Stay informed with updates and key industry developments shaping the global finance litigation landscape.

Almaden Minerals Ltd. (“Almaden” or “the Company”; TSX: AMM; OTCQB: AAUAF) is pleased to announce that further to its press release of June 17, 2024, it has confirmed non-recourse litigation funding in the amount of up to US$9.5 million to pursue its international arbitration proceedings against the United Mexican States (“Mexico”) under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (“CPTPP”). The Company has also agreed with Almadex Minerals Ltd. (“Almadex”) to an extension to the maturity of its gold loan, and a litigation management agreement to help streamline corporate management of the arbitration process.

• Non-recourse funding secured to pursue international arbitration proceedings against Mexico;
• Globally leading counterparty validates quality of legal claims;
• Gold loan maturity pushed out from March 31, 2026 to March 31, 2030;
• Litigation Management Agreement streamlines corporate management of the arbitration proceedings to save money and time.

Litigation Financing

The Company has signed a litigation funding agreement (“LFA”) with a leading legal finance provider. The facility is available for immediate draw down for Almaden to pursue damages against Mexico under the CPTPP resulting from Mexico’s actions which blocked the development of the Ixtaca project and ultimately retroactively terminated the Company’s mineral concessions, causing the loss of the Company’s investments in Mexico.

The LFA provides funding which is expected to cover all legal, tribunal and external expert costs of the legal claims, as well as some corporate operating expenses as may be required. The funding is repayable in the event that a damages award is recovered from Mexico, with such repayment being a contingent entitlement to those damages.

The financing follows extensive due diligence by the finance provider. The financing size as well as the quality of the provider is testament to the strength of the Company’s legal claims against Mexico.

Gold Loan Amendment

The Company is also pleased to report that it has agreed with Almadex to extend the maturity of the gold loan (see press release of May 14, 2019) from March 31, 2026 to the earlier of March 31, 2030 or the receipt by Almaden or its subsidiary of any amount relating to its legal claims against Mexico.

In return for this amendment, in addition to its obligation to repay the gold loan, the Company has agreed to pay Almadex 2.0% of the gross amount of any damages award that Almaden may receive as a result of the legal claims, such repayment to be subordinate to amounts due under the LFA, and any additional legal and management fees.

Litigation Management Agreement

Finally, the Company has agreed with Almadex and its Mexican subsidiary to streamline the management of the arbitration proceedings by entering into a Litigation Management Agreement (“LMA”). Under the LMA, Almaden will bear the up-front costs of the arbitration and provide overall direction to the arbitration process for itself and its subsidiaries, as well as Almadex and its subsidiaries, with certain limitations. Almadex will remain a party to the arbitration and continue in its cooperation and support of the process. As noted above, Almaden has already secured litigation funding in the amount anticipated to be needed to fully prosecute the arbitration proceedings.

Should the arbitration proceedings result in an award of damages, the pro rata portion of those damages, if any, which may be attributable to Almadex from the 2.0% NSR royalty it held on the Ixtaca project will be determined. Almadex’s award will consist of this pro rata portion, less its pro rata share of the costs of pursuing the legal claims, including the financing costs (the “Almadex Award”). Almadex will compensate Almaden in the amount of 10% of the Almadex Award in exchange for managing the claim proceedings.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain of the statements and information in this news release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information in this news release relate to, among other things, the total potential cost of the legal claims and the sufficiency of the money available under the LFA to cover these costs, the ability of the LMA to streamline corporate management of the legal claims, and the result and damages arising from the Company’s request for arbitration.

These forward-looking statements and information reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant legal, regulatory, business, operational and economic uncertainties and contingencies, and such uncertainty generally increases with longer-term forecasts and outlook. These assumptions include: stability and predictability in Mexico’s response to the arbitration process under the CPTPP; stability and predictability in the application of the CPTPP and arbitral decisions thereon; the ability to continue to finance the arbitration process, and continued respect for the rule of law in Mexico. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.

The Company cautions the reader that forward-looking statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks related to: the application of the CPTPP and arbitral decisions thereon; continued respect for the rule of law in Mexico; political risk in Mexico; crime and violence in Mexico; corruption in Mexico; uncertainty as to the outcome of arbitration; as well as those factors discussed the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Almaden’s Annual Information Form and Almaden’s latest Form 20-F on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could affect the Company and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that our forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to on forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Wordsmith, the AI-powered legal assistant platform, has raised $5 million to transform the legal industry and unleash a new generation of hyper-skilled legal professionals.

The seed funding was led by Index Ventures, with participation from General Catalyst and angel investors including Skyscanner founder Gareth Williams. The investment is a sign of how applied AI is rapidly augmenting and enabling professional services – a shift as profound as the transition to digital devices and word processing 40 years ago.

“AI is not about replacing professionals. It’s about making them better at their jobs,” explains Wordsmith CEO Ross McNairn. “Just as the word processor didn’t replace writers, but instead made them more productive, Wordsmith is ushering in a new era of AI-assisted professional services.”

Wordsmith is solving a critical problem faced by in-house legal teams: the overwhelming volume of routine tasks that leave lawyers struggling to keep up with the demands of the business. From confirming policy details to contract analysis and complex financing, the demand for human judgment and the consequences of oversight are high – yet many of the outputs are repeatable and templated. Wordsmith customers get 90% of the through-put of a world-class lawyer and a 99% cost reduction versus going to a law firm, all within 60 seconds.

Hannah Seal, the partner at Index Ventures who led the investment, says: “Wordsmith is at the vanguard of a fundamental shift in how professional services are delivered. It’s not about replacement but augmentation. By harnessing the power of generative AI, they’re not only transforming the legal industry, but also paving the way for a future in which AI-assisted professionals can provide better, faster, and more affordable services to their clients.”

Wordsmith was founded in 2023 by Ross McNairn, Volodymyr Giginiak and Robbie Falkenthal. After training as a lawyer, McNairn sold his first startup to Skyscanner in 2016 and most recently was Chief Product and Technology Officer at Travelperk. CTO Giginiak, one of the first engineers at Meta in London who worked for a decade in key roles at Facebook and Instagram, was helping to implement anti-drone technology for the Ukrainian army before joining Wordsmith. Robbie Falkenthal, COO, is a qualified lawyer who has previously held senior roles at KPMG and Travelperk.For additional information regarding Wordsmith visit https://www.wordsmith.ai/ and follow on LinkedIn.

