Family disputes relating to divorce, contentious estates, trusts and shareholder disagreements are often complex. We will support you to make positive progress and find proactive solutions.

Disputes involving the value of assets, competing claims, issues relating to executors and conflict between beneficiaries are complex and emotionally charged.

This can be financially devastating, especially where assets have been hidden or misappropriated. You will require a team with the skill set and expertise internationally to work collaboratively with legal teams from the outset to provide expert advice on an effective strategy to manage and protect the estate, secure, and recover assets.

  • Proven global reach
  • Court-appointed Receiver
  • Formal appointments
  • Proven global reach
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    Achieving £3 billion of asset recoveries over the last eight years across more than 65 jurisdictions.
  • Court-appointed Receiver
    Court-appointed Receiver
    Ability to investigate, trace, protect and preserve value of assets and shareholdings while the wider litigation is ongoing.
  • Formal appointments
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    Use of formal appointments to utilise civil legislation and insolvency powers that enforce and maximise recoveries.

Why Grant Thornton

We are committed to delivering a consistent, personalised service, collaborating with you and a legal team to develop bespoke advice and strategies for the best course of action.

Our capabilities include:

  • the ability to act as Independent Executor or Administrator of a deceased estate in cases concerning disputes over assets. This includes where legal claims need to be pursued or defended and where the corporate structure needs to be taken control of, or assets realised
  • the ability to be appointed as Director
  • dedicated specialist global intelligence and research team who have access to a multitude of UK and global databases
  • the ability to undertake bespoke open-source intelligence and on-the-ground intelligence
  • digital forensic experts able to undertake data acquisition, data analysis, password cracking and data review

We provide a seamless onshore and offshore independent and informed perspective. We have a flexible approach to fees and innovative funding solutions, including the availability of Asset Recovery Fund LP for high-value asset recovery and enforcement claims where we are the mandated recovery agent.

Joint trustees of a deceased bankruptcy estate

The challenge
We were appointed joint trustees in bankruptcy (formerly receivers and administrators) of the deceased estate of a Russian ‘oligarch’ to identify and realise the assets of the deceased estate and investigate the liability position.
The solution
As joint trustees we defended the estate in high-value legal proceedings and traced and recovered assets with a gross value in excess of $176 million. These assets were held through complex ownership structures involving several entities and a discretionary trust.
The results
The asset realisations have enabled us to make distributions to proprietary creditors in excess of $74 million, which represents a significant value for creditors. This is a demonstration of how our expertise in tracing and recovering assets, utilising the capabilities of the Insolvency and asset recovery team in the UK, together with the Offshore Financial Centres, can be effective in achieving a return for creditors.

We focus on your individual needs to provide informed advice and diverse solutions.

Collaborating seamlessly with our colleagues in the UK and internationally, we provide expertise in corporate intelligence, digital assets, digital forensics, business valuation, expert witnesses, international arbitration and debt enforcement and recovery.

Divorces are on the rise as couples face new challenges

How we work in tandem with legal teams to ease the pain for clients going through divorce.