Unexplained Wealth Order Defence Solicitors
Being served with an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) can be alarming and disruptive. The authorities may question your ownership of assets, even if you’ve done nothing wrong. we specialise in pre-charge engagement and complex financial crime defence. Whether you’re a politically exposed person (PEP), a business owner, or a private individual under scrutiny, our priority is to protect your reputation, your freedom, and your future. Speak to our experienced defence lawyers today for discreet, strategic advice.
Received an Unexplained Wealth Order? Act fast to protect your assets.
Holborn Adams is one of the UK’s leading private criminal defence firms, with Legal 500-recognised directors and a team experienced in white-collar and financial crime defence. We are frequently instructed at the earliest stage - whether following receipt of a High Court order, an associated freezing notice, or dawn raid by the NCA, HMRC, or SFO.
We understand the financial and reputational impact a UWO can have. That’s why we act fast to build a robust defence, often working with forensic accountants and legal experts to verify the source of funds and demonstrate legitimate ownership of your assets.
Our team liaises directly with enforcement agencies to challenge the basis of the order, resist forfeiture, and protect your rights under the Criminal Finances Act 2017 and Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
We are a private criminal defence firm and do not offer legal aid. All work is handled on a fixed-fee basis, with absolute confidentiality, clear communication, and a commitment to protecting your interests throughout.
Failure to respond adequately to a UWO can result in civil recovery proceedings, freezing orders, and potential criminal charges. Early legal advice is essential to avoid loss of assets or further escalation.
Here are just some of the Unexplained Wealth Order issues we can defend:
- Assets purchased without clear proof of lawful income
- Offshore companies or trusts used to buy UK property
- Freezing orders linked to suspected criminal wealth
- Investigations involving serious organised crime
- PEPs with unexplained UK-based assets
- Failure to respond properly or truthfully to a UWO
Nationwide Support
We take on clients across the UK
We have offices spread all across the UK (and even beyond!). We can represent you no matter where you are in the UK.
What we can offer
Extensive experience from successful cases.
Optional visits to your home to discuss case details.
Remote communications to save you travel time.
Ability to work to tight timescales to match the pace of the case.
Transparent pricing with fixed fees*
Our process
Our success-driven legal plan
We offer legal support from day one. Here is the process you’ll go through as a Holborn Adams client.
Enquiry call with a legal expert
Contact us for a confidential conversation. We’ll listen to your situation, explain what a UWO means for you, and outline next steps - including a no-obligation fee estimate.
Case review and approval
We conduct a fast but thorough review of your case and send you a fixed-fee proposal. Once approved, we start acting on your behalf immediately.
Strategy development
We build a clear defence strategy tailored to the UWO and any linked POCA or criminal investigation. Where needed, we bring in trusted forensic accountants or overseas legal experts.
Representation
We liaise directly with the investigating authority and the High Court. From preparing your Statement in Response to resisting enforcement action, we support and represent you at every step.
Respected and trusted
As proud members of the UK’s largest legal sector governing bodies, we are a team you can put your full trust in. We adhere to strict industry regulations, so you can be confident your case is in safe hands.
Our legal services
How our Unexplained Wealth Order defence solicitors can help you
Every UWO case involves high-stakes asset scrutiny and reputational risk. Whether the order targets your personal property or business interests, we’re equipped to act fast and protect what matters most.
Apply for varied bail conditions
If you're subject to an interim freezing order or other restrictions linked to a UWO, we can apply to vary or discharge those conditions to reduce disruption to your personal and financial affairs.
Create a defence strategy
We examine the evidence behind the UWO and prepare a robust Statement in Response. Our legal team will challenge assumptions made by authorities and advise on the best approach to retain your assets.
Reputation management
A UWO can generate unwanted media attention and suspicion. We offer confidential legal and reputational support to help you manage press inquiries and protect your public image throughout the investigation.
Attend interviews
If you're asked to attend interviews as part of the UWO process or a parallel investigation, we will attend with you to protect your rights and ensure you avoid providing misleading or incomplete information.
