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Craig is a highly experienced corporate lawyer and Head of Corporate at O'Connors. His expertise covers a broad range of high-value transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity deals, business reorganisations and restructurings, joint ventures, corporate governance, and regulatory matters. He also has significant experience of advising law firms on litigation funding arrangements.

Craig joined O'Connors from global law firm Bedell Cristin where he handled significant offshore transactional work in their Jersey office. Craig’s offshore experience is a valuable asset, particularly for O'Connors investment fund and insurance practices, while his expertise in litigation funding is a key asset for the firm's legal sector clients.

Company Name and Description: O’Connors Legal Services Limited (which trades as O’Connors). O'Connors is a nationally recognised firm of business lawyers and advisers. Although business sector agnostic, the firm has particular expertise in supporting legal businesses, including law firms, barristers' chambers and claims management companies. Its unique blend of corporate, commercial, insurance, and regulatory legal expertise and unparalleled sector knowledge delivers strategic support and innovative solutions to help legal businesses navigate the legal landscape, manage risk and capitalise on market opportunities.

Website: https://www.oconnors.law

Founded: 2003

Headquarters: Liverpool - additional office in London

Area of Focus: Corporate, Commercial, Commercial Insurance, Litigation Funding, Financial Services and Legal Services Regulation

Member Quote: “We are known as the law firm for law firms and our deep understanding of the legal regulatory landscape means we are perfectly placed to assist law firms in accessing the resources they need to pursue justice through litigation funding.”

Ondrej is Partner and Head of Investments at LitFin, which he joined shortly after its foundation. He is particularly responsible for the legal agenda, investments, and business relations. Prior to LitFin, he gained professional experience as a lawyer focusing on transactions and corporate law and as an investor in the private sector. Ondrej graduated in law from Masaryk University (Czech Republic) and Brussels School of Competition (Belgium).

Below is our LFJ Conversation with Ondrej Tylecek: 

LitFin has become one of the most prominent litigation funders in the continental EU for follow-on group litigations. Can you take us through the company's growth process - how were you able to effectively scale your business?

I think the key to our success is that, unlike other funders, LitFin is a vertically integrated structure. With that being said, we’re not just deploying the capital into cases brought to us on a silver plate, but we’re actively building the cases from the bottom, going the extra mile, which other players on the market typically don’t. For example, we’re creating personalized onboarding strategies and trying to keep an individual client approach at all times, not relying on third parties doing the work for us, because we want to be sure that the best quality is secured at all times. Also, unlike other litigation funders, we’re not paid managers who take a management fee every year, but we have the ‘funders mentality’ because together with our investors, LitFin’s partners have their own money at stake. That’s what sets us apart, and that’s why we have extra motivation to succeed on the market.

How challenging was it to educate the continental EU market on litigation funding? And what have you noticed in regard to the market's understanding and acceptance of litigation funding as the sector has evolved?

At first it was challenging indeed, because lots of clients could not imagine that such a great service with which we approached them could even exist. Not spending a cent on a court proceeding and only share when the case was successful? That must be a scam then! Nevertheless, I think that we went quite far from there, and nowadays prospective clients typically are aware of the industry and the benefits it brings to them. As litigation funding in Europe matures, besides pricing, the clients typically look into the funder’s track record, legal representation, and overall trustworthiness.

What are LitFin's plans for growth - both regionally / jurisdictionally, and also in terms of product offerings?

Most importantly, due to our rapid growth, LitFin is actively seeking an additional strategic partner to solidify its position as a leading EU litigation funder specializing in follow-on group litigations arising from competition law infringements. With that regard, we are already in discussions with several top-tier potential new business partners in the USA and locally. Our conservative target is to raise EUR 100 million within the next six to nine months to allow us to seize even more opportunities in the litigation finance space and expand our current portfolio, which already exceeds EUR 4 billion in claim value funded with a success rate over 90%.

From a regional perspective, 2024 was a breakthrough year for us in France and the Benelux region, where we successfully funded cases and strengthened our local presence. Our expansion in these markets has been driven by new colleagues from France, led by Juraj Siska, who joined us from the European Commission and who now serves at LitFin as the Director for France & Benelux. Building on this momentum, our focus for this year is on Spain and Italy, where we are already active and see strong potential for further growth.

Regarding product offerings, we remain committed to our core activities in the distressed sector in Central Europe. Beyond that, we have some exciting new products in development, which we prefer to not disclose at this stage. However, regardless of expansion plans, our top priority remains delivering bespoke, high-quality litigation funding solutions tailored to our clients’ needs.

