
FIRE International: Vilamoura
The flagship International Asset Recovery event in the fraud & insolvency practitioner's calendar
20th - 22nd May 2025 | Anantara Hotel, Vilamoura, Portugal
Agenda
View the agenda in PDF
International Speaker Dinner
6.00pm
TL4 are excited to welcome our international speakers who have travelled from across the globe to lend us their expertise. We look forward to a relaxed evening wining and dining on the rooftop beach bar.
Hosted by:
By invitation only, transport included from the hotel lobby at 6pm
THE BOLD OCTOPUS, Praia do Ancão, Algarve
Conference Partner Dinners
6.30pm
Hosted by:
To register please contact Nadia Bhatti at NBhatti@maitlandchambers.com
Morning Networking Activities
10.00am
Transport included to and from the Anantara Hotel
5k Run Club Late nights and early mornings! Join our fun run club to kick start your day. |
FIRE Padel Tennis Tournament Bring the HEAT in our FIRE Padel Tennis Tournament - have you got what it takes? |
Intro to Golf Lesson They shout FORE, we shout FIRE - hone your driving skills with other beginners at the range. |
Registration & Badge Pick-Up
12.00pm
Portuguese Welcome Lunch
12.30pm
Co-Hosted by
Advisory Board Welcome Remarks
2.00pm
Keynote Session – Leading by Example
2.10pm

Andrew Strauss, former Captain
England Cricket Team
Complexities Of Enforcing in Multi-Jurisdictions
2.50pm
- A global world – cross border issue with asset recovery
- Regulatory and legislative update for FIRE
- Practical challenges to coordinate enforcement
- Ensuring communication across teams

Sushmita Gandhi, Partner
IndusLaw (India)

Bakhyt Tukulov, Partner
TKS Disputes (Kazakhstan)

Andreas Pollak, Partner
Petsche Pollak (Austria)

Gary Miller, Partner / Chair
Mishcon de Reya / International Fraud Group

Leyza Florin, Shareholder
Sequor Law (USA)
Networking & Refreshment Break
3.30pm
Ensuring Effective Enforcement of Freezing Injunctions
3.50pm
- Enforcing in other and foreign jurisdictions
- When to challenge a freezing injunction
- Risks of dissipation of an asset

Dr. Alexander Amann, Managing Partner and Attorney at Law
AMP Amann Partners Attorneys at Law (Liechtenstein)

Maureen Ward, Partner
Bennett Jones (Canada)

Edward Palmer , Partner
Mintz Group

Richard Morgan KC, Barrister
Maitland Chambers

Catherine Eason, Partner
PCB Byrne (UK)
Amidst The Sanctions Era
4.30pm
- Sanctions aren’t going anywhere – ensuring prevention of issues arising with sanctions
- How sanctions can interfere with efforts to enforce judgements
- Delving into sanctions regime and how that impacts your asset recovery

Emile Simpson, Barrister
4 New Square

Olexander Martinenko, Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution
Kinstellar (Ukraine)

Meruyet Zhunubaeva, Managing Partner
Astrea KZ (Kazakhstan)

Timothy O’Toole, Member, Practice Lead, Economic Sanctions & Export Controls
Miller & Chevalier (USA)
Chairpersons' Summary and Close of Day 1
5.10pm
Welcome Drinks Reception
5.15 - 6:45pm
Co-Hosted by
Welcome to Portugal - Dinners, Cocktails & Cooking Classes
7.30pm
See below for Meet Up timings at the Hotel Lobby
Conference Partner Dinners To welcome our delegates to Vilamoura our event partners will be hosting networking dinners Hosted by: |
![]() Women in FIRE Dinner Introduced in 2024, our oversubcribed Women in FIRE dinner is back by popular demand! Hosted at the Botanico Transport included to and from the Anantara Hotel Meet at 6:45pm |
![]() Portuguese Wine Tasting Pop the cork on an exquisite local vintage AND a set of new industry contacts! Who says you can't blend business with a little Bordeaux? |
![]() Portuguese Culinary Lessons Sign up for a true taste of Portugal. Embark on a culinary adventure and explore the bold flavours of Portugal with a new contact. |
Networking and Morning Refreshments
9.00am
Welcome Back Advisory Board Opening Remarks
9.30am
Insights to Court Litigation
9.40am
- How the English Courts are approaching fraud
- How receptive are judges on asset recovery and fraud litigation
- UAE – how to use the local and DIFC courts to obtain and get the best result for asset recovery
- Understanding the different processes and mechanisms of different courts

