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Case Developments Commercial

LCM Announces Settlement in Australian Class Action

Litigation Capital Management Limited (AIM:LIT), a leading international alternative asset manager of disputes financing solutions, announces that a settlement (subject to court approval) has been reached in an Australian class action.  The class action was brought in the Federal Court of Australia against the Commonwealth of Australia on behalf of persons who are alleged to have suffered loss and damage as the result of the contamination of their land at seven sites in proximity to Department of Defence military bases.  The Commonwealth has agreed to pay the sum of AUD$132.7M in order to resolve the class action, prior to the commencement of a hearing in the case scheduled to begin on 15 May 2023, as documented in a Heads of Agreement that has been executed by the parties. All other terms of the settlement are confidential, and the settlement and LCM's fee are subject to court approval. The claim forms part of LCM's managed Global Alternative Returns Fund ("Fund I") and was funded directly from LCM's balance sheet (25%) and Fund I Investors (75%). LCM is presently unable to estimate the quantum of the likely revenue and profit that will be generated from this investment if the settlement is approved by the court, but will provide a further announcement in relation to this in due course. Patrick Moloney, CEO of LCM, said: "This settlement demonstrates LCM's experience in class actions in Australia. Producing an outcome for the parties without incurring the expense of a contested hearing, the settlement is a positive resolution both for LCM and for the class members, who have been able to utilise LCM's funding in order to achieve this result.  We are pleased to have been able to support class members in upholding both environmental and health protections."
Commercial

Montana Enacts New Legislation Regulating Third-Party Litigation Funding in the State

Calls for increased regulation of litigation financing have traditionally been aimed at national governments, with lobbying efforts focused on enacting nationwide changes to impose stricter oversight on the practice. However, the last few months have demonstrated that these efforts may be finding more success in individual states, as just last week, Montana became the latest state to enact new legislation regulating third-party litigation funding. Senate Bill 269, the ‘Litigation Financing Transparency and Consumer Protection Act’, was signed into law by Governor Grey Gianforte last week, and enforces several new requirements for the use of litigation funding for civil actions in Montana.  The most notable measure included in SB 269 is the mandatory disclosure of all litigation financing contracts. The bill states that ‘a consumer or the consumer's legal representative shall, without awaiting a discovery request, disclose and deliver’ the litigation financing contract to all parties involved in the litigation. This includes all parties and their legal representatives, courts or tribunals, and insurers “with a pre-existing contractual obligation to indemnify or defend a party to the civil action.” The legislation also prohibits anyone from acting as a litigation financier in Montana, unless they are formally registered with the secretary of state. Section 7 of the bill does provide a number of exemptions from the requirements; however, this primarily applies to non-profit or business entities that provide financing for a legal action without receiving ‘the payment of interest, fees, or other consideration’.
The LFJ Podcast
Hosted By Yoav Navon |
In this episode, we speak with Yoav Navon, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Nemesis Litigation Funding, a blockchain-focused litigation funding firm. Yoav discusses his background in litigation funding and why he launched a blockchain-focused fund, the opportunities and challenges that exist for funders in the blockchain sector, how he addresses the collectability concern, what we can expect from crypto litigation in the future, and much more. [podcast_episode episode="11351" content="title,player,details"]
Commercial

Increased Use of Litigation Funding in Cross-Border M&A Disputes

Litigation funding continues to see wider acceptance and adoption by claimants in a wide variety of disputes, with funders bringing capital and expertise and experience in complex litigation to the table. Recent research by Dentons Canada has supported this and found that in the world of cross-border post-M&A disputes, litigation funding services are increasingly being retained by claimants and law firms. In a new video, Rachel Howie and Matthew Diskin of Dentons Canada discuss the firm’s latest survey which interviewed 150 senior executives involved in cross-border and global M&A transactions. The findings demonstrate that the use of third-party funding is on the rise, with 65% of respondents in the US & Canada stating they have engaged the services of a funder in the last 12 months. Speaking to the reasons for the uptick in the use of litigation funding, Diskin points to the rising costs of disputes and pressure on legal budgets, which allows funders to position themselves as a useful tool to share the risks and the financial burden when pursuing claims which are otherwise prohibitively expensive. Diskin also notes that the use of outside funding is even becoming more prevalent among companies with strong balance sheets and cash flows.  As for the benefits funders can provide outside of the actual financing, Diskin argues that funders are very attuned to spotting the issues that can arise in these claims, and that through their due diligence processes, funders can assess both the merits of the claim and the viability of any future recovery. Being able to assess whether there is a sound theory of the case and a suitable recovery plan allows all parties involved in these high-value disputes to significantly reduce their risk.
Case Developments Commercial

Piper Alderman and Omni Bridgeway File Class Action Against IG Markets Over CFD Products

