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12 May 2023
Issue: 8024 / Categories: Legal News , Criminal , Fraud , Freezing orders
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NLJ this week: Proceeds of crime cases have never been so civil

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Who put the civil into proceeds of crime cases? Civil remedies such as account freezing (AFOs) and forfeiture orders have come to dominate what was once an overwhelmingly criminal concern, Hickman & Rose partner Andrew Katzen and associate Olivia Dwan write in this week’s NLJ.

Katzen and Dwan look at the various remedies available, outlining the peculiarities, popularity and pros and cons of each. For example, unexplained wealth orders (also known informally as ‘McMafia Orders’) ‘have not lived up to their promise’, whereas AFOs are frequently used.

The authors also look at the means available to challenge an AFO, and how to assess whether or not it is worth it. They note that this is a complex area of law and that ‘there is a significant gap in amounts of money frozen, and the amounts that are eventually seized’. 

Find more on proceeds of crime cases here.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

Commercial property and child law teams expand with senior hires

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Set expands London and Singapore offering with senior international disputes hires

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Firm strengthens real estate and litigation teams with partner promotions

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The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 marks a constitutional watershed by severing the centuries-old link between hereditary titles and automatic membership of the upper chamber
The Civil Justice Council’s review of Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 could mark the end of what one commentator calls an ‘outdated’ and overly technical regime governing solicitor-client fee disputes
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