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.

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.

The Judicial Conference of the United States’s advisory body is taking aim at developing new rules that would govern class certification procedures and third‑party litigation funding disclosure in federal courts. Advisers signaled their interest in crafting far‑reaching reforms to tackle two of the most contentious issues in civil‑litigation governance.

An article in Law360 notes that the impetus for change stems from growing corporate and defense‑bar pressure to require plaintiffs and their funders to disclose funding arrangements in class and mass litigation. Proponents argue that greater transparency would enable courts and defendants to assess potential conflicts of interest and settlement dynamics.

At the same time, advisers are considering whether the rules for class certification themselves should be amended to take account of funding structures, the role of law‑firm portfolios and the influence of financiers on case strategy and settlement.

For the legal‑funding industry, this signals a possible regulatory shift in the U.S. Although there is not yet a formal rule change, funders, plaintiffs’ counsel and defendants should anticipate potential requirements to disclose the identity of funders, terms of funding agreements, and how such arrangements may impact class‑certification motions or settlement approvals.

In its October 2025 Business Litigation Report, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP outlines major shifts impacting the litigation‑funding sector in the UK.

The report highlights the landmark decision in Sony Interactive v Neill and Ors [2025] EWCA Civ 841, where the Court of Appeal of England & Wales unanimously upheld the validity of litigation funding agreements (LFAs) that provide a return based on a multiple of the funder’s investment—so long as they are capped by the proceeds of litigation—and rejected the view that such arrangements automatically qualify as “damages‑based agreements” (DBAs) under Section 58AA of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990.

The report underscores that, had Sony v Neill gone the other way, a significant portion of UK LFAs could have been rendered unenforceable—a scenario that would have triggered major disruption across the funding industry.

Running in parallel, the Civil Justice Council (CJC) published a wide‑ranging final report on litigation funding, containing 58 recommendations aimed at reforming the UK funding regime. Key among these are: (i) legislative reversal of the effects of the PACCAR Inc and others v Competition Appeal Tribunal and others decision [2023] UKSC 28, which had classified many LFAs as DBAs; (ii) introduction of a formal, “light‑touch” regulatory framework for funders (including capital adequacy, conflict disclosure, oversight of funder control, and mandatory transparency of funder identity and source of funds); and (iii) explicit carve‑out of arbitration funding from this regulatory regime.

For legal funders and claim‑funded parties, these developments yield both clarity and new compliance horizons. The Court of Appeal’s decision affirms that LFAs structured around multiples of investment remain enforceable, paving the way for continued market activity. Simultaneously, the CJC’s recommendations signal that legislative and regulatory reform is likely imminent—bringing a higher level of oversight and formalisation to the sector.

In a high-stakes move that could redefine climate litigation in Latin America, Loopa Finance has announced it will fund a series of civil claims tied to environmental and human health damages stemming from the Ventanas thermoelectric complex in Chile. The lawsuits seek multimillion-dollar compensation for over 1,000 individuals in the so-called “sacrifice zones” of Quintero and Puchuncaví, alleging direct harm from toxic emissions over a seven-year period.

In a press release, Loopa Finance announced the litigation is built on a landmark study from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), which uses advanced atmospheric modeling to directly link emissions from the Ventanas facility to 563 deaths, hundreds of adverse birth outcomes, and an estimated USD 1.4 billion in economic losses between 2013 and 2020. The findings provide the first scientifically verified causal link between the plant’s pollution and measurable human and environmental harm—spanning as far as Santiago, 300 kilometers away.

The legal action, Arellano v. Empresa Eléctrica Ventanas SpA (Case No. C-8595-2025), was filed in the 18th Civil Court of Santiago in September 2025 and is led by attorney Miguel Fredes of the Climate Defense Program. Backed by precedent from Chile’s Supreme Court and UN findings on regional human rights risks, the plaintiffs seek environmental remediation, full compensation, and permanent closure of the Ventanas facility.

Loopa Finance—formerly known as Qanlex—brings its cross-border litigation funding model to bear, combining legal and engineering expertise across Latin America and Europe. “This is a landmark case,” said Loopa investment manager Federico Muradas. “We’re backing it because we believe in effective and restorative environmental justice.”

