Eversheds International

Fraud and Financial Crime

Emergency injunctions and asset recovery

The challenges

Successfully tracing and recovering misappropriated assets through the civil courts can often be a key objective at the outset of an investigation or when a fraud is first uncovered. There may be a limited window of opportunity to achieve this if the fraudsters are aware of the investigation and so the speed of response is often critical.

How we can help

Working in conjunction with the police, criminal enforcement agencies, financial institutions and private and corporate investigators, we have helped clients to trace and recover millions of pounds in misappropriated assets, often from overseas jurisdictions. Our international network of offices means we are well placed to advise on recovery options and enforcement no matter where in the world the misappropriated funds have ended up.

In order to maximise prospects of recovery we can make emergency injunctive applications to the court to preserve evidence, freeze bank accounts, obtain information from third parties, prevent suspects from leaving the country and search premises. Our advocacy unit is an integral part of our team, often avoiding the need to engage external counsel for emergency court applications.

Our dedicated team of fraud specialists cover both civil and criminal proceedings.

Our experience suggests that commencing litigation with aggressive injunctions often flushes out early settlement. However we can also work with you to refer the matter to the police and guide you through the process of driving forward a criminal prosecution.