Adrian Wong, Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution
Rajah & Tann (Singapore)

Tim Chelmick, Barrister
4 New Square

Pooja Mahajan, Managing Partner
Chandhiok & Mahajan, Advocates & Solicitors (India)

Konstantin Mikov, Founder and Managing Partner
Mikov & Attorneys (Bulgaria)

Bartłomiej Jankowski, Advocate, Managing Partner
B2RLaw (Poland)
Unpacking The Developments of Tracing in The Digital Assets World
10.20am
- Recovering crypto offshore
- Working on non-traditional asset tracing
- Navigating the anonymity of blockchain tracing

Jansen Chow, Co-Head, Fraud Asset Recovery & Investigation
Rajah & Tann (Singapore)

Gabriella McNicholas, Barrister
Maitland Chambers

Ardavan Amir-Aslani, Partner
Cohen Amir-Aslani (France)

Fernanda Restrepo Díaz, Associate Managing Director
Kroll
Networking & Refreshment Break
11.00am
Obtaining Evidence from Abroad in Heavyweight Commercial Disputes
11.30am
- Relevant treaties, legislation and procedural rules
- Procedure for Letter of Request under the Hague Convention
- Exploring Part 23 Civil Procedure Rules
- Challenges to the Letters of Request
- Litigation following the challenges
Taher Abdeen Ibrahim, Partner
Hadef & Partners (UAE)

Azizur Rahman, Senior Partner
Rahman Ravelli (UK)

Yves Klein, Partner
Monfrini Bitton Klein (Switzerland)

Abraham Vergis SC, Managing Director
Providence Law Asia (Singapore)

Hendrik G. Milne, Attorney
Aballí Milne Kalil (USA)
Case Study: 1Malaysia Development Berhad Scandal
12.10pm
- War stories in court – high profile cross examination
- Can this be prevented?
- Impacts on policies and legislations
- Looking at the offshore side

Lezgin Polater, Partner
Archipel (Switzerland)

Raphael Kok Chi Ren, Partner
Lim Chee Wee Partnership (Singapore)
Chairpersons' Summary and Close of Day 2
12.50pm
Networking Lunch at the Hotel
12.55pm
Co-Hosted by
Meet for Afternoon Networking Activities
1.55pm
Transport included to and from the Anantara Hotel
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Marine Safari Boat Trip Intimate networking opportunity to ride the waves with an eye out for dolphins. |
Walking Tour of Albufeira Experience old town Albufeira. Explore the ancient fishing village, churches, taverns and museums.
|
Women in FIRE - Intro to Golf Lesson They shout FORE, we shout FIRE - hone your driving skills with other beginners at the range. |
Sunset Drinks Reception
6.30pm
Co-Hosted by
Unmissable Poolside Gala Dinner
7.30pm
Co-Hosted by
Cocktails & Connections
9.30pm
A classy way to end the night, with after-dinner drinks at the hotel bar
Co-Hosted by
Networking and Morning Refreshments
9.00am
Welcome Back from Advisory Board
9.30am
Build You Own Agenda: choose your streams/topic areas, and get involved with interactive workshops.
STREAM A - Proof, Evidence, and Information Gathering
9.40am
- How to prove fraud
- Effectively using your investigative powers across borders
- What data and information can be obtained
- Using appropriate software to help your investigations

Iris Pfander, Associate
Baldi & Caratsch (Switzerland)

Eliseo M. Martínez, Managing Partner
Ius+Aequitas Trial Lawyers (Spain)

