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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

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Firm welcomes partner with specialist expertise in family and art law

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Dual-qualified partner joins international private client team

NEWS
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

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