Nakiki SE announces that Legal Finance International GmbH has concluded a litigation financing agreement with a value in dispute of up to EUR 5 million. This litigation financing agreement relates to funding for the defendant:

In selected individual cases, Legal Finance also finances the legal costs of the opposing party or defendant and, in the event of victory, receives twice the legal costs incurred as well as a staggered one-off payment as a premium. In this case, the premium can be up to EUR 785,000.

NAKIKI SE
Johnsallee 30
20148 Hamburg
Germany

Andreas Wegerich, CEO Nakiki

Armadillo Litigation Funding, a premier and trusted alternative asset class litigation funding company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicole Bakare, Esq. as the new Managing Director. In this role, Ms. Bakare will enhance and expand the underlying credit offering of the company’s platform and assist in monitoring current portfolios, contributing to the strategic growth and success of the firm and its clients.

Ms. Bakare joins Armadillo Litigation Funding from the Houston office of a large multinational law firm, where she represented corporate clients across a variety of industries in all phases of civil litigation, including state and federal courts, arbitration, and bankruptcy-related litigation. Her extensive experience and dedication to excellence make her a valuable addition to the Armadillo team.

“We are thrilled to have Nicole Bakare join our team,” said Jeff Manley, Chief Operating Officer of Armadillo Litigation Funding. “Her legal expertise and strategic insight will be instrumental in driving our investment evaluation processes and enhancing our portfolio, ultimately benefiting the firms we serve by providing more effective and targeted funding solutions.”

Ms. Bakare is a graduate of The University of Michigan and Tulane University Law School. She has been a member of the State Bar of Texas since 2006. Throughout her career, she has held prominent positions at Greenberg Traurig, LLP; Cozen O’Connor; Doyle, Restrepo, Harvin & Robbins LLP; and served as a briefing attorney to Justice Evelyn V. Keyes at the Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas.

Ms. Bakare expressed her enthusiasm about joining Armadillo Litigation Funding, stating, “I am honored to join Armadillo Litigation Funding, a firm renowned for its excellence and commitment to providing top-tier funding solutions in the complex litigation space,” said Nicole Bakare. “I look forward to leveraging my experience to support our clients and help drive their success through strategic investment evaluation and dedicated service.”

For more information about Armadillo Litigation Funding and its services, please visit www.armadillolf.com.

About Armadillo Litigation Funding: Armadillo Litigation Funding is a leading provider of alternative asset class funding in mass tort, consumer, and commercial litigation. Armadillo offers general obligation loans secured by the borrowers’ interests in current and future awards, including, but not limited to, contingent fees.

Rockhopper Exploration plc is pleased to provide the following update in relation to the monetisation of its Ombrina Mare Arbitration Award (the “Transaction”) announced on 20 December 2023.

Having satisfied all precedent conditions to the Transaction as announced on 17 June 2024, the Company confirms that the Tranche 1 payment has been received.

Rockhopper has received €19 million of the €45 million Tranche 1 payment. As previously disclosed, Rockhopper entered into a litigation funding agreement in 2017 under which all costs relating to the Arbitration from commencement to the rendering of the Award were paid on its behalf by a separate specialist arbitration funder (the “Original Arbitration Funder”). That agreement entitles the Original Arbitration Funder to a proportion of any proceeds from the Award or any monetisation of the Award. The balance of €26 million has gone to Original Arbitration Funder in order to fully discharge the Company of all of its liabilities under the agreement with the Original Arbitration Funder. Tranches 2 and 3 of the Award remain payable to Rockhopper upon a successful annulment outcome.

As previously disclosed, success fees of approximately €4 million are owed to Rockhopper’s legal representatives if Rockhopper win the claim, meaning liability is established and Italy is required to pay more than a nominal sum in damages (either by way of award or settlement in an amount equal to or more than €25 million).

Following receipt of the Tranche 1 payment, Rockhopper’s cash balance is approximately $27 million.

Please refer to the Company’s announcement on 20 December 2023 for further details on the Ombrina Mare Arbitration Award. Capitalised terms shall have the same meaning as in the 20 December 2023 announcement.

Samuel Moody, CEO, commented:

“We are delighted to have received the Tranche 1 payment under the Ombrina Mare monetisation agreement.  This cash gives us the strongest balance sheet we have had for a number of years, and we remain confident in the merits of our legal case as we await the decision of the Ad Hoc Panel on the annulment request from the Italian Republic.”

Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today releases its latest Burford Quarterly, a journal of legal finance that explores the top trends at the nexus of law and finance.

Articles in the Burford Quarterly 3 2024 include:

• The business and legal trends shaping healthcare

The US healthcare industry is one of the country’s largest. Business factors from consolidation to rising costs to lingering Covid-19 impacts are contributing to increases in major disputes, which are in turn driving shifts in how healthcare businesses pursue and finance recoveries.

• Expert insights: Construction disputes roundtable

Burford moderates a roundtable of construction dispute experts as they discuss megaprojects, AI and the challenges of accurately forecasting and managing construction disputes.

• The European perspective: Assessing the impact of the Unified Patent Court

A year after its launch, patent experts weigh in on the new UPC pan-European patent litigation system impacting 17 member nations, more than 300 million people and, increasingly, businesses and law firms pursuing corporate IP monetization, including expectations of increasing use and acceptance of the UPC.

• Judges weigh in on financial disclosure

Judges at a recent legal finance industry conference explained why mandatory disclosure of legal finance is unnecessary and would hinder the efficiency of businesses pursuing their claims.

David Perla, Co-COO of Burford Capital, said: “Our latest Burford Quarterly takes an in-depth look at how economic factors and business trends are contributing to impacts on companies across industries. Of particular note is a close analysis of the US healthcare sector, where increasing consolidation and rising costs is causing more and larger disputes. We also talk to industry experts on topics including the rise in construction sector disputes and the impact of the EU’s Unified Patent Court, which for the last year has enabled businesses to enforce their rights across all 17 member nations much more effectively, leading to a big rise in interest in financing IP litigation in Europe.”

