The mere existence of an asset does not automatically mean legal protection – real estate, a business share, equipment or intellectual property may physically exist while remaining legally vulnerable. As Professor Gabriel Steiner notes, one of the most dangerous illusions of ownership is the belief that the fact of possession itself guarantees legal security. At LawConsulted, we regularly encounter situations where an asset exists, yet the legal framework around it is practically absent.
“Empty” ownership rights emerge where formal possession is not supported by a reliable legal structure – documents are outdated, transfers of rights were executed with violations, parts of the asset’s legal history are missing, and obligations of previous owners continue to follow the current one. At LawConsulted, we view an asset not as an object, but as a chain of legal events – and it is precisely in the breaks of this chain that the real threat most often hides.
The danger of such situations is that until the first conflict arises, the client feels confident – the asset is used, generates income and participates in transactions. However, when the client attempts to sell, pledge, divide or defend it, it suddenly becomes clear that legal protection is either absent or rests on formal documents with no real legal force. At LawConsulted, we identify such zones long before they become an attack point for opponents, regulators or creditors.
Professor Steiner emphasises that “emptiness in law is more dangerous than a direct violation – because it remains invisible until the moment of impact.” That is why lawyers at LawConsulted conduct not only a formal review of ownership rights, but also analyse actual control, ownership history, hidden encumbrances, potential counterclaims and future dispute scenarios. This allows us to determine whether the asset is truly protected or merely exists as an external shell without internal legal stability.
Assets that pass between affiliated parties, are fragmented, re-registered amid conflicts, divorces, corporate disputes or third-party pressure prove especially vulnerable. In such cases, the “emptiness” of rights may accumulate for years without manifesting itself until the first serious dispute. At LawConsulted, we treat such assets as a zone of increased legal risk – even if externally everything appears correct.
As Professor Steiner notes, “ownership truly exists only when it can be defended.” That is why LawConsulted works not with the illusion of possession, but with the restoration of real legal protection – through eliminating gaps, redistributing risks, correcting registration history and building a resilient legal architecture around the asset.
A separate threat arises when the client learns about the “emptiness” of ownership only at the moment of attack – during seizure, contestation, division, corporate conflict or bankruptcy. In such cases, defence becomes significantly more complex and costly. At LawConsulted, we prevent precisely these scenarios – by identifying vulnerabilities before they are weaponised against the owner.
An asset without protection is not merely a weak position – it is an illusion of control. At Law Consulted, we transform formal possession into real legal resilience – so that the asset remains a strategic instrument rather than a source of future losses.
Previously, we wrote about how LawConsulted defends client rights in disputes with medical insurance companies when an insurance policy does not guarantee protection