Early resolution with police
We engage with authorities such as the NCA or HMRC early in the process with the aim of resolving misunderstandings before further steps are taken or proceedings are escalated.
Persuade the CPS to drop charges
Should the matter escalate to a criminal investigation, we’ll build persuasive representations to stop charges from being brought or secure a resolution outside of court wherever possible.
Independent reviews
Explore our Trustpilot reviews to see what our customers have to say about their experiences with us!
Hard work, determination and pure Grit!
Adam and his team are exactly who you would want defending you in any situation.
Acted promptly, extremely happy, will continue to use in future.
Holborn Adams limited acted very promptly following our first meeting. Over all I was extremely happy with them and will contuine yo use them In The future
Best firm out there, like my guardian angels!
I had the unfortunate experience of being accused of something that I didn’t do, I had never had an issue with the police before and the whole experience was daunting and sent me to a dark place and I felt lost. In step Holborn Adams, my first contact was w
Adam Rasul is stand-up, trustworthy, driven, over-delivers, goes extra mile.
Adam Rasul is one of, if not the most stand-up and trustworthy people I've had the fortune to know or work with. I trust him implicitly with all matters and he has always over-delivered. Adam is utterly driven to provide the highest level of service and best o
Amazing team, professional, punctual, faultless attention to detail, fantastic work.
Holborn Adams are an amazing team to work with professional & punctual in every aspect of working together. The care & attention to detail is faultless & having experienced this high level of service for a number of years I would recommend Adam & his team to a
Brilliant job, great knowledge, successful outcome, professional, highly recommend.
Holborn Adams represented me for my criminal case,and what a brilliant job he done,along with he’s team. Holborn Adams dealt with my case with great knowledge and understanding. He took the time to get to know me and everything surrounding the case. To which w
Adam is an exceptional attorney whose expertise and commitment unparalleled.
I recently had the pleasure of working with Holborn Adams, and I cannot recommend them highly enough. From the very first consultation, it was clear that this firm operates with the utmost professionalism and dedication. The owner, Adam, is an exceptional at
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Excellent service and well worth the fees.
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Extremely professional and supportive, always contactable. Highly recommend their services.
Holborn Adams is helping me out with a legal matter at present and i cannot praise them highly enough. Holborn Adams has been extremely professional and supportive and is always contactable. I highly recommend their services
Adam is truly a pioneer in our industry.
I am very inspired by Holborn Adams work ethos, dedication, commitment and vision. In a short space of time he has turned his company Holborn Adams from a small business to a Leading 500 firm, being a Lawyer with a small business myself I know how difficult a
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Fay Ashton showed me a different perspective of criminal defense.
My experience with Holborn Adams was absolutely positive! I had a false allegation made against me and was arrested. Being from a different country and not having any criminal background, I didn't know what my rights were and was given the option of having
Adam offers genuine personal service and unwavering commitment to clients.
We've known Adam and Holborn Adams for many years now. I've Seen his business grow based on providing results for his clients. Adam offers such a genuine personal service and unwavering commitment to do his best. For me it his his caring genuine approach which
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We had utilised the services of this firm. The strategy and tactics they deployed enable my family members case to be nipped in the bud at an early stage. Extremely thorough and pedantic, asking all the correct questions at the right time. All the ingredients
First-rate, pro-active, personal, supportive legal service. Highly recommended.
It’s so hard to know where to turn if you find yourself in the gut-wrenching position of needing specialist legal help. After extensive research of top law firms I chose Andrew & Ria at Holborn Adams because I thought that not only would they deliver a first-r
Adam showed great patience and empathy, offering great advice.
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Received a fantastic service from Holborn Adams. Great professional service
Great help all the way through, highly recommend.
very Knowledgeable, great help all the way through. wish i had got Holborn Adams involved at the start and things would of not gone so far!. would highly recommend.Thanks for all your Help
Adams professionalism and knowledge shone through on court day.