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, Dubai, Sydney and Hong Kong.

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

This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any ordinary shares or other securities of Burford.

Arcadia Finance, a new litigation funding firm focused on commercial litigation and arbitration, today announced its official launch to offer customized financial solutions and unparalleled support to empower clients and partners in achieving their legal goals. Led by litigation funding veterans David Kerstein, Ronit Cohen, and Joshua Libling, the Arcadia leadership team has decades of funding and litigation experience, having collectively originated or underwritten over 80 transactions with funding commitments of more than $400 million.

Arcadia has secured access to over $100 million in investment capital with a broad mandate to offer solutions to all participants in the legal market. Arcadia expects most of its deals to be in the $2 million to $25 million range but can fund matters with commitments as low as $500,000 and as high as necessary to meet a client’s needs. “I believe that the future of litigation funding is client-focused,” Kerstein said, “and that means being able to meet clients where they are and cover the waterfront of potential litigation-backed investment opportunities.”

Arcadia’s focus on U.S.-based commercial and patent litigation and domestic and international arbitration is open to the whole spectrum of litigation-based assets, from mass torts to law firm lending to patent acquisition, including cross border and offshore matters.

“The team of Dave, Joshua, and Ronit are recognized and valued across the industry as one of the most trusted, experienced and successful funding teams. They are client-focused, fair and easy to work with. Their deep expertise and stellar credentials in not only litigation and arbitration but also in the funding industry enable them to quickly come up with creative and flexible solutions for their clients,” said Roman Silberfeld, National Trial Chair at Robins Kaplan, one of the nation’s premier trial law firms. “They are at the very top of the industry.”

The Arcadia Approach

Arcadia Finance goes beyond traditional finance. The firm is dedicated to providing “frictionless funding” through true partnerships with clients and law firms providing:

• Customized Solutions: Arcadia tailors its funding approach to meet the specific needs of each case, engaging in proprietary risk analysis to ensure appropriate pricing and the best possible outcomes.
• Responsive and Supportive Team: Arcadia’s team is committed to providing transparency, responsive communication and authentic guidance throughout the entire litigation process.
• Forward-Thinking Approach: Arcadia stays ahead of the curve, leveraging its expertise to anticipate challenges and strategize for success.
• Exceeding Expectations: Arcadia is committed to exceeding client expectations by fostering trust and loyalty through a genuine dedication to clients’ success.

Cohen said: “At Arcadia Finance, we prioritize what matters most–our clients’ cases. We understand the challenges you face, having been trial lawyers ourselves. That’s why we created our ‘frictionless funding’ approach. It means streamlined processes, clear communication, and efficient decision-making, all aimed at getting clients the capital they need, fast. This empowers lawyers to focus on what they do best–advocating for their clients and achieving the best possible outcomes. Our transparent approach gives clients the information they need at every step, fostering trust and building a diversified, well-considered portfolio for investors.”

The Arcadia Team

Ronit Cohen, Co-Founder & Managing Director: One of the most experienced professionals in the funding industry, Ronit spent seven years at Bentham IMF, now Omni Bridgeway, where she helped launch their first office. She then joined Validity Finance 5 years ago, shortly after its launch. Ronit’s focus is on underwriting, having spent over a decade leading, creating, and monitoring litigation merits and risk projects. At Validity, she also headed up a pro bono effort to provide capital to wrongfully accused individuals during the pendency of their civil actions. Prior to joining the funding industry, Ronit was a litigator at Simpson Thacher and O’Melveny and Meyers. She received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Columbia University, graduating as a James Kent Scholar.

David Kerstein, Co-Founder & Managing Director: Dave is another industry pioneer. He was one of Validity Finance’s co-founders and served as Managing Director and Senior Investment Officer. In addition to co-leading Validity’s origination and structuring teams, he helped to guide Validity’s strategic growth into new and expanded markets and avenues for investment. Prior to co-founding Validity, Dave was an investment manager at Bentham IMF. He has been named among Lawdragon’s “Global 100 Leaders in Legal Finance” and selected by Who’s Who Legal as a “Thought Leader in Third Party Funding.” Prior to entering the litigation finance industry, Dave spent 15 years as a trial lawyer focused on complex commercial litigation and arbitration at Gibson Dunn. He received his J.D. from University of Pennsylvania (Toll Scholar) and a B.A. from University of Pennsylvania (Benjamin Franklin Scholar).

Joshua Libling, Co-Founder & Managing Director: Joshua was a member of Validity Finance’s senior leadership team with primary responsibility for risk analysis and pricing tools. His focus is on translating subjective legal merits assessments into trackable risk data that informs Arcadia’s investment decisions and portfolio construction. He is also responsible for modeling and operations at Arcadia. Joshua was previously a litigator at Boies Schiller Flexner, where he was involved in some of the country’s highest-profile and highest-stakes litigations and has worked extensively on appellate matters. He clerked for Judges on SDNY and the Second Circuit. Joshua has been named among Lawdragon’s “Global 100 Leaders in Legal Finance.” He received a J.D. from NYU Law School (magna cum laude) and his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago.

About Arcadia Finance

Based in New York City, Arcadia Finance cuts through the red tape of litigation funding. Our seamless collaboration, clear deal terms, and broad mandate empower clients to navigate challenges, make informed decisions, and secure capital–fast. Led by industry veterans with over $400 million invested across 80+ deals, Arcadia offers adaptable solutions for all–from litigation boutiques to AmLaw firms and corporations. For more information, go to www.arcadiafin.com.

Litigation Capital Management Limited (AIM:LIT), an alternative asset manager specialising in dispute financing solutions internationally, announces the appointment of a new Chief Financial Officer, David Collins.

The Board is pleased to announce the appointment of David Collins as CFO, effective as at todays date. David is a Chartered Accountant and brings over 20 years of experience in senior finance and capital markets roles across a range of leading institutions including EY, Morgan Stanley, Och-Ziff Capital (now Sculptor Capital) and Prudential plc. David also brings considerable experience of the legal finance industry having previously been CFO of Vannin Capital, a leading litigation funder that was acquired by Fortress Investment Group in 2019. Since early 2024 David has been acting as a financial advisor to LCM and knows the business and the legal finance industry well. David will not initially be a member of the Board, but, is considered a Person Discharging Managerial Responsibilities (“PDMR”). David is however expected to join LCM’s board in due course.

