifted to reveal the facts, enabling the claimant to pursue their claim against the accountable parties if someone employs a company structure to hide assets in legal proceedings.
Search and Seize Orders
In civil lawsuits, claimants may be able to get injunctive relief by a variety of means, including search and seizure orders.
These orders enable a claimant and their solicitor to go into the defendant’s residence or place of work to look for, copy and retrieve information and materials, such as private data or intellectual property that the defendant may have obtained through fraud or theft.
These orders are challenging to get and require specialised legal advice as they can have devastating consequences for the defendant.
Disclosure Orders
Another type of injunctive relief is a disclosure order. This order enables a claimant to learn the worth and whereabouts of assets as well as other facts that can help their case.
Orders For Questioning
When a county court judgement has been rendered in favour of the claimant concerning an unpaid debt, the claimant may request an order for questioning (also known as an order to obtain information) to compel the defendant to appear in court and respond to specific questions about their assets and financial resources.
Such orders may be necessary if the defendant refuses to pay the balance of the judgement and refuses to help the claimant with their efforts to determine their capacity to pay. When considering whether to pursue additional enforcement action and what kind of action to take, the claimant might use the outcome of the proceedings as guidance.
An order for interrogation can be used to convince a defendant to comply because disobeying one could be viewed as contempt of court and even lead to committal procedures.
Third-Party Disclosure
Third parties might be helpful sources of information if a debtor is withholding information about the whereabouts or value of their assets. Information might be available from financial institutions, real estate brokers, qualified experts, and other parties. In addition, the claimant might be able to get a disclosure order against a third party to force them to divulge information.
Travel Restraint Orders
A court could be willing to issue a travel constraint order in some circumstances to stop a defendant from evading justice or hiding assets by fleeing the country.
Instructing Tracing Agents
Tracing agents are experts that can be hired to find somebody and give a report on their whereabouts and possessions. Locating debtors and assets abroad can also be requested by international tracing agents.
In many circumstances, tracing agents can also be asked to serve court papers, such as a summons to appear in court for interrogation over assets. This enables claimants to locate defendants and personally serve them with legal documents.
Tracing agents can conduct a variety of investigations, such as credit checks, to learn important details about the kind of accounts the defendant has and their outstanding debts.
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