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Burford Fires Opening Salvo Against Senate Tax Hike

By John Freund |

Burford Fires Opening Salvo Against Senate Tax Hike

The world’s largest litigation financier wasted no time responding to Capitol Hill’s surprise tax gambit. Hours after the Senate draft dropped, Burford Capital issued a statement warning that taxing funding profits at ordinary rates would “make it more expensive for businesses to secure litigation financing” and could stall innovation.

Burford Capital notes that the House version of the reconciliation bill omits any mention of litigation finance and stresses that reconciliation rules limit unrelated revenue raisers, foreshadowing a procedural challenge. The firm also highlights the draft’s retroactivity, arguing that investors priced cases under existing tax assumptions and could face punitive clawbacks if rules change midstream.

Market reaction was swift: Burford’s London-listed shares dipped 3 percent before recovering as analysts handicapped the bill’s prospects. Rival funders privately debate strategy—some push for a technical carve-out, others want the clause scrapped entirely. Defense counsel predict a burst of settlement offers aimed at closing cases before any rate hike can bite.

Burford’s rapid intervention shows the industry cannot afford silence while its business model is rewritten. Expect funders to beef up government-relations teams, demand wider tax indemnities from claimholders, and explore non-U.S. opportunities should Washington decide their profits look more like wages than capital gains.

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John Freund

John Freund

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Hausfeld Secures Landmark £1.5bn Victory Against Apple

Hausfeld has achieved a major breakthrough in the UK’s collective‑action landscape by securing a trial victory against Apple Inc. in a case seeking up to £1.5 billion in damages. The case, brought on behalf of roughly 36 million iPhone and iPad users, challenged Apple’s App Store fees and policies under the UK collective action regime.

According to the article in The Global Legal Post, the action was filed by Dr Rachael Kent (King’s College London) and backed by litigation funder Vannin Capital. Over a 10‑year span, the tribunal found that Apple abused its dominant position by imposing “exclusionary practices” and charging “excessive and unfair” fees on app purchases and in‑app subscriptions.

The judgement, delivered by the ­Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) on 23 October 2025, marks the first collective action under the UK regime to reach a successful trial‐level resolution. The CAT held that Apple’s 30 % fee on these transactions breached UK and EU competition laws and that the restrictions were disproportionate and unnecessary in delivering claimed benefits.

Apple has stated it will appeal the ruling, arguing the decision takes a “flawed view of the thriving and competitive app economy.” Meanwhile, the result is viewed as a significant vindication for collective claimants, with Dr Kent describing it as “a landmark victory … for anyone who has ever felt powerless against a global tech giant.”

ADF Women Eligible for Class Action Against Commonwealth

Thousands of women who served in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) between 12 November 2003 and 25 May 2025 are eligible to join a new class action in the Federal Court of Australia, brought by the law firm JGA Saddler and backed by global litigation funder Omni Bridgeway.

The Nightly reports that according to JGA Saddler lawyer Josh Aylward, the case alleges that the ADF has been afflicted by “sexual violence and discrimination” for decades—despite prior investigations and recommendations. “There is a gendered battlefield within the ADF that female soldiers have been faced with for more than 20 years,” Aylward said.

The claim includes allegations ranging from daily harassment—such as sexist comments and unwanted touching—to physical assaults. One cited case involves a woman pinned against a wall during a night out with colleagues, reporting the incident to military police who declined to prosecute with no explanation offered. The class action marks a bid to hold the Commonwealth to account for systemic issues rather than isolated incidents.

The eligibility window is broad: any woman who served in the ADF during that 2003–2025 period may participate. The class action is expected to become a multi‑million‑dollar claim.

AI Firm ddloop Clinches 2025 Legal Pitch Night Award

By John Freund |

Australian‑based technology startup ddloop has emerged as the winner of the 2025 Legal Pitch Night competition, securing recognition for its innovative artificial‑intelligence powered due‑diligence platform designed for legal workflows.

According to an article from Startup Daily, the startup impressed judges by automating key steps in legal review processes—delivering speed and accuracy in document‑intensive transactions.

The platform developed by ddloop harnesses AI‑driven analytics to sift through large volumes of contracts, disclosures and ancillary documentation, identifying risks, anomalies and salient terms far faster than manual review. By doing so, ddloop aims to reduce the time and cost burdens of due‑diligence work typically borne by legal teams and their corporate clients. The pitch competition win signals investor and industry recognition of the business model and its relevance to the evolving legal‑tech landscape.

For stakeholders in the legal‑funding and litigation‑support ecosystem, ddloop’s ascent highlights two compelling intersections: first, the rising role of tech‑enabled platforms in claim intake, case evaluation and documentation workflows; second, the increasing expectation that legal service providers (and potentially funders) adopt more data‑driven tools to manage risk, control cost and enhance predictability.

As funders and counsel assess funding opportunities, the availability of AI‑enabled due‑diligence platforms may shift how intake and underwriting processes are structured—particularly in high‑volume or document‑heavy matters.