Recent decades have seen an increase in the scope of retail investing, with advances in technology allowing individuals to trade increasingly complex investment products. However, failures by financial services firms to adequately protect consumers from the risks of this type of investing have prompted lawsuits against these same firms, as a new class action in Australia is once again demonstrating. Reporting in Lawyers Weekly details the launch of official proceedings in a class action brought on behalf of up to 20,000 Australian investors against IG Markets, over allegations that it marketed contracts for difference (CFDs) to investors without properly detailing the risks, and without proper assessment of these investors’ ability to undertake such trades. The class action was first announced in October of last year, and following months of investigations, proceedings have begun in the Victorian Registry of the Federal Court of Australia. The class action is led by Piper Alderman and is being funded by Omni Bridgeway, which revealed in a joint statement that they have already registered hundreds of individuals for the class action. Kate Sambrook, partner at Piper Alderman, stated that these CFDs “should never have been marketed to everyday Australian investors who had little or no experience in trading such complex products.” Justice Jonathan Beach of the Federal Court of Australia, has previously described these CFD products as “financial heroin hits”.
Announcements Commercial People Moves

Burford Capital Expands European Footprint

Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today announces that it has expanded its European footprint while also continuing to add leading legal talent to its global operation. Expanded client demand for offerings such as corporate monetization and law firm portfolio financing, combined with a greater desire and need for legal finance in Europe due to legislative changes related to collective redress, have resulted in Burford’s continued growth. In Europe, Burford now has an on-the-ground presence in London, Frankfurt, Zug, Paris, Rome and Stockholm.

Changes to Burford’s European operation include:

  • Burford veterans Michael Redman and Daniel Hall now serve as co-heads of EMEA: Mr. Redman leads Burford’s London office, and as previously announced, Mr. Hall leads Burford’s new office in Dubai.
  • Philipp Leibfried has taken on the role of Head of Europe and will continue to implement Burford’s European growth strategy, actively engaging with law firms and companies across continental Europe.
  • Swiss-based Dr. Jörn Eschment has been promoted to Director and will continue to lead Burford’s business in the DACH region of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
  • Dr. Luca Weskott has joined Burford as a Vice President based in Frankfurt, Germany, and will originate and manage investments in the DACH region. He joins Burford from leading German law firm Hengeler Mueller’s Dispute Resolution practice.

Christopher Bogart, CEO of Burford Capital, said: “As the global industry leader, Burford is constantly evolving to meet our clients’ needs. We continue to add the best and brightest talent company-wide, because that’s the basis not only for growth but for developing strong and lasting client relationships. And I’m especially pleased that as we hire new global talent, we’re also promoting our existing talent into leadership positions.”

Philipp Leibfried, Burford Capital’s Head of Europe, said: “While Burford has always had a significant presence in both the UK and in Europe, with 47 staff now in London, we are also dedicating additional resources to Europe to match growing demand on the continent. From the UK to the DACH region, France, Italy, Sweden and more, we are committed to serving our clients. We look forward to meeting demand from European law firms in areas such as collective redress, securities claims and competition-related litigation, in addition to more award and judgment monetization work with our corporate clients.”

The composition of Burford’s global team as of May 11, 2023 of more than 150 employees – and more than 60 of whom are lawyers – reflects its category leadership as well as its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, as half of Burford’s team are women, racial minorities or self-identify as LGBTQ+.

Since its last hiring announcement in November 2021, Burford has expanded its industry-leading global team, including the following senior employees:

Experienced leaders join as Treasurer and Chief Compliance Officer

  • Juan Jimenez, CFA, is Treasurer, based in New York, with responsibility for overseeing all activities and risks related to liquidity and cash management, funding, currency and interest rates, as well as managing relationships with rating agencies. Mr. Jimenez most recently worked as Director of Corporate Treasury at Colgate-Palmolive.
  • Monika Singh, IACCP®, is Chief Compliance Officer, based in Chicago, responsible for overseeing and managing Burford’s compliance with all applicable regulatory, internal policy and procedural requirements. Ms. Singh has over a decade of experience in compliance management. Prior to joining Burford, Ms. Singh was Chief Compliance Officer at 50 South Capital Advisors.

Additional growth of Burford’s industry-leading investment team

  • Christopher Dore is a Director in Chicago with responsibility for overseeing Burford’s underwriting of and investment activity in nationwide consolidated litigation and other complex commercial matters. Mr. Dore was previously Partner-in-Charge of case development, investigations and client acquisition at Edelson PC.
  • Charles Griffin is a Vice President in New York responsible for evaluating and executing new investment opportunities and overseeing investments in Burford’s portfolio. Prior to joining Burford, Mr. Griffin was a litigator at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
  • Victoria Fox is a Vice President in London focused on commercial litigation, asset recovery and enforcement. Prior to joining Burford, Ms. Fox was a litigator at Stephenson Harwood.
  • Charlie Rooke is a Vice President in London with a focus on complex commercial and competition litigation matters in the UK and Europe. Mr. Rooke was previously a Senior Counsel at the Royal Bank of Canada.

