Start with a free consultation
Describe the situation — we'll respond within 12 hours.
Crypto assets
The exchange has collapsed or your funds have been stolen. We follow the trail and fight to recover them by lawful means
An exchange insolvency, theft through phishing or a fake ICO, a crypto lender that has locked you out, an exploited DeFi protocol — these are different cases. Each has its own legal mechanism: the schedule of creditors, a freezing order, criminal confiscation, a claim in tort. Stolen funds do not simply “vanish into the blockchain” — they leave a trail. We document that trail and pursue the matter along whichever route is legally available and offers the best prospects in your particular case.
Exchange insolvencyAsset freezingDeFi exploitsCrypto lendersCriminal confiscation
Manchester Law SocietyCertified Specialist in Banking and Capital Markets LawPractice before BaFin, the FCA, and CySECNetwork of partner lawyers in the UK, Cyprus, and ItalyMember of the Financial Services Lawyers Association (FSLA)The Law Society of England and WalesAdviser to Citizens Advice ManchesterThird-party litigation fundingProfessional liability insurance: HDI, cover up to €10 million
Areas of work
Where exactly we help
Crypto cases are rarely alike — the route to recovery depends on whether the funds disappeared through an insolvency, a theft, an exploited protocol, or a deliberate block on withdrawals. Here are the most common scenarios.
Crypto exchange insolvency
Registration on the schedule of creditors in insolvency proceedings, filed within the applicable deadlines for lodging claims. We examine whether client assets were segregated from the company's own estate — this is precisely what determines your standing and your rank in any distribution.
Asset freezing through the courts
When the trail leads to a specific account at a centralised exchange, we deploy worldwide freezing orders and Bankers Trust disclosure orders (compelling disclosure of the account holder's identity) through proceedings in England, and in Germany an Arrest under §§ 916 ff. ZPO.
Wallet theft through phishing
A phishing link or a fake app has exposed your private key — we trace the transfer to the exchange the attacker used to cash out, submit a freezing request, and secure the evidence for criminal proceedings.
Claims against crypto lenders
The platform has frozen withdrawals and is pressing you to sell your tokens at a discount instead of returning the assets — we pursue the claim through to settlement or judgment, including alongside other affected clients.
DeFi exploits and fund distribution
We document your share in the pool of an exploited protocol and handle your application for a proportionate payout from funds recovered through negotiations with the DAO or through a court claim.
Criminal confiscation of Ponzi-scheme assets
We register you as an injured party in proceedings against the operators of a crypto Ponzi scheme and see the matter through from confiscation of assets (§§ 73 ff. StGB) to payout to victims after conviction (§§ 459h ff. StPO).
How we work
How a typical case unfolds
Whether the matter concerns the schedule of creditors or a court-ordered asset freeze, we follow the same step-by-step approach.
Securing the trail in the first days
We trace the blockchain trail, preserve the evidence — transactions, addresses, correspondence — and immediately prepare freezing requests while the funds can still be located.
Choosing the legal route
We decide on the basis of the trail and the custody structure: schedule of creditors, cross-border freezing, a German claim in tort, or criminal proceedings — and in which jurisdiction.
A written assessment of your prospects
We set out the likelihood of recovery, a realistic time horizon (in insolvency proceedings, years) and the costs. In writing, before the substantive work begins.
Seeing you through to the actual distribution
We lodge claims within the applicable deadlines and carry the proceedings or application through to a final decision and the funds actually arriving — not to "documents handed over".
From practice
What a recovery figure really means
In insolvency proceedings, creditors are sometimes quoted a recovery percentage that at first glance reads like "almost full repayment". We establish exactly what that figure is measured against and the date on which it was fixed — and only then do we tell the client how much will in fact come back to them.
In re FTX Trading Ltd. · U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of DelawareThe collapse came in November 2022, yet payouts only began in 2025. The plan provides for roughly 119% of allowed claims for smaller creditors — but the claims are fixed in dollars as at the petition date, so in crypto terms this is significantly less than the current value of the assets. Why a "recovery percentage" is not the same as real recovery — we explain to clients from the outset.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about crypto assets
Yes — a patchwork of jurisdictions is the norm in crypto cases, not a dead end. Depending on where the money trail leads, different routes come into play: registration on the schedule of creditors in foreign insolvency proceedings, English freezing tools, a German claim in tort, or a criminal complaint carrying injured-party status.
Do not sign a single further transaction — the "withdrawal of the remaining balance" via a tool sent to you is often a second malicious transaction. Record the transaction hashes and wallet addresses, do not pay "recovery agents" who approach you first, and get in touch immediately — in these cases every day counts.
Nothing. The first 30 minutes are free and are used to realistically assess your situation and your chances.
Usually within 12 hours on business days — faster in urgent cases.
Yes, by phone or video call — an in-person meeting at our Manchester office is also possible.
Under the German Lawyers' Remuneration Act (RVG), at an individually agreed rate, or through state-funded legal aid — always set out in writing before any work begins. When we recover your money, a success fee of 10% of the sum recovered is added to our fee. Full details are on our fees page.
Yes. Our practice covers clients across Europe: we correspond with BaFin, CySEC, the FCA, and other regulators regardless of the client's country, and bring claims in German courts against foreign brokers where EU consumer-protection law allows it. For proceedings that require representation before courts in other countries, we coordinate with vetted local lawyers.
Fill in the form below or call us — we'll get back to you within 12 hours, and you can walk us through the situation then.
Next Step