When capital is trapped, disputed, or deteriorating, we structure recovery, control counterparties, and re-stabilise the balance sheet.
Asset Recovery and Workouts
Asset Recovery and Workouts: Capital Brought Back Under Control
Handle executes Asset Recovery and Workouts as a single, integrated mandate across law, capital, and governance. We identify what is recoverable, secure it through the right forums, and restructure obligations into bankable, enforceable positions.
From distressed counterparties and non-performing exposures to contested equity and cross-border leakage, we move fast on priorities that matter to boards and capital providers. Evidence is converted into leverage, leverage into documented outcomes, and outcomes into realised value.
Our Asset Recovery and Workouts Services: From Exposure to Enforceable Outcome
Handle leads complex recoveries and workouts across the UAE and key cross-border jurisdictions. We align legal enforcement, capital structure, and counterparty strategy into one execution path, with timelines and outcomes tightly controlled.
Distressed Counterparty Asset Recovery
End-to-end pursuit of assets from defaulted borrowers, JV partners, and vendors across onshore and offshore forums.
Bank and Lender Workout Advisory
Structure, negotiate, and document workouts that stabilise portfolios while preserving enforcement and collateral value.
Enforcement and Cross-Border Execution
Convert judgments, awards, and security into realised value with coordinated onshore and international enforcement.
Corporate and Family Enterprise Restructuring Workouts
Re-cut capital, security, and governance so businesses survive stress with bankable, enforceable structures.
Why Work with an Asset Recovery and Workouts Expert
Distressed assets and pressured capital positions are not legal questions alone. They are control questions. Handle structures recovery and workouts so that jurisdiction, timelines, and counterparties move inside a defined framework, not on their own terms.
Our model integrates litigation, arbitration, security enforcement, and restructuring disciplines into one mandate. Boards, lenders, and families see a single recovery thesis, a single execution plan, and a clear bridge back to stability.
- End-to-end asset recovery from demand to realisation
- Workout structures aligned with bank, PE, and family office governance
- Cross-border enforcement capability through UAE onshore, DIFC, and ADGM
- Evidence-led strategy that converts exposure into bargaining power
- Stakeholder mapping and counterparty pressure calibrated to outcome
- Execution timelines defined, managed, and reported against
Better Ask Handle
Why Choose Us to Handle Your Asset Recovery and Workouts
Capital under stress requires disciplined execution, not fragmented advice. Handle assumes control of the recovery and workout process, integrating law, capital, and governance into a single accountable mandate.
We are built for situations where exposure is material, counterparties are sophisticated, and the institution cannot afford missteps.
EnquireIntegrated Law–Capital–Strategy Execution
Legal rights, financial covenants, and commercial leverage are treated as one system, not separate workstreams.
Jurisdiction and Forum Control
We select and sequence UAE onshore, DIFC, ADGM, and foreign forums for maximum enforceability and speed.
Stakeholder and Counterparty Discipline
Negotiations, standstills, and enforcement are run through a single strategy, aligned to board-level objectives.
Transparency for Boards and Capital Providers
Clear thesis, milestones, and reporting; decision-makers see options, consequences, and committed pathways.
Anchored in the Region’s Most Strategic Hubs
We work across the UAE’s leading financial centers, free zones, regulatory authorities, and courts; giving our clients certainty in both capital and law.
When your business turns legal, capital turns critical, and legacy turns strategic… #BetterAskHandle
What's Included in Our Asset Recovery and Workouts Services
Handle structures and executes Asset Recovery and Workouts from initial exposure mapping to realised recoveries and stabilised capital positions. Every step is architected for enforceability, counterparty control, and measurable outcomes.
Boards and capital providers receive an integrated strategy that converts distressed positions into defined recoveries, binding agreements, or orderly exits.
- Exposure and recoverability assessment across legal, financial, and operational dimensions
- Recovery thesis and scenario modelling aligned with board and lender priorities
- Demand strategy, notices, and protective measures including injunctions and asset freezes
- Workout design: reschedulings, haircuts, equity conversions, security re-cutting
- Litigation and arbitration where negotiation cannot secure enforceable terms
- Onshore and cross-border enforcement, collections, and asset realisation oversight
“Before offering your business for M&A, you must raise it with discipline. Strengthen governance, restore financial clarity, and sharpen strategy. A parented business attracts investors with confidence, not discounts.”
Mohamed abu El-MakaremManaging Partner & Chairman
“Good litigation is disciplined project management. Clear filings, clean evidence, and a hearing plan that your board understands. That is how outcomes travel from courtroom to cash.”