Mary Gangemi will step down from her position after a period of transition at which time it is expected she will resign her position on the board. A separate RNS will be issued at that time. Mary has served the Company for some four and a half years, during which time she has significantly contributed to the company’s growth and financial strategy.

Jonathan Moulds, Chairman of LCM, said; “I am delighted to announce the appointment of David Collins as our next Chief Financial Officer. David’s significant financial and capital markets experience will be of tremendous value to us as we transition our business from being a balance sheet investor to becoming a third-party asset manager with a highly attractive economic model. We are thankful for Mary’s dedicated service and the contribution she has made to our financial health and operational success.” 

Patrick Moloney, Chief Executive Officer of LCM, said; “I would like to extend my gratitude to Mary for her contribution to LCM over the past four and a half years. I wish her the very best in her future endeavours. I am also excited to welcome David to our team. He brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record in financial leadership. We see significant opportunities in our markets to drive meaningful shareholder value creation and I am sure that David will play a pivotal role in helping us capitalise on them. Our business continues to perform well and we look forward to updating our investors when we present our results for our 2024 financial year in September.”

About LCM

Litigation Capital Management (LCM) is an alternative asset manager specialising in disputes financing solutions internationally, which operates two business models. The first is direct investments made from LCM’s permanent balance sheet capital and the second is third party fund management. Under those two business models, LCM currently pursues three investment strategies: Single-case funding, Portfolio funding and Acquisitions of claims. LCM generates its income from both its direct investments and also performance fees through asset management.

LCM has an unparalleled track record driven by disciplined project selection and robust risk management. Currently headquartered in Sydney, with offices in London, Singapore, Brisbane and Melbourne, LCM listed on AIM in December 2018, trading under the ticker LIT.

www.lcmfinance.com

NorthWall Capital (“NorthWall”), a leading credit investment firm delivering private capital solutions to counterparties in Western Europe, today announces the final close of its flagship NorthWall European Opportunities Fund II and associated vehicles (“NWEOF II” or “the Fund”), attracting more than €640m in investor commitments.

The Fund and associated vehicles surpassed the €500m target, receiving strong support from new and existing global institutional investors and more than doubling the size of its predecessor, NorthWall European Opportunities Fund I (“NWEOF I”).

NorthWall’s European Opportunities strategy, established at the firm’s inception in 2017, invests across the broad opportunity set in European opportunistic private credit by delivering scalable private capital solutions to counterparties in Western Europe. NorthWall’s systematic sourcing approach, coupled with a focus on creating bespoke funding solutions, enables the firm to structure opportunities that deliver strong downside protection while targeting uncorrelated returns. The strategy also makes tactical allocations to areas of dislocation and has successfully participated in the dislocation in asset-backed opportunities. 

Prior to the final closing, NWEOF II was already substantially deployed, having committed c. 60% of its capital to 14 transactions across five countries in Western Europe.

The Fund attracted capital commitments from a global base of institutional investors, consisting of pension funds, insurance companies, large institutional single and multi-family offices and private banks from across Europe, North America and APAC. The Fund received strong support from a large US-based consultant and an Australian superannuation fund.

The firm’s principals have been investing in European private credit for nearly 20 years, and the NorthWall team has deployed over €1.0bn in the European Opportunistic Credit strategy to date. In addition to the flagship funds, the firm has extensive expertise in legal assets, asset-backed and senior lending opportunities. 

Fabian Chrobog, Founder & Chief Investment Officer of NorthWall Capital, said: “We are honoured by the success of the fundraise for NWEOF II and would like to thank our existing and new investors globally for their partnership. We remain committed to delivering scalable investment opportunities that generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for our investors while also serving as a reliable partner to our counterparties. We continue to observe one of the most compelling opportunity sets in European credit in recent history and will continue to thoughtfully scale NorthWall in a way that allows us to lean into areas of dislocation. I also wanted to congratulate and thank the NorthWall team that has been working tirelessly to deliver the best outcomes for our stakeholders.”

About NorthWall Capital

NorthWall Capital is a London-based credit investment firm, delivering private capital solutions to counterparties in Western Europe. The firm manages €1.5bn of AUM in long dated funds on behalf of global institutional investors, seeking to capture compelling risk-adjusted returns from Western European credit markets.

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

Alexi (www.alexi.com), a Canadian legaltech company and leader in generative AI for legal research and litigation tasks, today announced an $11 million USD ($15 million CAD) Series A fundraise. The round is led by Drive Capital, with participation from existing investors including Draper Associates, and brings Alexi’s total funding to over $20 million. In addition to the raise, Chris Olsen, Partner at Drive Capital, will join the company’s Board of Directors.

This fresh instalment of capital comes less than a year after Alexi’s release of their Instant Memos, Arguments and Chat capabilities. The funding will immediately support hiring across engineering, product development, brand and design, legal, and business development teams to help Alexi continue to innovate and scale its technology. It will also enable Alexi to meet increasing demand from law firms to incorporate an array of AI-powered litigation tools into their businesses and accelerate upcoming releases across North America and other jurisdictions.

“We evaluate over 6,000 companies a year, most of which position themselves as an ‘AI company.’ Alexi is one of the very few examples, however, of using AI to solve a business problem,” said Chris Olsen, Co-Founder and Partner at Drive Capital. “Lawyers who use Alexi run more successful law practices. It is only a matter of time until attorneys all over the world are using Alexi to be better lawyers.”

Alexi is a pioneer in generative AI for litigation teams. Their platform enables legal professionals to generate high-quality legal memos, identify pertinent legal issues or arguments to achieve desired outcomes and perform AI-powered routine litigation tasks-all within a single platform. The company’s ultimate mission is to empower legal teams with artificial intelligence, breaking down barriers to knowledge and enabling justice for all.

“The rate of innovation happening at Alexi is truly astounding. Instead of trying to predict the future, we’re building it,” said Mark Doble, CEO of Alexi. “This capital further enables us to build incredible value into our products and empower our customers to better serve their clients.”

Alexi is experiencing impressive growth, with recent user activity increasing by 15-20% each month. Currently, thousands of litigators across the U.S. and Canada rely on Alexi.

