Civil Interim Measures In England **

Article by Keith Oliver *, Senior Partner and Head of the Commercial Litigation, Civil fraud and Asset Tracing Team, Peters & Peters Solicitors.

I. Introduction

This chapter gives a practical overview of key civil interim measures and remedies available from the English civil court for securing recoveries for a victim of fraud, corruption or other acquisitive crime. The remedies described are regarded as the lawyers' 'Nuclear Weapons' and are often known as such. Properly applied for and used, freezing property and search orders can put the claimant in the strongest possible position on day one of the proceedings to trace, secure and recover the proceeds of the claim or fraud or corruption upon him, however that crime has been perpetrated. Dishonest defendants or those whose conduct requires it find they are suddenly - and without advance warning - hamstrung financially and may in practical terms be deprived of the oxygen of financial resources to go about their