Civil Fraud Lawyers

Civil fraud: the claims we pursue and defend

Our specialist civil fraud lawyers have extensive experience litigating complex, heavyweight cases against the toughest opposition, including bringing and defending proceedings involving fraud, corruption and asset misappropriation. We also have experience acting for and against states and state bodies.

Civil fraud can take many forms. It can be crude, involving the simple theft of money and other property. However, it can also be highly sophisticated and include:

• dishonest statements made by one party to induce another to sign a contract or invest in a company, or that otherwise cause loss to another person;
• a conspiracy between multiple parties to defraud or injure another by unlawful means;
• acting dishonestly to assist a fraud, knowingly receiving stolen assets or breaching duties as a fiduciary;
• cyber fraud, where a party is duped into transferring assets through ‘push payment’, ‘vishing’ or ‘phishing’ scams, or where technology is exploited to steal assets.

Within our civil fraud team, we also have a dedicated crypto and digital assets unit, which specialises in fraud involving cryptocurrencies and other blockchain technologies, ‘non-fungible tokens (NFTs)’ and exchanges.

Asset recovery lawyers for complex fraud cases

Criminal proceedings are only part of the picture. Civil litigation provides some of the most powerful tools available for tracing, securing and recovering assets, often at speed and across multiple jurisdictions. These remedies can be deployed not only against the primary wrongdoer but also third parties who may be holding or controlling the proceeds of fraud.

In cases of civil fraud, it is essential to act immediately to trace, freeze and recover assets before they are gone. Time is often of the essence. Our civil fraud and asset recovery solicitors are specialists in rapid asset-tracing and recovery strategies, including:

• injunctions to obtain worldwide freezing orders that lock down bank accounts, digital asset wallets and other property to preserve assets while a claim is pursued;
• Norwich Pharmacal and Bankers’ Trust applications to reveal the flow and whereabouts of money;
• dawn raid search and seizure orders to preserve and inspect physical and computer evidence of fraudulent conduct.

Used effectively, these tools quickly and decisively shift the balance of power in our clients’ favour. We also have experience responding to these kinds of injunctions.

Specialist civil fraud investigations team

Alongside our civil fraud solicitors, we have a dedicated in-house team of fraud investigators and prosecutors, many of whom have had former careers with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Police and the criminal bar.

Working in close collaboration with our legal teams, they bring frontline enforcement experience directly into our casework. They are adept at breaking down complex frauds and corporate structures, building and strengthening evidence from the earliest stages and devising recovery strategies that deliver exceptional outcomes.

We believe it is this depth of in-house civil fraud experience and capability that gives us a unique advantage over our opponents and other lawyers operating in our space. We also work with the very best firms of forensic accountants, foreign lawyers and barristers to achieve the best results for our clients at the earliest possible opportunity.

Civil fraud and asset recovery FAQs