About Alexi

Founded by Mark Doble and Sam Bhasin, Alexi’s proprietary AI-powered platform equips litigators with core legal skills. Designed to streamline the legal research process and assist with routine litigation tasks, Alexi saves time and enhances productivity for law firms. Committed to innovation and excellence, Alexi continues to lead the way in transforming access to legal knowledge. For more information, visit https://www.alexi.com or follow Alexi on LinkedIn.

About Drive Capital

Drive Capital is the most established venture capital firm at the intersection of industry and modern technology. Drive unlocks returns for limited partners by investing in market-defining companies anywhere in North America. Over the last decade, Drive grew to manage more than $2B in total assets. From insurance and manufacturing to energy, healthcare, finance and more, Drive’s portfolio is full of real businesses, including DuoLingo, UDACITY and KOHO, creating real value in the real world. The result is world-class returns from the greatest emerging market in the world – America. Drive is proudly headquartered in Columbus, Ohio – the geographic center of mass of Western GDP, but Drive also has boots on the ground in a dozen North American cities, with more to come.

CaseMark AI, a pioneer in legal generative AI workflows, today announced the closing of a $1.7 million seed funding round led by Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-focused seed fund. Additional participation came from Rex Salisbury‘s Cambrian, Ride Home AI Fund and Alumni Ventures. The funding will drive the company’s mission to help legal professionals benefit from the efficiency and productivity of generative AI.

CaseMark’s AI-powered legal workflows address automating time-consuming tasks like document summarization, research, and legal analysis. This frees up valuable time for legal professionals to focus on high-value activities such as client strategy and casework.

CaseMark’s platform is modular, web-based, and easy-to-deploy. Unlike legacy legal tech, it seamlessly integrates into existing legal workflows such as deposition summaries or discovery responses, minimizing disruption and maximizing user adoption. The built-in chat tool allows legal professionals to query their case content in a secure, privacy first environment. 

“We’re the AI easy button that won’t get attorneys in trouble,” said Scott Kveton, CEO of CaseMark. “Hours spent summarizing take minutes now. That time saved can be reclaimed to work on legal strategy,” said Kveton, highlighting the platform’s efficiency gains.

“The rise of generative AI is transforming the legal landscape. Attorneys are now leveraging AI tools to sift through vast amounts of documents and automate time-consuming tasks like summarizing lengthy court transcripts. Casemark is at the forefront of this movement, offering an innovative solution for quickly and accurately generating summaries of depositions, cases, and trials,” said Denise Teng, Investor at Gradient Ventures. “Casemark’s platform has the potential to streamline legal work, making it more efficient and cost-effective for everyone from solo practitioners, large law firms to legal tech companies. We’re proud to support Scott and his team as they redefine legal tech.”

“For generative AI to succeed in legal workflows, it needs to perform reliably and cost efficiently. With CaseMark’s LLM-agnostic architecture and mixture-of-experts approach, they can deliver best-in-class results at a fraction of the cost of their well-funded competitors. It’s game on.” stated Chris Messina, inventor of the hashtag and GP at the Ride Home AI Fund.

The seed funding will accelerate CaseMark’s product development, expand its team of AI and legal experts, and drive adoption of its AI-powered legal workflows among law firms, legaltech companies, court reporting and litigation services firms.

“CaseMark has demonstrated incredible speed in bringing a high quality product to market, delivering real value for their clients. I look forward to seeing how continued enhancements in underlying models allows the team to do even more.” said Rex Salisbury. 

The CaseMark Workflow API enables access to all of CaseMark’s AI-powered workflows via a white-label integration for legal tech companies and litigation support firms. Companies can leverage the AI-as-infrastructure service provided by CaseMark to increase time-to-market and maximize revenue for the most common attorney use cases.

ABOUT GRADIENT VENTURES

Gradient Ventures has been investing at the forefront of artificial intelligence since 2017. We are led by former founders, technical experts, and domain specialists, who know how to take an idea to product-market-fit and beyond. Gradient Ventures is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit www.gradient.com.

ABOUT CASEMARKCaseMark is a pioneer in the legaltech industry, dedicated to transforming the way legal professionals work. Our AI-driven workflow platform streamlines document creation, research, and workflow management for law firms, litigators, and support services. With a focus on privacy, security, and innovation, CaseMark empowers legal professionals to maximize efficiency and deliver exceptional outcomes for their clients. Learn more at www.casemark.ai.

Nakiki SE, in future Legal Finance Holding SE, announces 3 new litigation financing agreements:

Real estate purchase agreement:

The seller of non-EU real estate with a value of EUR 10 million suffered damages of approximately EUR 2.3 million as a result of a cancelled property purchase agreement. Legal Finance entered into a litigation funding agreement with the seller to pursue the claim.

Sports car accident:

A policyholder suffered damage in a serious car accident and the insurance company refused to pay the claim for approximately EUR 700,000. Legal Finance entered into a litigation funding agreement with the policyholder to pursue the claim.

Loan agreements:

A borrower refused to repay business loans totalling approximately EUR 550,000. Legal Finance entered into a litigation funding agreement with the lender to enforce the outstanding payments.

The total amount in dispute of the new litigation financing agreements is approximately EUR 3.5 million (excluding costs and interest). The option volume is approximately EUR 1.5 million.

Additional cases are under review.

Burford Capital, the leading global finance firm focused on law, is expected to join the broad-market Russell 3000® and small-cap Russell 2000® Indexes at the conclusion of the 2024 Russell US Indexes annual reconstitution, effective after the US market opens on July 1, 2024, according to a preliminary list of additions posted on May 24, 2024. Burford is the first legal finance firm to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the first legal finance firm expected to join the Russell 3000® and 2000® Indexes. Legal finance is an emerging asset class generally uncorrelated to market conditions or the performance of the overall economy.

Burford’s inclusion in the Russell 3000® and 2000® Indexes reinforces its continued growth both with its investors and with its clients, which include Fortune 500 companies and many of the world’s largest law firms. Burford, which celebrates its 15^th anniversary in October 2024, helps clients shift the cost of their commercial disputes as well as manage the risk and optimize the timing of the often-significant cash flows associated with pending claims, judgments and awards. The company has a multi-billion dollar portfolio, and in 2023, a Burford-funded case against Argentina involving the renationalization of Argentina’s oil company, YPF, resulted in the largest judgment in the history of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, with the court awarding plaintiffs approximately $16 billion in damages.