Hamda Al FalasiPartner, Law & Arbitration
The Powerhouse of Law & Capital⚬
The Powerhouse of Law & Capital⚬
The Powerhouse of Law & Capital⚬
The Powerhouse of Law & Capital⚬
The Powerhouse of Law & Capital⚬
#BetterAskHandle⚬
#BetterAskHandle⚬
#BetterAskHandle⚬
#BetterAskHandle⚬
#BetterAskHandle⚬
Frequently Asked Asset Recovery and Workouts Questions
Handle executes Asset Recovery and Workouts for lenders, investors, and family enterprises facing distressed exposures in or through the UAE; structured for enforceability, capital certainty, and disciplined recovery.
When should a board initiate an Asset Recovery and Workouts mandate?
Boards move to an Asset Recovery and Workouts mandate when exposure becomes structural, not incidental. Triggers include repeated covenant breaches, chronic arrears, stalled restructurings, or counterparties ignoring formal commitments. Early escalation preserves options, enforcement leverage, and asset value. Delay transfers control to the counterparty and narrows recovery outcomes.
How does Handle assess what is realistically recoverable?
We run a structured recoverability assessment across legal rights, asset position, and counterparty profile. This includes security review, priority analysis, tracing of assets and cash flows, and testing enforceability in relevant forums. The output is a quantified recovery thesis with scenarios, timelines, and enforcement pathways. Decisions then move from assumption to evidenced strategy.
What is the difference between a workout and simple renegotiation?
A simple renegotiation adjusts terms; a workout re-architects the position into something enforceable, sustainable, and bankable. In a workout, security, covenants, governance, and sometimes ownership are recalibrated, not just maturities and pricing. Documentation is built to anticipate future stress, not merely relieve current pressure. The outcome is a position that can withstand scrutiny from auditors, regulators, and capital partners.
How do you coordinate between legal action and commercial negotiation?
Legal action and negotiation run on one integrated track, not in conflict. We design a pressure architecture where each legal step increases clarity and leverage without closing viable commercial exits. Counterparties see that enforcement is prepared and executable, not theoretical. This alignment produces documented outcomes that hold under scrutiny and in court.
What jurisdictions do you operate in for asset recovery?
Our center of execution is the UAE, including onshore civil courts, DIFC, and ADGM. We routinely interface with foreign courts and arbitration forums where assets, counterparties, or structures are located. Forum selection and sequencing are designed to maximise enforceability and avoid jurisdictional dead-ends. Cross-border counsel are coordinated within a single Handle-led strategy.
How do you handle family enterprise and shareholder disputes involving assets?
We treat family and shareholder recoveries as governance-critical events, not just disputes. The mandate typically spans asset tracing, share and trust structures, shareholder agreements, and board dynamics. We structure outcomes that stabilise control, ring-fence operating assets, and make future value distributions enforceable. Emotion is removed from the execution path; documented governance replaces it.
What role do banks and lenders play during a workout you lead?
Banks and lenders retain credit and risk decision authority; we structure and execute the path that makes those decisions viable. We engage credit, risk, legal, and where relevant regulators within a disciplined information and documentation framework. Options are presented as defined structures with quantified trade-offs, not open-ended discussions. This lets institutions approve, monitor, and report the workout with confidence.
How long do Asset Recovery and Workouts typically take?
Duration depends on jurisdiction, counterparty behaviour, and asset complexity. We define timelines at the outset based on realistic legal and commercial paths, with milestones for demand, negotiation, documentation, and enforcement. Some recoveries close in months; others run in stages across years. What does not change is control over cadence, escalation, and decision points.
Can you act for multiple creditors or investors in the same workout?
Yes, where conflict rules allow, we structure creditor or investor groups into a coherent negotiating and enforcement block. This improves leverage, reduces duplicated effort, and prevents counterparties from arbitraging between stakeholders. Governance frameworks and decision rules are formalised to keep the group aligned. The result is a unified position that counterparties and courts must address.
How transparent is your reporting to boards and investment committees?
Reporting is structured, periodic, and decision-focused. Boards and committees receive status against the agreed thesis, timeline, and key milestones, with flagged decision points and recommended actions. Legal, financial, and commercial dimensions are summarised in one view. This keeps governance bodies informed and in control, without being drawn into day-to-day execution.
Our Insights.
Partner-led perspectives on law, capital, and strategy, shaped by live mandates and boardroom realities.
Insights
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Partner with Handle
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