Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00 EST · Toronto · Response < 1h
+1 (306) 640-2857 WhatsApp intake@northboundlegal.ca FR
Canadian Fund Recovery · Toronto

Recover what's yours. If we don't — you don't pay.

$47M+ recovered for 1,800+ Canadians defrauded online. Forex, crypto, unlicensed casinos, signal scams. Our fee — a written percentage of what we return to your account. Nothing more.

Message us on WhatsApp · Free review View case studies
↑ Tap to chat directly with a licensed Ontario lawyer · Reply within 1 business hour
$47M+
Recovered (CAD)
1,800+
Cases closed
73%
Success rate
James W. Hartwell, Managing Partner
24h
Written
assessment
No recovery
No fee
→
MA
Michael A.
Toronto · Forex · 2025
"Lost $284K to an offshore broker. Northbound recovered the full amount in 41 days. I paid nothing until the money was back."
Latest recovery $28,400 CAD · Toronto · 3 days ago
This week $112,500 CAD · 5 cases closed
OSC ruling $84,200 CAD · offshore broker
Crypto trace $612,000 CAD · USDT to KYC'd exchange
Latest recovery $28,400 CAD · Toronto · 3 days ago
This week $112,500 CAD · 5 cases closed
OSC ruling $84,200 CAD · offshore broker
Crypto trace $612,000 CAD · USDT to KYC'd exchange
02
Fee Model

How "no recovery,
no fee" works

No fine print. You pay a percentage only of funds actually returned to your account. If we don't recover, your cost is zero — guaranteed in our written Contingency Fee Agreement.

$0

At case start

No retainer. No upfront fees. No "security deposit". Case review is free, signing the Contingency Fee Agreement is free.

$0

During the process

No billable hours. No disbursement invoices. No meeting fees. While we work — you pay nothing.

%

Only on recovery

Only when funds land back in your account. Written percentage applies to the actually recovered amount — agreed before we start.

If we don't recover your money — you owe us nothing.

03
Results

Real numbers,
real clients.

Verified by our annual internal audit. Every figure is money actually returned to a real client account — not "claims filed" or "amounts pursued".

$47M+
Total recovered (CAD)

Over 7 years of practice. Audit-verified annually.

1,800+
Cases closed

Closed with funds actually returned to the client.

7
Years of practice

Exclusively focused on fund recovery and financial fraud.

73%
Success rate

Cases closed with partial or full recovery, 2019–2025.

04
Services

We recover funds
across 4 practice areas

Same contingency fee model across every service: you pay only after we recover. No exceptions, no hidden retainers.

04.1

Forex & CFD

Unregistered offshore brokers manipulating trades, blocking withdrawals, or charging predatory fees. Card chargeback under Visa/Mastercard rules + complaints to CIRO / OSC + civil claim.

→
04.2

Cryptocurrency

Blockchain tracing of USDT, BTC, ETH using Chainalysis / TRM Labs. Court-ordered KYC disclosure from compliant exchanges. Recovery from "pig butchering" and romance scams.

→
04.3

Online casinos

Offshore casinos operating without AGCO/iGO licence and illegally targeting Canadian residents. Urgent card chargeback + complaint to provincial regulator + civil action.

→
04.4

Signal groups & academies

Fake trading "mentors", paid signal Telegrams, and trading academies that caused provable losses. Civil liability under provincial consumer protection acts + securities-act remedies.

→
05
Process

4 steps to
recovering your money

Transparent process. We send a status update every 15 days without you having to ask.

01

Free case review

We review your documentation and give you a written assessment of merits, risks and realistic timelines. Done by a licensed Ontario lawyer.

24 hours
02

Sign the CFA

If the case is viable, you sign our Contingency Fee Agreement with the success percentage written in. No retainer, no upfront cost.

1–2 days
03

Claim & litigation

Card chargeback + regulator complaints (OSC / CIRO / AGCO) + criminal report where warranted + civil claim in the appropriate Canadian court.

2–6 months
04

Recovery

Funds returned directly to your account. Only then do we apply the agreed contingency percentage. No recovery, no fee.

Paid at the end
Start my case
06
Case Studies

Real results,
real numbers.

Every case below is money actually returned to a real Canadian client. Names changed for privilege.

Recovered$284K
Toronto · 41 days · Offshore Forex
Case #412 · 2025

Full chargeback in 41 days

Client invested with a Cyprus-based broker not registered with the OSC or CIRO. After issuing a Visa chargeback under reason code 13.5 (misrepresentation) and a complaint to the OSC, the full amount was recovered before any litigation was filed.

Recovered USDT$612K
Vancouver · 4 months · Crypto
Case #287 · 2025

Blockchain trace to KYC'd exchange

"Pig butchering" scam initiated on WhatsApp. We traced USDT flows through 9 wallets to a compliant exchange, obtained a Norwich order from the Ontario Superior Court, and recovered funds after the exchange disclosed KYC and froze the account.

Recovered$156K
Calgary · 7 weeks · Casino
Case #156 · 2024

Unlicensed Curaçao casino targeting Canadians

Offshore casino registered in Curaçao operating without an AGCO or iGaming Ontario licence, accepting Canadian players. Urgent Mastercard chargeback under reason code 4853 + complaint to AGCO + civil claim. Full recovery before trial.

07
About

A real law firm
with a physical office

Our team works out of Toronto's Financial District and serves clients across all 10 provinces. Four lawyers called to the Ontario bar, two forensic specialists, two case operations leads.

Northbound Legal team in Toronto office

7 years focused on one practice area

Since 2019 we have done one thing: recover money for Canadians defrauded online. We do not dilute our focus into other practice areas — that is our edge.

Every case passes through at least three of our specialists: the responsible lawyer, a forensic analyst, and a dedicated case manager. No outsourcing, no handoffs to subcontractors.

8
In-house specialists
1,800+
Cases closed
73%
Success rate
08
Team

A real team,
not an online agency.

8 in-house specialists. Every case is handled by at least three of them: the responsible lawyer, a forensic analyst, and a case manager. No outsourcing.

04Lawyers called
to the Ontario bar
02Forensic
specialists
08In-house
professionals
100%Work done
in-house
James W. Hartwell01 / Managing Partner
Managing Partner
James W. Hartwell
Lawyer · LSO #P74218
Securities & banking · 14 years
Chargeback / OSC / Broker disputes
Marie-Claude Tremblay02 / Senior Counsel
Senior Counsel · Quebec liaison
Marie-Claude Tremblay
Avocate · Barreau du Québec #218047
Civil litigation · 12 years
Civil claims / Class actions / Appeals
Priya Raghavan03 / Crypto
Head of Crypto Recovery
Priya Raghavan
Lawyer · LSO #P82914
Crypto litigation · 7 years
Norwich orders / KYC disclosure / DeFi tracing
Olivia Mackenzie04 / Litigation
Litigation Lead
Olivia Mackenzie
Lawyer · LSO #P69053
Former Crown counsel · 11 years
Fraud / Money laundering / Civil litigation
David Chen05 / Forensics
Senior Investigator · Blockchain Forensics
David Chen
CFE · Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator
Chainalysis Reactor · TRM Labs
BTC / ETH / USDT tracing · Mixer deobfuscation
Mikhail Petrov06 / Forex/CFD
Forex & CFD Specialist
Mikhail Petrov
Paralegal · LSO #L41892
Payment dispute specialist · 9 years
Visa / Mastercard chargebacks · CIRO complaints
Sarah O'Brien07 / Client Care
Client Care Director
Sarah O'Brien
Case manager · PMP certified
Client operations · 8 years
Status update every 15 days · First reply < 1h
Anthony Russo08 / Casino
Casino Disputes Lead · Compliance
Anthony Russo
Paralegal · LSO #L38274
AGCO / iGO complaints · 6 years
AGCO / iGaming Ontario / PIPEDA / FINTRAC
09
Fees

Fees public
and in writing

No fine print. What you see here is what you sign in the Contingency Fee Agreement before work begins. Permitted under the Ontario Solicitors Act.

TierAmount recoveredContingency fee
09.1Up to $25,000 CAD30%
09.2$25,000 – $100,000 CAD25%
09.3$100,000 – $500,000 CAD20%
09.4Over $500,000 CAD15%
✓
No retainer · No hidden costs · No hourly billing. All percentages apply to the amount actually recovered and are fixed in writing in the Contingency Fee Agreement. If the claim is unsuccessful — your cost is $0.
10
Reviews

What our
clients say

Verified reviews on Google. Three representative client outcomes across the practice areas we handle most.

I lost $284K to an offshore broker. Northbound recovered the full amount in 41 days through a chargeback and OSC complaint. I paid nothing until the money was back.
Michael A.
Toronto · Forex · 2025
Unregistered Cyprus-based broker. Full recovery via Visa chargeback.
★★★★★
5.0 / 5Verified on Google
★★★★★
"WhatsApp pig butchering scam. They traced the USDT all the way to a compliant exchange and we recovered $584K out of the $612K I lost."
Laura R.Vancouver · Crypto · 2025
★★★★★
"What sold me: I paid nothing until they recovered. A real lawyer with a verifiable LSO number, not an offshore claims agency."
Jeffrey C.Calgary · Casino · 2024
★★★★★
"I always knew exactly where my case stood. Status update every 15 days without me having to chase. Pure professionalism."
Emma M.Montreal · Crypto · 2025
11
Conferences

Experts in blockchain
and financial law

Our team speaks regularly at industry conferences, professional development programs, and publishes in legal media. Featured at Canadian FinTech Summit, Blockchain Futurist Conference Toronto, and the Canadian Bar Association.

James Hartwell keynote · Blockchain Futurist Conference Toronto 2025
▶
Keynote · 2025

"On-chain forensics meets Canadian civil procedure"

James Hartwell keynotes at the Blockchain Futurist Conference in Toronto on Norwich orders, court-compelled KYC disclosure from compliant exchanges, and the new wave of pig-butchering recoveries in Canada. Hosted partners: CBA, Chainalysis, TRM Labs.

As featured in
12
FAQ

Before you reach out —
we may already have answered

The most common questions clients ask on the first call.

12.1How much do you charge?+

We charge contingency fees only — a percentage of the amount actually recovered. The tier schedule is published in the Fees section and written into your Contingency Fee Agreement. If we don't recover, you pay nothing.

12.2How long does a case take?+

Depends on the claim type. Card chargeback: 1–3 months. Regulator complaints (OSC / CIRO / AGCO): 3–6 months. Civil litigation: 12–24 months, typically shorter when settled before trial.

12.3Is the case review really free?+

Yes, no strings attached. The review is performed by a licensed Ontario lawyer with a written assessment delivered within 24 hours. No upfront payment, no obligation to retain.

12.4Do you guarantee recovery?+

No. Any firm guaranteeing 100% is lying — and under Law Society rules, also breaching the Rules of Professional Conduct. We guarantee an honest assessment, a qualified team, and consistent work. If we don't recover, you don't pay.

12.5How can I verify you're a real law firm?+

Every lawyer has a public LSO directory entry. We are incorporated as a Professional Corporation with the Law Society of Ontario. Physical office in Toronto's Financial District. Verified Google reviews. We do not operate as a claims-management middleman.

12.6Do you work with clients outside Ontario?+

Yes. We serve clients across all of Canada and act for Canadian residents abroad. Engagement and document signing are fully remote via electronic signature (PIPEDA-compliant). Where local counsel is required (e.g. Quebec proceedings), we co-counsel with a Barreau du Québec member.

Free case review

Get a written
assessment in 24h

A licensed Ontario lawyer reviews your case and sends a written assessment within one business day. No obligation. No upfront cost. Solicitor–client privilege from the first message.

Response time< 1 business hour
Written assessmentWithin 24 hours
PrivilegeSolicitor–client
Cost$0 — no recovery, no fee

Free case review

Confidential · No obligation · 24h response

Message us on WhatsApp — fastest way to get a written assessment from a licensed Ontario lawyer. We'll reply within 1 business hour.

Solicitor–client privilege · PIPEDA compliant
13 / Start today

Every day without
a claim —
recovery gets harder.

Free case review within 24 hours, no obligation, performed by a licensed Ontario lawyer. If we don't recover, you pay nothing.

Free case review Message on WhatsApp Call now
HoursMon–Fri 9:00–19:00 EST
Response< 1 business hour
ConfidentialitySolicitor–client privilege
CoverageAll of Canada
Call WhatsApp
Before you go

Still unsure about
your case?

Message us on WhatsApp — a licensed Ontario lawyer will give you a free written assessment within 24 hours. No phone calls required.

100% confidential · 0 spam