The UK legal profession is bracing for sweeping regulatory changes after the government announced plans to transfer anti-money laundering (AML) supervision of lawyers and accountants to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

An article in Legal Futures details the surprise decision, which has sparked widespread criticism from legal regulators including the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), and the Law Society. SRA Chief Executive Paul Philip, speaking at the regulator’s compliance conference, described the change as “very different” from existing oversight, warning that the FCA’s rules-based approach could upend how legal firms manage AML compliance. SRA Chair Anna Bradley echoed this sentiment, highlighting the potential for friction in adapting to the FCA's framework.

Currently employing 30 AML specialists, the SRA may redirect those resources elsewhere, but clarity remains lacking on how the FCA will structure and fund its expanded mandate. Law Society President Mark Evans cautioned that the move could raise compliance costs and create a burdensome dual-regulation environment, sentiments echoed by the CLC and the Law Society of Scotland.

The FCA, for its part, says the consolidation will streamline AML oversight and bolster enforcement capabilities. However, several experts—including former SRA AML director Colette Best and compliance professionals across the sector—warn that the FCA’s unfamiliarity with legal practice, possible under-resourcing, and the need for new legislation may delay implementation and sow confusion.

While anti-corruption advocates like Spotlight on Corruption welcomed the move, calling it a long-overdue shakeup, industry voices argue the transition must be carefully managed to avoid disrupting one of the UK’s most respected professions.

For litigation funders, the development underscores a trend toward stronger centralized oversight in areas intersecting with financial crime enforcement. Questions remain over how the FCA’s broader enforcement style might influence law firms—and by extension, the funders who work with them.

William Weisman of Parabellum Capital uses a football metaphor to dismantle claims that commercial litigation funders wield excessive influence over the U.S. legal system. Opponents—like the Chamber of Commerce and Lawyers for Civil Justice—portray funders as shadowy power brokers manipulating outcomes. In reality, Weisman argues, the industry is tiny.

Writing in the National Law Review, Weisman notes that U.S. commercial litigation funding represents just $2.3 billion in annual commitments, with only about $759 million going directly to litigants. The workforce across roughly 33 funders totals only 337 people, over half of whom work at firms with five or fewer employees. Burford Capital alone accounts for about 20% of that headcount.

Of those 337 employees, only 204 hold law degrees, and most are focused on origination or operations—not trial oversight. Roughly 80% of funders employ fewer than 10 lawyers, making it implausible that they could “quarterback” litigation. Compared to the 1.3 million U.S. lawyers, 450,000 law firms, and 85,000 attorneys at Am Law 100 firms, the entire funding sector barely registers in size. Even individual corporate law departments often employ more attorneys than all U.S. funders combined.

Weisman concludes that funders aren’t calling plays—they’re providing capital to level the field for smaller businesses that couldn’t otherwise litigate against deep-pocketed opponents. Allegations of undue influence, he writes, are a strategic “ball fake” meant to preserve the advantage of entrenched corporate interests.

A sharp pivot is underway in litigation finance as funders increasingly court the private credit market amid waning interest from traditional backers.

An article in Law Gazette details how funders, faced with reduced appetite from pension and endowment funds due to rising interest rates and macroeconomic volatility, are now tapping into the $1.7 trillion private credit sector—comprising non-bank lenders known for backing complex, high-yield opportunities. At Brown Rudnick’s European litigation funding conference last week, executives from Rocade, Therium, and others dissected the sector’s evolving funding landscape.

Brian Roth, CEO of Rocade LLC, emphasized that litigation finance offers the kind of complexity private credit thrives on. “We’re looking for assets that are complex or hard to source… [that offer] a ‘complexity premium,’” Roth said, adding that insurance-wrapped and yield-segmented portfolios could make the space even more appealing to credit investors.

Therium Capital Management co-founder Neil Purslow—whose flagship fund is now in runoff—recently launched Therium Capital Advisors to help bridge the gap between funders and private credit. Purslow noted that while capital is plentiful, accessing it requires sophisticated structuring to meet private lenders’ expectations. “It’s very bespoke,” he said. “This pool of investors… think very specifically about their strategy.”

Not all industry voices are convinced. Soryn IP’s Michael Gulliford warned that litigation finance must deliver returns consistent with private credit norms, or risk being shunned. Meanwhile, Balance Legal Capital’s Robert Rothkopf and Harbour Litigation Funding’s Susan Dunn raised alarms over new players using questionable financial structures and attracting inexperienced investors.

The shift toward private credit could redefine how litigation finance structures deals, raises capital, and manages risk. But the influx of new money—especially if poorly vetted—may also invite instability. As private credit steps into the void, funders must weigh innovation against the risk of diluting industry standards.