A new client arrives through a trusted introducer. He wants a company formed, a bank account opened and a set of accounts prepared quickly, and he is willing to pay well for speed. The engagement letter is signed, the fees are paid, and eighteen months later a regulator asks why the firm did not notice that the client's "trading company" was moving money for a sanctioned business.
Accounting practices, consulting and advisory firms, corporate service providers, recruitment and executive search firms and other professional services businesses sell expertise and reputation. Both can be damaged by the wrong client, the wrong hire or the wrong partner. Our client due diligence for professional services and wider investigation services help firms know who they are working for and with, protect their people and data, and recover what they are owed. As an international investigation firm headquartered in Dubai and backed by the 30+ years of GREVESGROUP®, we support professional firms in more than 100 countries.
Investigation Challenges for Professional Firms
- Client risk: clients who hide their real owners, source of funds or sanctions links
- Regulatory duties: accountants, auditors and corporate service providers are designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs) in the UAE and carry similar AML duties in many other jurisdictions
- Conflicts of interest between clients, partners and engagements
- Lateral hire and partner risk: undisclosed disputes, regulatory history or exaggerated books of business
- Data leaks and client poaching by departing staff and partners
- Unpaid fees from clients who move assets or disappear
- Impersonation: fake letters, reports or certificates issued in the firm's name
Our Investigation Services for Professional Firms
Due Diligence
Our client acceptance due diligence verifies the identity, beneficial ownership, source of wealth and funds, sanctions and PEP exposure, and reputation of prospective clients before engagement. For corporate service providers, corporate service provider due diligence checks the people behind companies you form or administer. We also vet introducers, referral partners, merger targets and firms you plan to associate with.
Background Check
Our partner background checks and senior hire screening verify qualifications, professional memberships, employment history, directorships, litigation and regulatory records. For recruitment and executive search firms, executive search verification confirms candidates' credentials and track records before presentation to clients, protecting the firm's reputation for quality.
Corporate Investigation
When wrongdoing is suspected inside a firm, our corporate investigators handle sensitive internal matters independently: data leaks, conflicts of interest, expense and billing fraud, misconduct by partners and staff, and client complaints alleging improper behaviour.
Private Investigation
Our investigators trace clients and former clients who owe fees, identify assets for recovery and conduct lawful enquiries into whether departing partners or staff are breaching restrictive covenants by approaching clients or using confidential information.
IP Investigation
Firms protect methodologies, training materials, software tools and brand names. We investigate copying and misuse of proprietary material and trademarks by former staff and competitors.
Brand Protection
Fraudsters use well-known firm names on fake audit letters, fake due diligence reports, fake job offers and scam websites. Our team identifies impersonation, traces the people behind it and supports takedowns and legal action.
Claim Investigation
We support professional indemnity insurers and firms by investigating the facts behind claims and complaints, including the conduct of the claimant and the circumstances of alleged losses.
Process Service
Fee recovery actions and disputes with clients abroad require proper service. We serve claims and judgments internationally with court-ready proof.
AML Obligations and Client Acceptance
Professional firms that form companies, manage client money or provide accounting and audit services are part of the anti-money laundering system. In the UAE, these duties arise under Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018 and supervisory guidance for DNFBPs, and comparable rules apply in the UK, the EU and elsewhere. Standard database screening covers the basics, but higher-risk clients require more: understanding how wealth was made, who really controls a structure and whether adverse information exists in local-language sources. Our enhanced client due diligence gives compliance officers documented evidence for acceptance decisions and ongoing monitoring of high-risk relationships.
Protecting Firms When People Leave
Partner and senior staff departures are high-risk moments. Client lists, pricing, methodologies and deal pipelines can move with them. Before and after departures, we help firms establish what has happened, whether contractual obligations are being breached and what evidence is available for injunctions or claims. We work alongside your lawyers and IT team, who handle internal records and device review, while we focus on external, lawful investigation.
How We Work with Professional Firms
We work with managing partners, risk and compliance officers, general counsel and HR leaders. Client acceptance checks can run on a steady basis with agreed due diligence levels and turnaround expectations, while internal matters are handled case by case with strict confidentiality. Because professional firms live on reputation, we keep our involvement discreet and limit information to the people who need it.
Organisations We Support
Accounting and audit firms, management and strategy consultancies, corporate service providers and company formation agents, tax and advisory firms, recruitment and executive search firms, engineering and technical consultancies, and family offices.
Typical Engagements
The scenarios below are illustrative examples of the kind of work we carry out in this sector.
High-risk client onboarding
A corporate service provider is asked to form several companies for a new client. Enhanced due diligence reveals the client's previous companies were linked to a fraud investigation abroad, and the engagement is declined.
Lateral partner check
An advisory firm is about to hire a partner who claims a large book of business. Our checks confirm his credentials but reveal an undisclosed regulatory sanction, which the firm discusses with him before finalising terms.
Departing team
A consultancy loses a team of four to a new competitor. Investigation shows the new firm was set up before the team resigned and is pitching to the consultancy's clients, supporting legal action.
Fake audit letters
A firm discovers forged comfort letters bearing its name used to support loan applications. We identify the source and support a police complaint.
Candidate misrepresentation
An executive search firm is about to present a CFO candidate to a client. Verification shows one claimed role was a short consultancy rather than a permanent position, and the firm corrects the profile before it reaches the client.
What You Receive
Clear reports with verified findings, risk ratings, sources, supporting evidence and recommended actions for compliance, HR or legal decisions.
Why Professional Firms Choose Risk Investigators
Compliance-ready due diligence
Findings that support AML and client acceptance files.
Discreet internal investigations
Independent handling of sensitive matters involving partners and staff.
Global reach
Investigators in more than 100 countries, wherever your clients and candidates are.
Group experience
GREVESGROUP® has conducted investigations for more than 30 years.
Discretion
Our involvement stays invisible to clients, candidates and competitors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is client acceptance due diligence?
It is an investigation of a prospective client before engagement, covering identity, beneficial ownership, source of wealth and funds, sanctions and PEP exposure, and reputation, to manage regulatory and reputational risk.
Do accountants and corporate service providers need to do KYC?
In the UAE and many other jurisdictions, accountants, auditors and corporate service providers carry anti-money laundering duties that include customer due diligence. Your compliance adviser can confirm the exact obligations that apply to your firm.
Can you verify candidates for executive search firms?
Yes. We verify credentials, employment history, directorships and reputations of candidates before they are presented to clients.
Can you investigate a partner or employee internally?
Yes. We conduct independent, confidential internal investigations into misconduct, conflicts of interest, data leaks and fraud.
Can you help recover unpaid professional fees?
Yes. We locate clients who owe fees, identify their assets and support recovery and legal action, including international process service.
What can you do about fake documents issued in our firm's name?
We investigate where the documents come from and who is using them, and support takedowns, complaints and legal action.
Do you vet introducers and referral partners?
Yes. We check introducers' backgrounds, ownership and reputation, because the source of a client often indicates its risk.
Can you investigate a merger partner or firm we plan to acquire?
Yes. We investigate the firm's owners and partners, regulatory history, litigation, client complaints and reputation, and verify key claims before you merge or acquire.