I would like to first thank Adam Rasul and the team at Holborn Adams for assisting one of my most important clients on a very delicate case and I can only say Adams professionalism and knowledge shone through on court day and put myself and my client at great
Great patience and empathy shown by Adam and Andrew.
Having found myself in the situation where I needed to seek out some legal advice I knew there was only one team to contact. I went for the best as I needed the best.Adam showed great patience and empathy with me. Working alongside Andrew, they both offered
Highly approachable and efficient, represented me more than I did.
I was catered for in a kind and understanding way. I was not made to feel bad about my situation despite my own shortcomings and mistakes. I found Holborn Adams and Emily highly approachable and efficient. They represented me more than I did myself. The price
All about their clients. Leading pre charge since day one.
Holborn Adams 24/7 accessibility. All about their clients. World renowned for solicitors and pre charge. If you care about winning this is the firm to be. No legal aid. Pure private with a formidable reputation. Leading pre charge since day one, not just an ov
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Highly recommend Natisha, a real credit to the company.
I highly recommend Natisha from Holborn Adams Solicitor, not only she's worked tirelessly with our case, she's just been amazing and professional.Natisha took our case back in September 2022, our lives has turned upside down but Natisha reassured us that eve
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Holborn Adams Mula is an outstanding advocate.
Five months ago, my son was accused of ‘taking and making indecent photographs of a child’. The child was his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend and her allegation hit our family like a grenade.I Googled “solicitor indecent images” on my phone and spoke to ‘Andrew Fo
Our Fees
Fixed fee defence
Our team will give you a free, no-obligation quote after your initial consultation. We offer a fixed fee service, free of any hidden extra costs. Our firm is exclusively privately-funded meaning we cannot accept any legal aid clients. Your fees secure you a top-tier team and top-tier treatment, covering
Dedicated, experienced legal team.
Ability to get your case dropped before charges.
Representation at interviews and court hearings.
Requests to vary bail conditions where required.
Negotiating with police or prosecutors
Referrals to various support services.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some answers to our most commonly asked questions - for tailored support with your case, please call us now for a free initial consultation.
You can make an enquiry call for free, but we cannot provide free legal advice. As a 100% privately funded firm, we offer defence services exclusively to paying clients. During your enquiry call, we’ll learn about your case, confirm whether we can help, and give you a rough estimate of costs. Your case details will then be shared with our team to develop an initial strategy and prepare a formal, no-obligation fixed-fee quote. If you choose to proceed, this fee will cover your full defence.
No - we are a 100% privately funded firm, meaning we charge a fixed fee for our services. We do not take on legal aid cases. We find that focusing on private cases only allows us to dedicate more time and resources to defending our clients to a much higher degree than firms who are stretched thin by intense legal aid caseloads.
Every case is different. After your initial consultation, we’ll determine which services are best for your defence, and calculate a fixed fee quote for you. The price depends on the complexity of the case, how long it will take, which team members are best for the case, and whether we need to instruct specialists. We do not charge by the hour - only a fixed fee for your whole defence.
We have a member of our legal team available to speak 24/7, 365 days a year. Whenever you need to speak to someone, you will be connected instantly. All calls are 100% confidential.
Yes, when you call us, your call is 100% confidential.
Pre-charge engagement with the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) may be labelled as ‘voluntary,’ but for anyone under investigation, it is an essential and strategic tool for a robust defence. By engaging early, we aim to gain access to the evidence the police intend to rely on, allowing us to dismantle weak allegations, highlight crucial lines of inquiry that support your innocence, and build a powerful defence from the outset. Our primary goal is to have cases dropped and resolved before charges are ever brought, ensuring you never have to step foot in a courtroom. This proactive approach is vital in countering false allegations and addressing misunderstandings before they escalate. It also ensures full preparation, leaving no stone unturned when it comes to your defence. We act decisively, preparing compelling representations and a comprehensive defence bundle, which we present to the CPS at the earliest opportunity to secure a ‘No Further Action’ outcome.