Peter Hayden, Partner
Mourant (Cayman)

Natalie Todd, Partner
Cooke, Young & Keidan
STREAM B - Insolvencies with Crypto Exchanges
9.40am
- Choosing where the main insolvency proceedings will be
- What liquidators decide to do with the valuation of digital assets
- A need for expert opinions and separate valuation committees for digital and crypto assets
- Lessons learned from crypto insolvency and the precedence set

Douglas Curran, Shareholder
Anderson Kill (USA)

Morgan Patterson, Partner
Womble Bond Dickinson (USA)
STREAM A - Spanners in the Works: Arbitration Agreements in Fraud Claims
10.20am
- Understanding how arbitration agreements can be a complicating factor in fraud claims
- Arbitrability of issues of fraud: lessons learnt from Mozambique v Privinvest Shipbuilding SAL (Holding) [2023] UKSC 32
- Severability of an arbitration agreement
- Exploring fragmentation and parallel proceedings
- Insights to court support during arbitration

Andrew Fulton, Barrister
Twenty Essex (UK)

Sarah Tresman, Barrister
Twenty Essex

Huw Jenkin, Partner
Travers Smith (UK)

Elaina Bailes, Partner
Stewarts
STREAM B - The Inevitable Growth of DAOs (Decentralised Autonomous Organisations)
10:20am
- Financial risks involved with DAOs
- Managing the various assets in DAOs
- How trust and transparency can impact the vulnerabilities of security
- Do existing laws translate well with DAOs?

Howard A. Fischer, Partner
Moses & Singer (USA)
Networking & Refreshment Break
11.00am
STREAM A - Insolvency Tools to Support Cross-Border Asset Recovery
11.30am
- Impacts of a challenging insolvency regimes
- Navigating the different insolvency tools in Malaysia
- Exploring new insolvency tools in Canada and Panama
- Ability to give release to shareholders
- How can we ethically forum shop

Claudia Cheah Pek Yee, Partner
Skrine Advocates & Solicitors (Malaysia)

Karen Fellowes KC, Senior Counsel
Stikeman Elliott (Canada)

Marlyn Narkis, Partner
MDU Legal (Panama)

Ericka Johnson, Director
Bayard Law (USA)
STREAM B - The Intersection Between Arbitration and Insolvency
11.30am
- Examining arbitration proceedings with insolvent companies
- Using arbitration in the ‘pre-insolvency’ stage
- How arbitration centres have developed insolvency-specific rules?

Geraldo Fonseca, Partner
Fonseca Vannucci Abreu (Brazil)

Stephanie Oneyser, Counsel
Walder Wyss (Switzerland)

Mercy Okiro, Advocate, Arbitrator and Law Lecturer
(Kenya)

