Our fraud and business crime team has substantial experience of litigating fraud and asset tracing disputes over the years, including claims for breach of constructive trust, dishonest assistance, deceit, conspiracy to defraud by lawful and unlawful means, fraudulent misrepresentation, excise duty diversion and business and financial regulatory investigations.

The cases we handle frequently involve a multi-jurisdictional element. Moreover, we regularly advise on applications to obtain and discharge worldwide freezing injunctions and other ancillary, interim, relief, including disclosure and search and seizure orders.

Examples of recent cases include:

  • Representing multiple victims of the HBOS Reading banking fraud scandal, which involved claims against Lloyds Banking Group arising out of the fraudulent misappropriation of company assets by Lyndon Scourfield, Michael Bancroft, Mark Dobson, David Mills and others connected to the former “Impaired Assets” division of the Bank’s Reading office.
  • Representing a Ukrainian shipper in its defence of proceedings and a supporting worldwide freezing injunction arising out of allegations of the fraudulent misappropriation of oil from the Crimea.
  • Defending a prominent property developer in relation to proceedings based on alleged fraudulent misrepresentation and deceit arising out of unsuccessful property investments.  This case involved a post-judgment freezing order.
  • Acting for a private equity firm in its defence of allegations that it wrongfully repudiated a hotel joint venture agreement and fraudulently divested the underlying assets of the JV.
  • Representing multiple victims of SWAP miss-selling by various banks, frequently with an additional LIBOR-fraud element.
  • Representing the principal director and shareholder of a money transfer business in claims based on fraud and  constructive trust arising out of the alleged diversion of business contacts and revenues.