Christopher Bogart, CEO of Burford Capital, said: “Since its founding in 2009, Burford has deployed billions of dollars to the business of law, and we’re continuing to see growing demand from CFOs, GCs and other business leaders who recognize that they can use legal finance to turn the legal department from a cost center to a capital source, including a recent $325 million Group-wide commitment with a Fortune 50 company. Joining the Russell 3000® and 2000® Indexes is an exciting moment for Burford, and we are proud to continue on a trajectory of growth and increasing visibility to clients and investors alike.”

Russell indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for active investment strategies. According to the data as of the end of December 2023, about $10.5 trillion in assets are benchmarked against the Russell US indexes.

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, Dubai, Sydney and Hong Kong.
 
For more information, please visit www.burfordcapital.com.
 
This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any ordinary shares or other securities of Burford.

Forward-looking statements

This announcement contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, regarding assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions and beliefs about future events. These statements are intended as “forward-looking statements”. In some cases, predictive, future-tense or forward-looking words such as “aim”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “continue”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “forecast”, “guidance”, “intend”, “may”, “plan”, “potential”, “predict”, “projected”, “should” or “will” or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Burford cautions that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are based on numerous assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions and beliefs and that Burford’s actual results of operations, including its financial position and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which it operates, may differ materially from (and be more negative than) those made in, or suggested by, the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement. Except as required by law, Burford undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

A top-tier litigation finance firm has achieved a significant milestone by becoming a member of the prestigious European Litigation Funders Association (ELFA).

This development marks a strategic move for Nera Capital as it continues to solidify its position as a key player in the global litigation funding market.

With its headquarters in Dublin, along with offices in Manchester and The Netherlands, the company has earned a reputation for delivering innovative financial solutions and cutting-edge technology across a diverse range of claim types.

The company’s portfolio includes high-volume consumer disbursement funding in the UK and substantial commercial claims in both Europe and the USA.

This strategic membership in ELFA underscores Nera Capital’s commitment to fostering ethical and effective litigation funding practices.

The ELFA is a collective of like-minded professionals from the litigation funding industry whose management committee is formed by representatives from the original founding companies, Deminor, Nivalion and Omni Bridgeway.

To become a member, firms need to have demonstrated excellence in the sector and a proven track record of deploying a significant amount of capital into the market.

Aisling Byrne, Director at Nera Capital, expressed her delight at this milestone, stating: “We are very pleased to join the European Litigation Funders Association.

“As a member, we look forward to collaborating with industry peers, sharing our wealth of experience, and contributing to the advancement of ethical and effective litigation funding practices across Europe.

“It positions us to advocate for transparency and promote higher industry standards that benefit all stakeholders involved. We believe our involvement will drive positive change and reinforce the essential role of litigation funding in delivering access to justice.”

Nera Capital’s membership in ELFA comes at a pivotal time when the litigation funding market is experiencing rapid growth.

By aligning with ELFA, Nera Capital is poised to play a crucial role in shaping the future of the industry, and the importance of litigation funding.

Wieger Wielinga, Managing Director of Omni Bridgeway and Chairman of ELFA, welcomed the company’s membership, noting the significance of their inclusion:

“With its roots in Ireland, the only Common Law EU country, Nera Capital operates in several EU jurisdictions as well as the UK.

“ELFA is thrilled to have another experienced funder on board, further enabling us to develop best practices for assisting claimants, insolvency trustees and consumer organisations and law firms across Europe.

“The addition of Nera to ELFA will also enhance our ability to advocate for the funding industry and its invaluable role in delivering access to justice across Europe.”

About Nera Capital:

·        Established in 2011, Nera Capital is a specialist funding provider to law firms.

·        Provides Law Firm Lend funding across diverse claim portfolios in both the Consumer and Commercial sector.

• Headquartered in Dublin, the firm also has offices in Manchester and The Netherlands.

·        Nera Capital is dedicated to facilitating the setup of class actions and group actions to promote equitable access to justice for individuals and interest groups. With a proven track record, Nera Capital has spearheaded numerous impactful claims, empowering clients to achieve legal redress in cases such as Housing Disrepair Claims, where vulnerable claimants lack the means to address their grievances effectively. Additionally, Nera Capital has played a pivotal role in supporting claims like the Trucking Cartel case in Europe, assisting in exposing evidence of anti-competitive behaviour by manufacturers. Through its strategic interventions and advanced AI capabilities, Nera Capital continues to champion fairness and accountability in the legal landscape. 

·       www.nerecapital.com

About The European Litigation Funders Association (ELFA):

·        ELFA was founded by three leading litigation funders with a European footprint and today includes the vast majority of EU based litigation funders. ELFA was established to serve as the voice of the commercial litigation funding industry operating from within the EU member states. With the objective of representing the industry’s interests before governmental bodies, international organisations and professional associations, ELFA aims to act as a clearinghouse and reference for relevant information, research and data regarding the uses and applications of commercial legal finance within the European continent. ELFA aims to be inclusive for all professional litigation funders of larger or smaller size and to allow specific contributing market participants and academics as associate members.

·        www.elfassociation.eu

Aon strengthens its M&A and Transaction Solutions team and pioneers a local team specialising in the management of these risks

Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, has appointed Fernando Gragera as Director of Litigation and Contingent Risks for Spain and Portugal. Fernando will join the Iberia M&A and Transaction Solutions (AMATS) team led by Lucas López Vázquez, and globally in Aon’s international Litigation Risk Group. His role will be to develop the litigation insurance practice and assist Aon’s clients in transferring risks arising from litigation and contingent situations.

Fernando Gragera, a Spanish lawyer and solicitor of England and Wales with more than 13 years of professional experience, comes from PLA Litigation Funding, a litigation funder specialising in the Iberian market. Previously, he worked as a lawyer in the litigation and arbitration department of Cuatrecasas and as in-house counsel at Meliá Hotels International, where he was responsible for the group’s litigation and arbitration.

