Private Client Solutions

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Find trusted and tailored support to help you navigate disputes relating to deceased estates, divorce, and trust and shareholder disagreements.

Such disputes are often complex and emotionally charged. They can also be financially devastating – especially when assets have been hidden or misappropriated.

Our global team will help you make positive progress from the outset, working collaboratively with legal teams and private client advisers, to find proactive solutions to protect, secure and recover assets.

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Hannah Davie

Partner

Contact Hannah Davie Learn more about Hannah Davie

Why Grant Thornton?

Our personalised service focuses on your individual needs to provide well-informed advice, and diverse strategies and solutions, on the best course of action.

We have extensive experience working on a variety of disputes. These include issues arising from deceased estates, conflicts between beneficiaries, family disputes, divorce and contentious trust matters.

Our capabilities include:

1. Proven global reach

We collaborate seamlessly with our teams in the UK and internationally to provide expertise across several areas. These include specialisms in corporate intelligence, digital assets, digital forensics, business valuation, expert witnesses, international arbitration and enforcement and recovery. Over the last 10 years, our team have achieved USD 5 billion of asset recoveries across more than 65 jurisdictions.

2. Deceased estates

We act as independent administrators of deceased estates in cases concerning disputes over assets, where legal claims need to be pursued or defended, or where corporate structures need to be taken control of, and assets realised. In this role we can assess the solvency of the estate and, if required, can act as administrators of insolvent deceased estates.

3. Court-appointed receiver

We can investigate, secure, protect and preserve the value of assets, and shareholdings, while wider litigation is ongoing.

4. Independent director

We take appointments as directors for companies globally – particularly when independence or professional control is required. This helps maintain objectivity during decision making, avoid conflicts of interest, and provide requisite skills and experience from our global network.

5. Formal appointments

Where the solvency of a deceased estate is uncertain, or there are enforcement issues with judgments against individuals or companies, we can use insolvency appointments. These types of appointments can unlock lookback periods and enable us to gather information, secure assets and maximise recoveries, for the benefit of creditors and beneficiaries.

Discover more services

Contentious valuations

Providing you with a robust and defensible valuation in various types of dispute.

Private tax

Tax experts for entrepreneurs, families and private business. For now and the long term.

Forensic and investigation services

Market-driven expertise in investigations and dispute resolution.

Private client disputes

High-quality and personalised services to family lawyers and individuals

Contentious valuations

Providing you with a robust and defensible valuation in various types of dispute.

Forensic and investigation services

Market-driven expertise in investigations and dispute resolution.

Private tax

Tax experts for entrepreneurs, families and private business. For now and the long term.

Private client disputes

High-quality and personalised services to family lawyers and individuals

Case study

Joint trustees of a deceased bankruptcy estate

The challenge

As joint trustees in bankruptcy of the deceased estate of Russian Oligarch Boris Berezovsky, our aim was to identify and realise the assets and investigate the liability position.

The solution

We traced and recovered assets (held through complex ownership structures) with a gross value in excess of USD 176 million, and defended the estate in high value legal proceedings.

The results

The asset realisations have enabled us to make distributions to proprietary creditors in excess of USD 47 million, which represents a significant result for creditors.

Case study

Independent administrators of a deceased estate

The challenge

There was an ongoing dispute between the second wife of a deceased Yemeni national, who had spent a considerable amount of time in England, and his children from a previous marriage.

The solution

We were appointed to investigate any additional estates in England and Wales that we could recover. Our work included a forensic analysis of information from the legal proceedings.

The results

Our analysis identified safety deposit boxes at a hotel in London, which ended the dispute. Acting across jurisdictions to find and recover hidden assets led to a positive outcome.

Case study

Court-appointed receiver of shares and assets in dispute

The challenge

We were appointed joint receivers over UK shares and assets, and a property portfolio valued at GBP 45 million, following an application by a wife during divorce proceedings.

The solution

We were able to obtain information from third parties to explore allegations of dissipation of assets and also had powers to sell UK properties and to collect the rental income.

The results

This shows how a receiver’s far-reaching powers can be used to protect, preserve the position of and prevent dissipation of assets, while wider legal proceedings are ongoing.

Case study

Protecting assets for a trustee in a high-profile case

Navigating the protection and recovery of assets in a high-profile situation featuring global complexity, practical challenges and contentious elements.