Asset Recovery Lawyers Worldwide.

Asset recovery is a multi-step legal strategy used to reclaim property or money taken through fraud or theft. It typically follows a “Trace, Freeze, and Seize” model. First, lawyers and investigators trace the assets to find where they are hidden; next, they obtain emergency court orders to freeze those assets so they cannot be moved; finally, they litigate to prove ownership and legally seize the funds to return them to the victim. This process can be civil (you suing the fraudster) or criminal (the government seizing proceeds of crime).

Lawyers use a combination of forensic accounting and “disclosure orders” to break through offshore secrecy. They can obtain “Norwich Pharmacal” orders, which force innocent third parties—like banks or registered agents in places like the Cayman Islands or BVI—to reveal the identity of the account holder or the “Ultimate Beneficial Owner” (UBO) behind a shell company. This legally compels the bank to expose the money trail, even if the fraudster tried to hide behind a complex web of anonymous trusts.

A freezing order (often called a “Mareva Injunction” in Commonwealth countries) is a powerful emergency court order that immediately blocks a defendant from accessing, spending, or moving their assets. A lawyer can obtain one before the fraudster even knows they are being sued, but the bar is high: you must prove you have a “good arguable case” and a genuine risk that the defendant will “dissipate” (hide or spend) the money if they aren’t stopped instantly.

Yes, contrary to popular belief, crypto is not untraceable; it is actually highly visible on the public blockchain. Lawyers work with blockchain forensic experts to trace the stolen coins to a centralized exchange (like Coinbase or Binance). Once the funds hit an exchange (known as an “off-ramp”), a lawyer can serve a subpoena or court order on that exchange to freeze the specific wallet and reveal the identity of the user who controls it.

The main difference is who controls the case and the burden of proof. Criminal confiscation is led by the government after a conviction; it requires proving guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt,” which is a very high bar. Civil asset recovery is a lawsuit you file personally; you only need to prove your case on the “balance of probabilities” (51% likely), meaning you can often recover your stolen money even if the fraudster is never convicted of a crime in criminal court.

“Piercing the corporate veil” is a legal doctrine that allows a court to ignore a company’s separate legal existence and hold the owner personally liable. Lawyers do this by proving the company was a “sham” or “alter ego” used solely to commit fraud. If they can show the fraudster mixed personal and company money (commingling) or didn’t follow corporate formalities, the court can strip away the company’s liability protection and seize the fraudster’s personal house, car, or bank accounts to pay the debt.

It depends on a “Cost-Benefit Analysis” that your lawyer should perform upfront. If the stolen amount is under $50,000, legal fees might exceed the recovery (throwing “good money after bad”). However, for larger amounts, lawyers can sometimes work on a “contingency” or “conditional fee” basis, meaning they only get paid a percentage if they successfully recover your money. Alternatively, “Litigation Funding” firms may pay your legal fees in exchange for a share of the final award.

Yes, but it requires a process called “domestication” or “recognition” of the judgment. If you win a lawsuit in New York but the assets are in London, your lawyer must take that New York judgment to a UK court and ask them to recognize it as valid. Once recognized (often streamlined by treaties like the Hague Convention), the foreign court treats it like one of its own judgments, allowing you to send bailiffs or freeze accounts in that new jurisdiction.