Middlesbrough native Neil Heaney, who represented England on the pitch alongside club stints at Arsenal and Manchester City during his playing career, has expanded his law firm to 15 countries after he and a friend lost £50,000 on a Costa Del Sol property deal gone wrong in 2002.
For stat fans, Heaney is City’s 422nd top scorer with two goals in a Maine Road career that lasted from 1996-1999, and saw him play a role in the club’s dramatic return to the first division under manager Joe Royle.
Judicare has now helped thousands of clients stuck in similar situations after the former midfielder turned his own experiences into a specialist legal practice helping clients resolve a wide variety of overseas issues and foreign property disputes in jurisdictions where the law can be very different than at home.
The firm now operates across popular expat destinations including Spain, Greece and Cyprus, and has helped clients write off more than €60m (£51m) in foreign mortgage debt. It aims to increase that figure to more than €100m by the end of the year.
Heaney said: “A friend and I were scammed out of £50,000 when I was a footballer. When you’re playing, you never expect to find yourself caught up in something like that, but it became a real problem and one that was incredibly upsetting.
“I remember I was handed a brochure to invest in a property in the Costa Del Sol, and it looked legitimate. Other players had done it, so I didn’t think twice. But as time went on, the developer wasn’t answering my calls, and everything went silent, which caused alarm bells.
“I also quickly realised that there wasn’t any support for victims of this kind of fraud in the UK, which is why I eventually set up a firm that would help.
“Looking back now, I’m proud of how far we’ve come at Judicare. What started from my own experience has grown into a firm that’s helped thousands of people facing similar situations, and we’re determined to help even more.
“Knowing we could make a real difference in people’s lives was a fundamental part of the process and remains so.
“Having been the victim of these issues myself, I know exactly how our clients feel. I know the anxiety, stress and damage these situations can cause.
“I think that really helps, there’s a level of relatability we can offer our clients, and now, having saved them millions, it really feels good.”
Having started the business in the early noughties, Heaney said seeing it grow to operate across 15 jurisdictions “empowers” both him and his employees to keep striving forward.
To date, Neil and his team have helped clients write off more than €60m (£51m) worth of foreign mortgage debt and purchase more than €75m (£64m) worth of foreign property, positioning the firm as a leading specialist in international legal matters.
Neil added: “It’s really humbling, to be honest. When you look at the figures, the money we’ve saved people and the property we’ve helped them purchase, it’s been fantastic.
“What we’re really proud of is that we’re not just talking about super-rich clientele in every case. Most of our clients are hardworking members of the public who have worked for years to secure their retirement homes, and families with children looking to start a new life abroad.”
“We’ve come a really long way since the early days. The process has been challenging at times, but the overriding feeling is pride.
“We won’t be stopping at 15 jurisdictions. We want to continue to grow and become the go-to firm for individuals who have experienced these kinds of problems.”
