Service 06 — Asset Tracing & Recovery Support
Identifying assets, mapping ownership, and supporting recovery by lawyers and authorised professionals.
Cross-border tracing of misappropriated, hidden, or contested assets — to support recovery work carried out by lawyers, claimants, and authorised authorities.
Capability
What we do
We help identify assets, ownership links, related entities, and possible recovery pathways. This includes assets concealed through layered corporate structures, nominees, offshore jurisdictions, real estate, vessels, aircraft, and digital assets. We help clients understand where assets may be, who may control them, and what lawful recovery options may exist. Our work is investigative. Recovery itself is handled through lawyers, courts, insolvency practitioners, or authorised professionals where required.
We do not take direct possession of assets, seize assets, act as a debt collector, or exercise enforcement powers. We do not pursue recovery without a confirmed lawful purpose. Where matters require enforcement, we work with our warrant and enforcement support team and with qualified local counsel.
Scope
What we trace
Misappropriated funds
Tracing of funds removed through fraud, embezzlement, or breach of fiduciary duty across banking, payment, and informal value-transfer channels.
Hidden & concealed assets
Identification of assets concealed through nominees, trusts, offshore structures, and undisclosed corporate vehicles.
Real assets
Real estate, vessels, aircraft, art, and luxury goods — including reconstruction of beneficial ownership and tracking of movement.
Corporate & commercial assets
Shareholdings, interests in private companies, intellectual property, and contractual rights — including assets held through layered structures.
Digital assets
Cryptocurrency and digital-asset tracing across exchanges, mixers, and cross-chain bridges, with attribution to identifiable controllers where this is lawfully possible.
Pre-judgment asset mapping
Asset mapping in support of freezing, preservation, and disclosure orders, before and during enforcement proceedings.
Operating standard
Method
Lawful basis required
We accept tracing matters only where the client has a lawful basis to pursue recovery — a judgment, claim, regulatory power, or equivalent.
Working with counsel
Work is carried out in support of counsel directing the recovery, with reporting set up for use in enforcement proceedings.
Multi-source collection
Tracing combines public registries, lawful databases, financial information, lawful enquiries, and lawful technical research.
Evidence-quality output
Findings are documented to a standard that can be used in court applications, regulatory reporting, and enforcement proceedings.
Selected engagements
Anonymised examples
Cross-border trace — EMEA financial institution
Three offshore structures, recovery-quality findings
We carried out multi-jurisdiction tracing of misappropriated funds across three offshore structures. Outcome: counsel was supported with evidence prepared to a court standard, and assets were preserved.
Concealed assets — Civil claim
Nominee-held real estate across two jurisdictions
We identified properties held through nominees on behalf of a defendant. Outcome: assets were disclosed under a court order, and the settlement was secured at a significantly higher value.
Digital assets — Fraud matter
Cryptocurrency trace with exchange attribution
We traced misappropriated cryptocurrency through mixing services and cross-chain bridges to an attributable exchange wallet. Outcome: a freezing order was obtained and recovery was progressed by counsel.
Who it is for
Typical clients
Counsel directing recovery
Plaintiff and enforcement counsel needing evidence-quality tracing.
Financial institutions
Recovery of funds taken through fraud, internal misconduct, or sanctions evasion.
Insolvency practitioners
Tracing on behalf of liquidators, trustees, and receivers acting under court appointment.
Authorised public-sector clients
Asset identification supporting authorised proceeds-of-crime, regulatory, or civil-recovery action.