Business origination team adds top industry experts

  • Patrick Dempsey is a Director in New York responsible for originating new business with US law firms and companies. Mr. Dempsey was previously the US Chief Investment Officer and a Board Member at Therium Capital Management.
  • Jonathan Owen is a Vice President in California with responsibility for originating new business with US law firms and companies. Prior to joining Burford, Mr. Owen was a Funding Director at Law Finance Group.

Top global legal talent joins the business

  • Shreya Gulati is Corporate Counsel in New York with a focus on Burford’s investments in the U.S. Prior to joining Burford, Ms. Gulati was an Associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges.
  • Richard Lee is Corporate Counsel in London with responsibility for overseeing Burford’s investments in the UK, EMEA and Asia. Prior to joining Burford, Mr. Lee was a Managing Associate at Linklaters.
  • Anastasiya Lisovskaya is Corporate Counsel in New York responsible for the legal processes around Burford’s reporting obligations and compliance with securities laws. Ms. Lisovskaya was previously a Senior Corporate Associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
  • Richard McGarry is Counsel in London with responsibility for leading Burford’s compliance program in the UK, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Mr. McGarry was previously a Managing Associate in Addleshaw Goddard’s Global Investigations team.

About Burford Capital

Burford Capital is the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law. Its businesses include litigation finance and risk management, asset recovery and a wide range of legal finance and advisory activities. Burford is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUR) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: BUR), and it works with companies and law firms around the world from its offices in New York, London, Chicago, Washington, DC, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong and Dubai.

For more information, please visit www.burfordcapital.com.

Commercial Legal Innovation

Spear’s Names Top Litigation Funders for High-Net-Worth Individuals

Litigation funders are increasingly offering their services to a wider range of clients, providing capital and expertise to everyone from individuals to startup business and larger corporates. One market niche where funders can prove to be particularly impactful is in the realm of litigation services for high-net-worth (HNW) individuals, especially when it comes to divorce proceedings. A new index published by Spear’s, the wealth management and luxury lifestyle publication, provides a ranking of the top litigation funding professionals that provide services to HNW individuals. The list includes 15 individuals who are ranked as ‘Top Recommended’ by Spear’s, along with one individual who is listed as a ‘Rising Star’ in the field. These individuals are also sorted by their areas of focus, which includes categories such as family law funding, offshore finance, and matrimonial and private client.  The 15 Top Recommended individuals include senior executives from the following industry-leading funders: Burford Capital, Harbour Litigation Funding, Level, Rhea Family Finance, Schneider Financial Solutions, Therium and Woodsford. Max Austin-Little, director at Level, is identified as a Rising Star in litigation funding, having been highlighted for his expertise in ‘financial remedy proceedings as well as contentious private wealth and probate cases.’
Commercial Deals

Italian Funder LexCapital Signs Agreement with Association Representing Local Authorities

There has been a lot of discussion lately around the use of portfolio litigation funding, and the wider partnership between funders and clients to provide capital for a range of litigation activities. A new example of this approach has appeared in Europe, where a startup Italian funder has signed an agreement with a local association to provide funding for litigation on behalf of its partner institutions. The announcement shared on Legalcommunity.it provides the details on LexCapital’s new agreement with Asmel (Associazione per la Sussidiarietà e la Modernizzazione degli Enti Locali), an association focused on the modernization of local authorities in Italy. The agreement will allow Asmel’s 4,100 partnered institutions to cut costs by giving LexCapital the litigation rights for active disputes, with any financial awards being shared between the local municipality and the funder. Speaking to the benefits of this new partnership, LexCapital’s chief operating officer, Giuseppe Farchione, stated that by taking on the litigation costs, this agreement will allow the local authorities to focus their own resources more efficiently, and also benefit from LexCapital’s technical expertise in litigation. Francesco Pinto, general secretary of Asmel, said that this agreement represents an innovative formula and will provide financial assistance to its partners, whilst also hopefully increasing their rate of success in these lawsuits.
Commercial Legal Innovation

NuGenesis Seeks Litigation Funding for Claim Against FTX

NuGenesis (the purveyor of NuCoin), is reported to be exploring AI and litigation finance as investment tools in claims against  FTX and Alameda Research’s alleged fraud.  Cointelegraph characterizes NuGenesis as a well respected source for quality innovation in the digital asset ecosystem. After NuCoin was attacked by FTX, executives at NuGenesis began to employ AI technology to digest what could be happening behind the scenes at Alameda and the Japanese arm of FTX.  Touted as 'groundbreaking' by Cointelegraph, NuGenesis' crypto fraud detection software has been instrumental in uncovering alleged inconsistencies of fiduciary duty across FTX's global enterprise. NuCoin is said to have tallied almost $55B in potential damages associated with potential FTX scams against the token.  The FTX saga could yield new opportunities for litigation financiers in the crypto litigation space. As an added bonus, we have included 185 highlights to the Office of Legal Education's "Prosecuting Computer Crimes" handbook for reference.