An overseas investor, pursuing recovery from an Indian promoter after a soured investment dispute, instructed an asset trace through its international counsel. The promoter was a seasoned operator of corporate structures; the assets were not going to be sitting in his own name.
“Phase two pursued the specific leads the first trace had opened, including newer ventures the promoter had moved into.”
The work, carried out during my tenure at a global investigations firm, was deliberately staged. Phase one established the perimeter: the promoter's current interests and vehicles, traced through corporate records, litigation filings, and market intelligence. Phase two was commissioned on the strength of the first, pursuing the specific leads the initial trace had opened, including newer ventures the promoter had moved into.
Staging the work let counsel decide on the second phase with the first phase’s findings in hand. A first phase priced to answer whether there is anything worth pursuing, and where, avoids paying for a full trace if there is nothing to find, and gives the second phase specific targets.