Not all companies are enthusiastic about filing an IP lawsuit—even a highly meritorious one. Such cases are costly, complicated, and may not resolve for years. At the same time, the potential for a large recovery is high.

Banks like Barclays, JP Morgan, and Citigroup may believe that the fines levied against them in 2019 mark the end of a long road, yet that may turn out to be far from the truth. 

Prominent third-party litigation funder LCM (Litigation Capital Management) has secured a trio of major legal funding agreements in the last seven weeks. These include cases against rail services giant Govia, French electrical retailer Darty, and former Carillion auditor KPMG. As expected, investors have noticed LCM’s success; share prices rose 25%. Many analysts, including Simon Thompson, are lauding the stock and calling it a ‘buy.’

A newly formed SPAC (special purpose acquisitions corporation) unveiled a plan to take MSP Recovery public. Lionheart Acquisition Corp II is valuing MSP at around $32 billion, or roughly 10.5 times the anticipated 2023 revenues. Some are calling this a new high in financial wizardry. If the market jibes with Lionheart’s predictions, CEO John Ruiz would hold a stake worth more than $20 billion, with Frank Quesada (Ruiz’s partner) holding a $7 billion stake.

The Supreme Court case of Collins v Yellen has the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on alert, largely because it addressed the scope of agency powers–left unresolved after Seila Law v CFPB.

A new government proposal has been met with strenuous objections from litigation funders, lawyers and company directors alike. The proposal would mandate that at least 70% of any payout in a class action must go to the members of that action. Some find it telling that the Law Council of Australia stated that such a limit would make claims financially untenable for litigation funders.

Litigation Finance has experienced tremendous growth in recent months—owing to the pandemic among other factors. It’s increasingly popular among investors seeking an uncorrelated asset class. However, few mechanisms exist to allow investors to select the cases they fund directly—one of those, is AxiaFunder.

Australian Federal Court has established that liquidators may assign the right to examine relevant parties and to acquire documents.

It’s been fascinating to watch the progression of litigation funding happening around the world. Territories each develop their own regulations based on specific goals, when welcoming the practice. Some are positioning themselves as litigation destinations, while others seek ways for the practice to benefit citizens with the greatest need.