This appointment responds to the growing interest from investment funds, corporations and law firms in covering contingent and litigation-related risks and makes Aon the first professional services firm with a local team specialising in contingent and litigation solutions in Iberia.

Miguel Blesa, head of Aon Transaction Solutions in Iberia: “Fernando’s appointment is a major milestone for the industry and embodies a commitment we have been working on for years. In this way, we reinforce our commitment to continue to support our clients and help them make the best decisions to protect and grow their business”.

About Aon

Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Through actionable analytic insight, globally integrated Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, and locally relevant solutions, our colleagues provide clients in over 120 countries and sovereignties with the clarity and confidence to make better risk and people decisions that help protect and grow their businesses.

Follow Aon on X and LinkedIn. To learn more visit our NOA content platform. 

Altroconsumo and VW Group have reached a ground-breaking agreement, providing over 50 million euro relief to over 60,000 Italian consumers affected by the emissions fraud scandal. Celebrating this major win for Italian consumers, Euroconsumers calls on Volkswagen to now also compensate Dieselgate victims in the other Euroconsumers countries. 

The settlement reached by Altroconsumo, arising from a Euroconsumers coordinated class action which commenced in 2015 ensures that Volkswagen will allocate over 50 million euros in compensation. Eligible participants stand to receive payments of up to 1100 euros per individual owner.

This brings an end to an eight year long legal battle that Altroconsumo together with Euroconsumers has been fiercefully fighting for Italian consumers and marks a significant milestone in seeking justice for those impacted by the ‘Dieselgate’ scandal.

“We extend our massive congratulations to Altroconsumo for reaching this major settlement in favor of the Italian Dieselgate victims. Finally, they will receive the justice and compensation they deserve. This milestone underscores the importance of upholding consumer rights and the accountability of big market players when these rights are ignored, something Euroconsumers and all its national organisations will continue to do together with even more intensity under the new Representative Actions Directive” – Marco Scialdone, Head Litigation and Academic Outreach Euroconsumers

Together with Altroconsumo in Italy, Euroconsumers also initiated Dieselgate class actions against the Volkswagen-group in Belgium, Spain and Portugal. While the circumstances are shared, the outcomes have been far from consistent.

“Euroconsumers was the first European consumer cluster to launch collective actions against Volkswagen to secure redress and compensation for all affected by the emissions scandal in its member countries. After 8 years of relentless pursuit, we urge the VW group to finally come through for all of them and give all of them the compensation they rightfully deserve. All Dieselgate victims are equal and should be treated with equal respect.” – Els Bruggeman, Head Policy and Enforcement Euroconsumers

Consumer protection is nothing without enforcement and so Euroconsumers and its organisations will continue to lead important class actions which benefit consumers all across the single market. 

Read the full Altroconsumo press release here.

About Euroconsumers 

Gathering five national consumer organisations and giving voice to a total of more than 1,5 million people in Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Brazil, Euroconsumers is the world’s leading consumer cluster in innovative information, personalised services and the defence of consumer rights. Our European member organisations are part of the umbrella network of BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation. Together we advocate for EU policies that benefit consumers in their daily lives.

Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today releases a new study that examines how senior legal and finance department leaders across industries approach litigation spend, legal cost and risk management and optimizing legal department value.

Much has changed in the 15 years since Burford’s inception in the wake of the global financial crisis. Economic, political and societal changes have impacted different industries and their legal functions in different ways. This study reveals how leaders from both legal and finance functions in various industries are responding to both external and internal factors—adapting their legal strategies to navigate the evolving landscape effectively—and where they plan to allocate resources moving forward.

The research is gathered from online interviews with 400 senior lawyers and finance professionals across ten industry sectors, shedding light on their decision-making processes regarding commercial disputes as well as cost and risk management within their legal departments. Industry sectors addressed are construction and real estate; consumer goods and services; energy; food; healthcare; manufacturing; mining; pharma and life sciences; retail; and transportation and supply chain.

Key findings from the study include:

• Senior legal and finance leaders in construction and mining expect the biggest increases in litigation spend in the next five years, with pharma and food close behind.
• 3 of 4 GCs and CFOs in construction and real estate say a top priority is to increase certainty and predictability of legal costs—25% higher than the average across all industries.
• Pharma and life sciences GCs and CFOs are four times more likely than the average across all industries to say they could reallocate $50 million or more elsewhere in the business by financing litigation and arbitration.
• Almost two thirds (65%) of senior finance and legal leaders at mining companies say that in the next 15 years they are likely to use monetization, a legal finance solution that provides businesses immediate capital by advancing some of the expected entitlement of a pending claim, judgment or award.
• Half of GCs and CFOs at food companies expect their organization’s litigation and arbitration spend to increase by more than 25% over the next five years; they are also 54% more likely to have used legal finance than the average across all industries.
• A third of senior finance and legal leaders at energy companies say they already have a robust affirmative recovery program in place, nearly twice as many as the average across all industries. 
• Healthcare, retail and consumer GCs and CFOs are more likely to say legal finance can play a significant role in reducing overall litigation and legal costs, perhaps reflecting these sectors’ typically thin margins and their desire for innovative cost-saving measures.
• Finance and legal leaders at retail companies are the most likely to say they intend to invest heavily in legal technology and AI over the next year.
• Industries in which leaders anticipate the largest increases in future litigation spend do not currently have the largest budgets, suggesting a significant shift in litigation priorities among some industries.

Christopher Bogart, CEO of Burford Capital, said: “Burford’s latest research affirms that GCs and CFOs across industries are thinking about new ways to create value for the business, which is at the heart of our work to help clients reframe the legal department from cost center to capital source.

“Burford was founded in the wake of the 2009 global financial crisis, and we recognize that our capital and expertise are especially valuable in challenging times. A major shift since our founding is the continued expansion of our client base from law firms to companies, including very large ones, and financing arrangements with companies now account for the majority of our business. We help all our clients navigate risk and exploring innovative capital solutions, but the growth of our business with corporate clients—including a recent $325 million deal with a single Fortune 500—is exemplary of how much our capital and expertise can help businesses both survive and thrive in today’s uncertain landscape.”