What are LitFin's plans for growth - both regionally / jurisdictionally, and also in terms of product offerings? Last year you have established the first regulated fund (SICAV) in CEE (and one of the first in continental Europe) focused purely on the litigation funding industry. How have investors responded to the fund's launch, and do you foresee additional fund launches in the future?

The investors responded very well, even though we focused on the Czech and Slovak region only and the fundraising period was short. Primarily, we were able to successfully test an interest in this new, uncorrelated asset class and are happy that investors, both institutions and individuals, perceive litigation funding as an interesting and valued addition to their investment portfolios. Regarding the SICAV fund, we’ll be launching a new evergreen sub-fund called ‘Credit’ with a target return of 13% p.a., which will allow qualified investors to be part of our success story without time limitations on the entry.

How are the recent regulatory frameworks such as the Voss Report impacting the funding industry? Do you see industry regulation as a risk for litigation funders going forward?

As one of Europe’s leading litigation funders, LitFin obviously closely monitors regulatory developments like the Voss Report. While it has raised concerns about potential industry regulation, we believe much of the criticism within the report misrepresents the realities of litigation finance. The report suggests excessive funder control over cases and a lack of transparency, but in practice, funders do not dictate legal strategy—claimants and their legal teams remain in charge. Moreover, existing contractual safeguards and ethical obligations already ensure accountability and fairness.

From my perspective, the biggest issue with the Voss Report is that it overlooks the essential role litigation funding plays in access to justice. Many businesses and consumers would be unable to challenge well-resourced defendants without financial backing. As Omni Bridgeway’s Wieger Wielinga rightly pointed out in a recent LFJ interview, ensuring a level playing field in litigation requires financial equality between counterparties, making litigation funding essential. Creating an artificial barrier would ultimately benefit large corporations at the expense of fairness.

We do not see regulation as an existential threat to the industry. If regulation is introduced, we expect it to focus on transparency rather than prohibition, ensuring credibility while allowing the market to function effectively. Markets like the UK and Australia have thriving litigation funding sectors under clear regulatory frameworks, and we expect Europe to follow a similar path. For reputable funders like LitFin, well-structured regulation could actually be beneficial, reinforcing trust in the industry and attracting institutional investors.

Dane Lund has built a career at the intersection of law and finance, bringing a distinctive blend of legal acumen and financial expertise to the evolving world of litigation funding. He began his professional journey after graduating from Harvard Law School as a litigation associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher in 2012, where he gained firsthand experience navigating complex commercial disputes and understanding the strategic nuances that drive legal outcomes.

Eager to broaden his perspective, Dane transitioned into investment banking, joining the Financial Sponsors Group at Barclays. There, he developed a rigorous foundation in evaluating risk, structuring deals, and analyzing the dynamics of capital markets—skills that would later prove invaluable in the realm of legal finance.

Following his time at Barclays, Dane pursued investment roles focused on equities, private debt, and legal finance, deepening his expertise across both traditional and alternative asset classes. This diverse background positioned him perfectly for the litigation finance space, where legal strategy and capital management intersect. In 2024, he joined Juris Capital as Managing Director, where he helps shape the firm’s approach to funding commercial litigation.

At the core of Dane’s investment philosophy is a simple yet powerful belief: “Patient capital wins.”

For Dane, this isn’t just a tagline—it’s the guiding principle. Litigation is inherently unpredictable, often requiring strategic persistence and disciplined, long-term thinking to achieve the best outcomes. In an industry where quick returns are rare, Dane emphasizes that success comes from having the foresight to invest thoughtfully and the patience to see cases through to their full potential.

“We’re experiencing a sea change in how law is practiced,” says Dane. “Legal finance isn’t just a funding mechanism—it’s a catalyst for innovation within the legal sector.”

Company Name and Description: Juris Capital provides funding for commercial litigation claims. The firm collaborates with businesses and law firms to support the financial aspects of pursuing complex legal matters. Dane notes that Juris’s approach is shaped by its understanding of legal processes and the financial considerations involved in managing long-term investments. Its focus spans a variety of case types, including breach of contract disputes, corporate governance issues, and antitrust matters.

Website: https://www.juriscapitalcorp.com/

Founded: 2009

Headquarters: Chicago

Member Quote: “Legal finance is expanding beyond traditional litigation into areas like legal tech, contingent risk management, and law firm operations. It’s not just about funding cases anymore—it’s about unlocking value in legal assets that were previously considered illiquid or inaccessible. That’s where the future lies.”