David Peters KC, Barrister
Essex Court Chambers

David Chalcraft, Legal Director
HFW (UK)
Advisory Board Thank You
12.10pm
Farewell Lunch by the Beach
12.30pm
End your week with a sunny meal by the beach!
BJ'S OCEANSIDE, by the Algarvian coastline
Transport included to and from the Anantara Hotel
Meet For Afternoon Networking Activity
2.30pm
The FIRE Boat Party Mingle with your new connections amidst the backdrop of the stunning Portuguese sunset and crystal clear waters.
|
Co-Hosted by |
Conference Partner Dinners
7.30pm
Limited places! To register please contact Emma Granata at Emma.Granata@crsblaw.com
The Final Pour by the Marina
9.30pm
TL4 are excited to welcome our international speakers who have travelled from across the globe to lend us their expertise. We look forward to a relaxed evening wining and dining on the rooftop beach bar.
Hosted by:
By invitation only, transport included from the hotel lobby at 6pm
THE BOLD OCTOPUS, Praia do Ancão, Algarve
Hosted by:
To register please contact Nadia Bhatti at NBhatti@maitlandchambers.com
Transport included to and from the Anantara Hotel
5k Run Club Late nights and early mornings! Join our fun run club to kick start your day. |
FIRE Padel Tennis Tournament Bring the HEAT in our FIRE Padel Tennis Tournament - have you got what it takes? |
Intro to Golf Lesson They shout FORE, we shout FIRE - hone your driving skills with other beginners at the range. |
Co-Hosted by
- A global world – cross border issue with asset recovery
- Regulatory and legislative update for FIRE
- Practical challenges to coordinate enforcement
- Ensuring communication across teams
Bakhyt Tukulov - Partner - TKS Disputes (Kazakhstan)
Andreas Pollak - Partner - Petsche Pollak (Austria)
Gary Miller - Partner / Chair - Mishcon de Reya / International Fraud Group
Leyza Florin - Shareholder - Sequor Law (USA)
- Enforcing in other and foreign jurisdictions
- When to challenge a freezing injunction
- Risks of dissipation of an asset
Maureen Ward - Partner - Bennett Jones (Canada)
Edward Palmer - Partner - Mintz Group
Richard Morgan KC - Barrister - Maitland Chambers
Catherine Eason - Partner - PCB Byrne (UK)
- Sanctions aren’t going anywhere – ensuring prevention of issues arising with sanctions
- How sanctions can interfere with efforts to enforce judgements
- Delving into sanctions regime and how that impacts your asset recovery
Olexander Martinenko - Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution - Kinstellar (Ukraine)
Meruyet Zhunubaeva - Managing Partner - Astrea KZ (Kazakhstan)
Timothy O’Toole - Member, Practice Lead, Economic Sanctions & Export Controls - Miller & Chevalier (USA)
Co-Hosted by
See below for Meet Up timings at the Hotel Lobby
Conference Partner Dinners To welcome our delegates to Vilamoura our event partners will be hosting networking dinners Hosted by: |
![]() Women in FIRE Dinner Introduced in 2024, our oversubcribed Women in FIRE dinner is back by popular demand! Hosted at the Botanico Transport included to and from the Anantara Hotel Meet at 6:45pm |
![]() Portuguese Wine Tasting Pop the cork on an exquisite local vintage AND a set of new industry contacts! Who says you can't blend business with a little Bordeaux? |
![]() Portuguese Culinary Lessons Sign up for a true taste of Portugal. Embark on a culinary adventure and explore the bold flavours of Portugal with a new contact. |
- How the English Courts are approaching fraud
- How receptive are judges on asset recovery and fraud litigation
- UAE – how to use the local and DIFC courts to obtain and get the best result for asset recovery
- Understanding the different processes and mechanisms of different courts
Tim Chelmick - Barrister - 4 New Square
Pooja Mahajan - Managing Partner - Chandhiok & Mahajan, Advocates & Solicitors (India)
Konstantin Mikov - Founder and Managing Partner - Mikov & Attorneys (Bulgaria)
Bartłomiej Jankowski - Advocate, Managing Partner - B2RLaw (Poland)
- Recovering crypto offshore
- Working on non-traditional asset tracing
- Navigating the anonymity of blockchain tracing
Gabriella McNicholas - Barrister - Maitland Chambers
Ardavan Amir-Aslani - Partner - Cohen Amir-Aslani (France)
Fernanda Restrepo Díaz - Associate Managing Director - Kroll
- Relevant treaties, legislation and procedural rules
- Procedure for Letter of Request under the Hague Convention
- Exploring Part 23 Civil Procedure Rules
