From transaction data to admissible evidence.

When digital-asset records matter

• Value has moved across wallets, bridges or exchanges and you need to know what the records actually prove.
• An exchange or service provider may be holding a frozen balance.
• A payment diversion or authorised push payment fraud has just occurred and the trail may still be moving.

When another route may be better

If the trail has cashed out, if attribution cannot be established beyond inference, or if the only material is an unverified screenshot, the useful work may be a limited preservation note rather than proceedings. We say that before substantial tracing costs are incurred.

Property, disclosure and the limits of the chain

English courts have treated cryptoassets as property for the purpose of injunctions and proprietary claims. Emergency relief is still an ordinary High Court application under CPR Part 25. On-chain data is a record of transfers. It does not, on its own, prove who controlled a key, or that an exchange must pay you.

From records to a legal case

1. Immediate preservation steps. Transaction identifiers, exchange correspondence, device images and timestamps are held. We do not overwrite wallets or ask you to test a seed phrase.
2. Wallet and transaction analysis. Confirmed transfers are mapped through wallets, bridges and identifiable services, with tool versions and timestamps recorded for later exhibit.
3. Attribution: what is established and what remains inference. Clustering and similar techniques are marked as inference. Mixers, missing exchange data and unverified screenshots are treated as limits, not footnotes.
4. Platform engagement and disclosure. Where a platform, exchange or other institution may hold relevant records or frozen balances, we advise on letters, preservation requests and formal disclosure routes.
5. Injunctions, proprietary claims and prosecution options. If the picture supports it, we advise on urgent relief, proprietary claims or a criminal route. If it does not, we say so.

Fraud-recovery warning

Edison Law will never ask you for a seed phrase or private key. We cannot reverse a blockchain transaction. Anyone who guarantees that cryptocurrency will be returned, or who asks you to send coins or keys to ‘secure’ them, is not describing this work honestly. See the fraud warning.

Principal risks

• Coins can leave a venue before an order bites.
• An exchange outside England and Wales may not act on a London letter. Local process is then a separate cost.
• Clustering is inference. Presenting it as fact will be tested.

Fees

We agree the scope and charging basis before substantive work begins. Most matters are charged by reference to time; a fixed fee may be available for a clearly defined preliminary review. Full rates and terms are on the Pricing page.

Who is responsible

Each matter is supervised by a named solicitor. Specialist investigators and forensic professionals are introduced where their expertise is needed, with their role and status explained. Job titles on this site are not a reserved-activity authorisation. Confirm current authorised individuals on the Regulatory information page and the public SRA record.