International Asset Tracing and Investigation
Foreign governments, respected financial institutions, and liquidators depend on Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss to recover assets that have been fraudulently or wrongfully obtained and transferred internationally. Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss lawyers are at the forefront of developments in the investigation of money laundering, sanctions-busting and terror finance and in advising clients how to protect themselves in a complex, globalized environment.
We put our cutting-edge know-how and deep experience in international asset-tracing and recovery, gained over years of successfully serving both public and private institutions to work in countering, global financial misdealing.
Our techniques and remedies for constructing effective worldwide strategies to locate, seize and obtain misapplied assets have returned hundreds of millions of dollars to our sovereign and corporate clients.
We work through U.S. and foreign courts to obtain injunctions and other orders to effectively locate, freeze and repatriate assets to their rightful owners. We also work closely with top attorneys in jurisdictions where assets are frequently hidden, attorneys whom we can set to work on your behalf to ensure a strong local legal presence and acumen where and when you need it most.
In the News
Four Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss professionals have been recognized as Global Leaders in Who’s Who Legal: Asset Recovery 2019. Who’s Who Legal is one of the world’s leading directories of legal practitioners.
October 2019John Moscow spoke to Law360 regarding the investigation of Tyco International by the Manhattan district attorney's office under Robert Morgenthau.
July 24, 2019“The new government of Tamaulipas is committed to taking all measures to stamp out corruption and return the proceeds of corruption to the people from whom they have been stolen,” Kaufmann said in a press release. “There are many ways that the United States courts can be used in a proactive way to trace and seize ill-gotten assets.”
The Brownsville Herald, April 26, 2019The Appellate Division, First Department, recently affirmed the dismissal of various claims brought by New Greenwich Litigation Trustee, successor to the claims of two feeder funds in the Bernard Madoff affair, against various third-party fund administrators, accountants and auditors.
New York Law Journal, November 16, 2016- Swiss banks froze Mubarak's assets hours after his removal. 5 years and a corruption conviction later, the money still hasn’t moved.Mada Masr, February 11, 2016
- EE.UU. investiga a varias entidades de Caracas sospechosas de romper el cercoFebruary 10, 2013
- October 4, 2012
- The recoupment of illicit funds pilfered from the country through the decades of Mubarak led corruptionDaily News Egypt, July 19, 2012
- The Deal Pipeline, February 22, 2012
- The lawyer behind a $1 billion cross-border suit against Goldman Sachs following the sub-prime mortgage crisis praises the merits of bringing major commercial cases in the United States.February 3, 2012
- Saudi Firms Continue Multi-Billion Dollar Global Legal BattleMiddle East Economic Survey, October 31, 2011
- Huffington Post, October 28, 2011
- Saudi Arabia’s most high profile legal battle indicates just how dangerous the world’s capital markets remain a decade after Sept. 11, 2001.Trends Magazine, September 11, 2011
- The National, March 13, 2011
- The Washington Post, February 13, 2011
- One of the US's top fraud investigators is warning that America's policing of money laundering is wide open to abuse.BBC News, September 28, 2010
- CNBC airtime 2:45 PM ET, September 28, 2010
- The Lawyer, May 18, 2009
Publications, Presentations & Events
There is a popular misconception that asset forfeiture is limited to the luxury cars, private jets and speedboats of drug dealers, but many well-meaning businesses and individuals are finding themselves with their assets seized under statutes that provide U.S. authorities extremely broad powers. And these seizures often occur without any warning to, or even accusation against, the owner of the assets. Once seized it can take years to obtain recovery of perfectly legal assets. In these uncertain times, as many well-meaning people seek the relative safety of the U.S. banking system, individuals and companies in many countries may innocently use money-transfer systems that exponentially increase the risk of having their assets seized. Why does this happen and how can it be avoided?
May 11, 2020In these tough times, when clients are looking to protect assets and increase revenue, it is more important than ever to ensure that their arbitral awards are collectible. A truly successful outcome requires the ability to enforce and monetize the award that was won in the arbitration. When faced with a recalcitrant award debtor, it is imperative to think strategically and work closely with counsel and experts to enforce and identify recoverable assets.
April 2, 2020- The OffshoreAlert Conference Latin AmericaSão Paulo, Brazil, September 16, 2019
Eric Lewis focuses on three key areas: (1) the widening of the net from sanctioned individuals to their families; (2) the application of the evasion provisions to foreign persons; (3) the bringing of new classes within existing sanctions.
The New York Law Journal, December 8, 2017- August 24, 2012
- Annual Review - Financier WorldwideApril 2012
- March 15, 2012
- September 28, 2010