Civil Fraud and Investigations
Allegations of fraud are a serious matter. They can have financial and reputational consequences, and possibly criminal implications.
Get effective results with our civil fraud lawyers
We act for both claimants and defendants, and have particular experience in complex and high value fraud litigation affecting various types of business and personal situations.
Fraud claims are often complicated, and typically require urgent analysis and advice. There is a particular need (from a claimant’s perspective) to preserve assets and effect recovery, and (from a defendant’s perspective) to mitigate the damaging implications fraud allegations may have.
Civil fraud and investigation claims can involve multiple jurisdictions. We act quickly where parties are located outside the domestic jurisdiction of England & Wales and we have a worldwide network of law firms across the globe to assist with asset recovery in different countries.
Our expertise includes:
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Review
- Preparing for complex contractual disputes, involving allegations of fraud (and related claims)
- Understanding financial and regulatory compliance
- Internal investigations into fraud and case assessment
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Action
- Injunctive relief, including freezing orders (domestic and worldwide)
- Search orders, orders for delivery up and other investigatory work
- Accounts and tracing claims
- Cross-border issues including recovery of assets in foreign jurisdictions
- Serious Fraud Office investigations and police liaison
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Resolution
- Settlement negotiations, and ADR (alternative dispute resolution)
- Reputation management
- Insolvency
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Recovery
- Enforcement actions (including liaising with local counsel in different jurisdictions)
- Bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings
- Asset recovery (including as against large assets such as aircraft, yachts and property)
- Acting for an individual in relation to a EUR50 million fraud case relating to PPE contracts. The case had links to Spain, Morocco and the Middle East and included the granting of a world-wide freezing injunction in the High Court.
- Acting for a major Russian bank in a successful High Court action against several ex-employees accused of fraud. The case was worth over £200 million, the trial lasted for almost six months and involved related proceedings in numerous jurisdictions with over twenty witnesses.
- Preparing a large claimant group to bring a fraud claim in respect of a UK based hotel fraud. This included the management of the claimant group and the granting of a UK based freezing injunction along with the enforcement against significant UK assets.
- Acting for a global provider of marketing solutions in relation to an internal accounting fraud. This included concurrent search and seize orders at various locations and worldwide freezing orders with enforcement of assets in various jurisdictions.
- Acting for an individual defendant in an alleged complex petroleum fraud. The case was alleged to be worth over USD300 million.
- Acting for an individual defendant in respect of fraud allegations made against her to the amount of £60 million. The case involved a world-wide freezing order and has links to Romania, the West Indies, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
- Acting for an individual professional accountant defendant firstly as adviser during the enforcement of a search and seize order particularly in relation to client confidentiality and then in defending a claim involving allegations of conspiracy to defraud with a successful outcome for the defendant.
Should you require assistance, please let us know. We will be happy to assist:
