When recovered data might be used in a legal case, a dispute or an investigation, how it’s recovered matters as much as what’s found. Handle a device the wrong way and the evidence on it can be challenged or thrown out. Forensic recovery is about doing it defensibly: preserving the original untouched, documenting a clear chain of custody, and producing findings that stand up to scrutiny. We provide forensic data recovery for solicitors, businesses and individuals across the UK, with strict confidentiality and NDAs as standard.
Altering a device can make its data inadmissible. Forensic method preserves the original and documents every step.
Ordinary recovery has one goal: get the data back. Forensic recovery has a second, equally important one: do it in a way that can be trusted and defended if the data ends up in a legal setting. That means several things standard recovery doesn’t require. The original device is never altered — all work is done on a forensic image taken through a write-blocker, so the evidence stays exactly as it was received. Its integrity is proven with cryptographic hashing, so it can be shown the data hasn’t changed. A documented chain of custody records who handled the device and when, from the moment it arrives. And the findings are set out in clear, court-suitable reports, with expert input where needed.
Get any of that wrong — boot the device, run the wrong tool, alter a timestamp — and the other side can argue the evidence is unreliable, or have it excluded altogether. Forensic method exists precisely to prevent that, so that whatever is recovered can actually be relied upon.
Forensic recovery is called for whenever recovered data might carry legal or evidential weight. Litigation and disputes, where documents, emails or files on a device are evidence. Employee misconduct and IP theft — establishing whether a departing employee took data, deleted files, or used a device improperly. Fraud and internal investigations. E-discovery, where data must be recovered and produced for legal proceedings. Insurance and regulatory matters. And family or matrimonial cases involving a shared device. If there’s any chance the data will be scrutinised, disputed or presented as evidence, it’s worth handling forensically from the start — because the method can’t be applied retroactively once a device has been altered.
This is where cases are most often compromised, usually with good intentions. Don’t use, boot or ‘have a look at’ the device — simply starting a computer changes hundreds of files and timestamps, and can undermine the integrity of the evidence. Don’t run recovery software or antivirus on it, and don’t let anyone try DIY recovery. Don’t let the device pass through multiple hands informally — every uncontrolled handling weakens the chain of custody. The right approach is to preserve the device exactly as it is, power it off, restrict access, and get forensic advice before anyone touches it. Once it’s been altered, that can’t be undone — so preservation comes first.
From the moment a device arrives we log it into a documented chain of custody. We take a forensic image through a write-blocker, so the original is read but never written to, and verify it with cryptographic hashes to prove the copy is exact and unchanged. All analysis and recovery — including recovering deleted, hidden and altered data, and examining timestamps and activity where relevant — is done on that image, leaving the original preserved. Findings are set out in a clear, court-suitable report, and expert testimony can be provided where a case requires it. Throughout, everything is handled under strict confidentiality and NDA. The result is recovered data that can be relied upon, and a process that stands up to challenge.
It starts with a confidential consultation to understand the case and what’s needed — the device, the questions to answer, and whether reporting or testimony will be required. We then assess the device and provide a written scope and quote before any chargeable work. Pricing is per case, reflecting the analysis and documentation involved, and NDAs and strict confidentiality are standard. We work with solicitors, businesses and individuals right across the UK and Ireland, and can accept devices in by insured courier or under controlled conditions to preserve the chain of custody.
That’s the point of the forensic approach. By preserving the original device untouched, imaging it through a write-blocker, verifying integrity with cryptographic hashing, and documenting a clear chain of custody, we produce recovered data and findings that are prepared to stand up to scrutiny — with court-suitable reporting and expert testimony available. Admissibility ultimately rests with the court, but sound forensic method is what gives evidence the best chance of being accepted rather than challenged.
Chain of custody is a documented record of who has handled a device, and when, from the moment it’s secured. It matters because it demonstrates the evidence hasn’t been tampered with or altered along the way — a break or gap in it lets the other side argue the data is unreliable. We log the device in on arrival and maintain that record throughout, which is essential for anything that may be used as evidence.
Often, yes — this is a common forensic case. We can recover deleted and hidden files, and examine activity and timestamps on a device, to help establish whether data was copied, removed or a device used improperly, and present the findings in a court-suitable report. The crucial thing is not to use or examine the device yourself first — doing so alters it and can undermine the evidence. Preserve it and get forensic advice before anyone touches it.
Yes. Forensic recovery includes recovering deleted, hidden and altered data — done on a write-blocked image so the original is preserved and the process is defensible. Deleted files typically remain on a device until overwritten, so they’re often recoverable, and doing it forensically means the results can be relied upon in a dispute or investigation rather than merely retrieved.
Yes. We set out findings in clear, court-suitable reports, and expert testimony can be provided where a case requires it. If you’re a solicitor or business preparing for proceedings, we’ll discuss exactly what form of reporting you need at the outset, and handle the whole engagement under strict confidentiality and NDA.
No. Our lab is in Belfast, but forensic recovery is done for solicitors, businesses and individuals right across the UK and Ireland. We can accept devices in by insured courier or under controlled conditions to preserve the chain of custody — your location doesn’t affect the service or the integrity of the process.
Power the device off, restrict access, and don’t use or examine it — then get in touch for a confidential consultation. We’ll advise on preserving the evidence, provide a written scope and quote, and handle the recovery defensibly, with court-suitable reporting and NDA as standard.