Freezing Orders: The Hottest Remedy in Town

Freezing orders are one of the most potent weapons available to applicants in English courts. And they can be used not just to aid English proceedings – international litigants can also seek freezing orders from English courts to support proceedings abroad.

In addition to the debilitating effects of restricting what a party can do with its assets (potentially anywhere in the world), freezing orders also force a party to disclose often sensitive and highly-guarded information on all of the assets it holds – even when the sum of its assets far exceeds the amount frozen.

This article provides an overview of this remedy and focuses on some recent developments which highlight the trend towards ever more robust interim remedies being available to applicants in English courts.

This chapter is available via a free subscription to Corporate Disputes Magazine. 

Andrew Hearn is an experienced commercial litigator whose work is national and international and extends to the co-ordination of multinational disputes. His extensive client base includes hedge funds and other companies in the financial services sector, major brand owners from the manufacturing and retail sectors and publishers. 

Daniel Natoff is a solicitor-advocate who has extensive experience of advising major financial institutions and corporates on multi-billion pound class actions, derivatives mis-selling, fraud and investment management disputes.