5 questions to ask if you are being investigated for fraud admin@abvso l i c i to r s . co .uk ABV Solicitors When you have been accused of f raud or your bus iness has been l inked to f raud , i t can be a very st ress fu l t ime. After a l l , you don ’ t want to lose your bus iness or go to pr i son so you wi l l need to seek the adv ice of a t ra ined f raud so l ic i tor to help you out . But f inding the r ight expert can be hard , and there are some core th ings that you , as the i r c l ient , need to know about them. So , with that in mind , here are 5 quest ions you should a im to ask your f raud so l ic i tor at your f i r s t meet ing . Finding a f raud so l ic i tor i s not enough to ensure that you win your case . You wi l l want to ensure that the f raud so l ic i tor you choose has deal t with s imi lar cases to yours in the past and , i f there have recent ly been any changes to the law, that they are fami l iar with how th is may be appl ied to your case . So , in th is instance , you wi l l be looking for a f raud sol ic i tor who has the exper ience you need , as wel l as the knowledge that you need. Have you dealt with similar cases? I t i s great when you have been able to f ind a f raud sol ic i tor that has exper ience deal ing with s imi lar cases to yours . But the next th ing you wi l l need to ask i s , what were the outcomes of those cases? Ideal ly , you wi l l want a f raud so l ic i tor who has been able to get favourable outcomes , such as a dismissa l o f a l l charges . Or , you wi l l want a sol ic i tor who has been able to seek a reduct ion of charges or the minimis ing of monetary penalt ies . What were the outcomes if you have? To help with a case that may be complex , or go ing back many years , you wi l l want experts to help you . And, a longs ide your so l ic i tor , you may need to seek the help of a forens ic f raud so l ic i tor and even a forens ic accountant . These people wi l l be able to help you bui ld your paper t ra i l and wi l l usual ly be a v i ta l part o f bui ld ing your defence . Are you involved with financial experts? Do you have relationships with regulatory agencies? I t ' s important to note that when i t comes to f raud accusat ions , you wi l l l ike ly need a l l the help you can get i f the money involved i s a large amount or i f you have been impl icated in the accusat ion mult ip le t imes . So , ask ing whether your f raud so l ic i tor has re lat ionships with regulatory agencies wi l l be useful . You should a im to seek the guidance of a legal team who do have l inks to the regulatory agencies in the UK, as they can l ia i se with them on your behal f . Th is wi l l prevent you f rom incurr ing hefty monetary f ines , even i f you have been cleared of a l l charges . You wi l l a lways need to ask about fees that you need to pay at the f i r s t meet ing with your f raud sol ic i tor . As a genera l ru le , i t i s best to avoid f i rms that promise a l l serv ices for a set amount , as in these instances , there are usual ly add-ons that can dr ive the cost up . So , a lways a im to have a crysta l c lear idea in your mind about how much i t may cost to seek th is part icular f raud defence so l ic i tor ’ s serv ices . What are your fees? https :www.abvsol ic i tors .co .uk/serv ices/ f raud-sol ic i tor / https :www. legis lat ion .gov .uk/ukpga/2006/35/contents https :www.cps .gov .uk/ legal -guidance/ f raud-act-2006 Sources: