Our civil fraud lawyers have considerable experience in acting for both claimants and defendants in domestic and international fraud claims.

Fraud is the obtaining of a financial advantage through dishonesty or deceit, and it happens much more often than people think.  Estimates put the global cost of fraud at anywhere between £3 and £4 Trillion, or 5% of all global output, every year.

Businesses have always been vulnerable to fraud from without and within.  As the world and commerce becomes increasingly international and complex, fraudsters are coming up with new ways to exploit that complexity and businesses are facing new threats.

Making the best use of the first few hours following the discovery of a fraud is critical to achieving a successful recovery from the fraudsters.

Our expertise varies from large scale multi-party, multi-jurisdictional fraud disputes, to those on a smaller scale, such as business to business or between businesses and employees.  We advise on frauds involving financial products and financial services, financial misstatements, crypto assets, push payments, procurement, oil & gas and other commodities, information technology, data theft and employee fraud.  Our securities litigation team advises investor groups on claims against listed companies who are untruthful in investor communications.

Experience

Our team members have extensive experience of pursuing and defending fraud claims, including obtaining urgent freezing orders and search orders in the English court, coordinating freezing and document disclosure proceedings in foreign courts in aid of English proceedings, and obtaining the same type of relief in England in support of proceedings that are going on in other countries.  We have also applied successfully on behalf of clients whom we represent to have freezing orders that were made against them set aside.

Independence

Our independent position in the market means we can act against UK banks and large financial institutions – who often get caught up in fraud claims – without the conflict issues that can often arise with bigger firms.

No matter your business, or how you have fallen victim to fraud, we have specialists with relevant expertise and can put together a team quickly to help you get the best outcome, including forensic investigators and crisis communications experts.  Where needed we work with our regulatory and criminal law colleagues to ensure that you liaise effectively with your regulator and coordinate with the police, the National Crime Agency or the Serious Fraud Office.

Once any proceeds of the fraud have been located and preserved our lawyers and experts will work with you to recover them, wherever they are and whatever form they are in.

Civil fraud expertise

  • Asset tracing
  • Conspiracy
  • Data theft
  • Delivery up orders and search orders
  • Dishonest assistance and knowing receipt

Civil fraud experience

  • Acted for a claimant in an arbitration in the recovery of shares in a European company and European Bank, as well as preventing the sale of subsidiaries belonging to the European company. The facts of the case arose out of a separate action involving a claim for the misappropriation of funds belonging to the Bank. The case settled on confidential commercial terms.

  • Acted for two BVI companies in an English Commercial Court claim worth US$1.2 billion brought by a state-owned Kazakh bank against 15 defendants alleging fraud, conspiracy, dishonest assistance and knowing receipt.

  • Acted for a Japanese company in a multi-million pound High Court claim against former directors, advisers and UK and British Virgin Islands companies for damages for loss suffered and the return of shares misappropriated by those directors and advisers.

  • African Strategic Investment (Holdings) Limited and another v Christopher Main. Advised the claimants (South African mining companies) in a multi-million pound claim for wrongful conversion of a share certificate for 1 million shares which was the property of the claimants.

  • Acted for a BVI company in numerous High Court interlocutory injunctions for breach of fiduciary and contractual duties, fraud, dishonest assistance, and conspiracy.

  • Samir Arab v Raghida Ali Ghandour and others. Represented the claimant in a $35 million claim for fraudulent misrepresentation, dishonesty and breach of fiduciary duty arising out of the sale of the claimant’s shares in various defendant finance companies at a gross undervalue as a result of fraudulent misrepresentations.

  • Arcadia Petroleum Limited and others v Bosworth and others. Acted on a $335 million oil trading claim brought against our client in the Commercial Court. The claim involves allegations of conspiracy, breach of fiduciary duty, dishonest assistance and knowing receipt.

  • Acted for a listed UK company in a multi-million dollar High Court claim against two of its directors for breach of fiduciary duty (including fraud claims) and duty of care, including obtaining numerous interlocutory injunctions in the US and Canada in support of the English proceedings.

  • Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi and Brothers Company v Saad Investment Company Limited and others. Acting for Saudi businessman Maan Al Sanea in his defence of a $9 billion claim in which it was alleged he had committed a systematic fraud on the claimant over 20 years involving 116 banks.

  • KMG International NV v Chen and Chipper Management Limited. Defending a £50 million claim in respect of allegations of fraudulent dissipation and ultimate sale of shares in a German entity and intentional wrongful conduct under Dutch law. The claimant obtained a £60 million freezing order at the start of the proceedings.

"They are quick to grasp complicated facts and match them with the relevant law. Their responsiveness is excellent and service is impeccable."


Chambers UK 2025

"The Fox Williams team is highly responsive and professional, suggesting pragmatic responses to various issues."


Chambers UK 2025

"It's a really excellent team - very hands-on, very strategic and very good at working out what is the best advice to give the client, both commercially and strategically."


Chambers UK 2024

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