- Challenges to the Letters of Request
- Litigation following the challenges
Azizur Rahman - Senior Partner - Rahman Ravelli (UK)
Yves Klein - Partner - Monfrini Bitton Klein (Switzerland)
Abraham Vergis SC - Managing Director - Providence Law Asia (Singapore)
Hendrik G. Milne - Attorney - Aballí Milne Kalil (USA)
- War stories in court – high profile cross examination
- Can this be prevented?
- Impacts on policies and legislations
- Looking at the offshore side
Raphael Kok Chi Ren - Partner - Lim Chee Wee Partnership (Singapore)
Co-Hosted by
Transport included to and from the Anantara Hotel
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Marine Safari Boat Trip Intimate networking opportunity to ride the waves with an eye out for dolphins. |
Walking Tour of Albufeira Experience old town Albufeira. Explore the ancient fishing village, churches, taverns and museums.
|
Women in FIRE - Intro to Golf Lesson They shout FORE, we shout FIRE - hone your driving skills with other beginners at the range. |
Co-Hosted by
Co-Hosted by
A classy way to end the night, with after-dinner drinks at the hotel bar
Co-Hosted by
Build You Own Agenda: choose your streams/topic areas, and get involved with interactive workshops.
- How to prove fraud
- Effectively using your investigative powers across borders
- What data and information can be obtained
- Using appropriate software to help your investigations
Eliseo M. Martínez - Managing Partner - Ius+Aequitas Trial Lawyers (Spain)
Peter Hayden - Partner - Mourant (Cayman)
Natalie Todd - Partner - Cooke, Young & Keidan
- Choosing where the main insolvency proceedings will be
- What liquidators decide to do with the valuation of digital assets
- A need for expert opinions and separate valuation committees for digital and crypto assets
- Lessons learned from crypto insolvency and the precedence set
Morgan Patterson - Partner - Womble Bond Dickinson (USA)
- Understanding how arbitration agreements can be a complicating factor in fraud claims
- Arbitrability of issues of fraud: lessons learnt from Mozambique v Privinvest Shipbuilding SAL (Holding) [2023] UKSC 32
- Severability of an arbitration agreement
- Exploring fragmentation and parallel proceedings
- Insights to court support during arbitration
Sarah Tresman - Barrister - Twenty Essex
Huw Jenkin - Partner - Travers Smith (UK)
Elaina Bailes - Partner - Stewarts
- Financial risks involved with DAOs
- Managing the various assets in DAOs
- How trust and transparency can impact the vulnerabilities of security
- Do existing laws translate well with DAOs?
- Impacts of a challenging insolvency regimes
- Navigating the different insolvency tools in Malaysia
- Exploring new insolvency tools in Canada and Panama
- Ability to give release to shareholders
- How can we ethically forum shop
Karen Fellowes KC - Senior Counsel - Stikeman Elliott (Canada)
Marlyn Narkis - Partner - MDU Legal (Panama)
Ericka Johnson - Director - Bayard Law (USA)
- Examining arbitration proceedings with insolvent companies
- Using arbitration in the ‘pre-insolvency’ stage
- How arbitration centres have developed insolvency-specific rules?
Stephanie Oneyser - Counsel - Walder Wyss (Switzerland)
Mercy Okiro - Advocate, Arbitrator and Law Lecturer - (Kenya)
David Peters KC - Barrister - Essex Court Chambers
David Chalcraft - Legal Director - HFW (UK)
End your week with a sunny meal by the beach!
BJ'S OCEANSIDE, by the Algarvian coastline
Transport included to and from the Anantara Hotel
The FIRE Boat Party Mingle with your new connections amidst the backdrop of the stunning Portuguese sunset and crystal clear waters.
|
Co-Hosted by |
Limited places! To register please contact Emma Granata at Emma.Granata@crsblaw.com

Contact Us
Speakers
For Speakers enquiries please contact Melody on +44 (0) 20 3997 8527 or email melody@thoughtleaders4.com
Partnership
For Partnership enquiries please contact Ben on +44 (0) 20 3965 4386 or email ben@thoughtleaders4.com
Booking & General Enquiries
For Booking & General Enquiries enquiries please contact Paul on +44 (0) 20 3398 8510 or email paul@thoughtleaders4.com
Venue & Logistics
For Venue & Logistics enquiries please contact Laura on +44 (0) 20 3433 2284 or email laura.fraser@thoughtleaders4.com
Marketing
For Marketing enquiries please contact Yelda on +44 (0) 20 3398 8551 or email yelda@thoughtleaders4.com