The latest research is based on an online survey of senior financial officers and in-house lawyers of companies across ten different industries and with annual revenues of $50 million or more in the US, UK, Australia, Singapore, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, The Netherlands and the UAE. All respondents are in roles that include knowledge of their companies’ litigation expenditures and decision-making.The Industry perspectives on litigation and arbitration survey can be downloaded on Burford’s website. The research was conducted by GLG from December 2023–January 2024.

Burford Capital Limited (“Burford”), the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today announces its first quarter 2024 results.

In addition, Burford has made available an accompanying first quarter 2024 results presentation on its website at http://investors.burfordcapital.com.

Christopher Bogart, Chief Executive Officer of Burford Capital, commented:

“Our first quarter showed our highest ever reported level of first quarter cash receipts, above-average realized gains, continued case conclusions with loss levels below historical experience and moderate new business activity broadly consistent with a typical first quarter. Total revenues reflected the variable timing of recognition we expect in our business; the underlying portfolio continued to show forward momentum with no material negative developments, while lower operating expenses reflected the absence of elevated variable costs.”The full summary of the quarterly results can be read here.

Lex Ferenda Litigation Funding LLC “LF2” is pleased to announce the following promotion and appointment: Andrew Kelley is now LF2’s Deputy Chief Investment Officer; Andrew Bourhill joins LF2 as Associate Director, Investments. Kelley previously served as Managing Director, Underwriting and Risk. Bourhill, who was an intern at the company while completing his MBA at Columbia Business School, graduated this month and now joins on a full-time basis.

“LF2 has been working on its first investment fund, committing it to litigation assets around the US. It has always been our plan to increase our commitments to Andrew and Andrew, and we are pleased that the business is in a place that we are able to do that,” said Chris Baildon, LF2’s Chief Operating Officer.

PROMOTION

Kelley, who now serves as the Company’s Deputy Chief Investment Officer, is a key part of the management team and works carefully with the co-founders and advisory board to understand risk and manage investments.

“I am excited to expand my role at LF2 and look forward to continuing to help our clients and their counsel successfully navigate the dispute resolution process without having to worry about how to pay for their representation,” said Kelley. “As a former outside counsel and in-house lawyer, I understand the complex business and legal dynamics of successfully funding, prosecuting, and resolving disputes.”

Prior to joining LF2 in early 2023, Kelley was Associate General Counsel and head of commercial litigation at Fortune 500 company, DaVita Inc.. He has also served as General Counsel to a private equity firm headquartered in Colorado and as outside counsel at two different international law firms in Colorado. Kelley received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is actively licensed to practice law in Colorado.

APPOINTMENT

Bourhill joins as Associate Director, Investments, and will be primarily responsible for creating, developing, and maintaining business relationships with law firms and litigants to ensure that LF2’s commercial activity continues to expand while its clients receive best-in-class service.

“I am looking forward to joining the LF2 team and applying my unique perspective in a dynamic industry with such high growth potential,” said Bourhill. “As a former litigator and finance professional, I’m excited to enhance outcomes for both our clients and investors while being able to promote access to high quality legal representation.”

Prior to obtaining his MBA, Bourhill was an associate attorney at a premier defense law firm in Manhattan specializing in commercial litigation. Bourhill received his J.D. from the Cardozo School of Law, and his B.A. from Emory University. He is actively licensed to practice law in New York.

“I am humbled to have Kelley and Bourhill take expanded roles at LF2 and believe that their increased fidelity with our clients and investors will make our business stronger,” said Michael German, Chief Investment Officer at LF2. “We are continuing to expand in the litigation finance space and are excited about the future, particularly with Andrew and Andrew playing strategic roles within the business,” German said.

ABOUT LEX FERENDA LITIGATION FUNDINGLF2 is a commercial litigation finance company anchored by institutional capital. LF2 is structured with the objective of meeting the highest standards in investment process management, quality control, risk management, and compliance. For further information about LF2, please visit: www.lf-2.com.

Burford Capital Limited (“Burford”), the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today announces that it will release its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2024 (“1Q24”) on Monday, May 13, 2024, at 7.00am EDT / 12.00pm BST.

Burford will hold a conference call for investors and analysts at 8.00am EDT / 1.00pm BST on Monday, May 13, 2024. The dial-in numbers for the conference call are +1 646 307-1963 (USA) or +1 800 715-9871 (USA & Canada toll free) / +44 (0)20 3481 4247 (UK) or +44 800 260 6466 (UK toll free) and the access code is 7684047. To minimize the risk of delayed access, participants are urged to dial into the conference call by 7.40am EDT / 12.40pm BST.

A live webcast of the call will also be available at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/323980508, and pre-registration at that link is encouraged.

An accompanying 1Q24 results presentation for investors and analysts will also be made available on Burford’s website prior to the conference call at http://investors.burfordcapital.com.Following the conference call, a replay facility for this event will be accessible through the webcast at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/323980508.

Darrow, the leading AI-powered justice intelligence platform, today announced the appointment of Mathew Keshav Lewis as its first Chief Revenue Officer and US General Manager. Lewis brings over 20 years of experience driving revenue and growth for high-profile legal and technology companies – including SaaS platform Dealpath, alternative investment platform Yieldstreet, and legal services pioneer Axiom Law – and will be responsible for helping Darrow scale as it continues an accelerated growth trajectory. 

“Mathew’s arrival at Darrow opens enterprise-level deals to all plaintiff law firms, previously accessible only to a select few,” said Evyatar Ben Artzi, CEO and Co-Founder of Darrow. “His expertise from YieldStreet and Axiom empowers our partners to leverage AI, driving unprecedented growth and innovation.” 

Lewis, who will be based in Darrow’s New York headquarters, joins Darrow after serving as the first Chief Revenue Officer of Dealpath, a real estate deal management platform. He also previously held the role of Chief Revenue Officer and GM, Investments at Yieldstreet, where he drove record revenue and growth for the investment platform. 

“I’m delighted to join a team of tremendously talented individuals at Darrow, who have already disrupted the legal technology space and forged the path ahead,” said Mathew Keshav Lewis, Chief Revenue Officer & US General Manager of Darrow. “I am inspired by Darrow’s progress to date, and I look forward to working alongside Darrow’s growing team to expand the company’s footprint.”

This announcement comes at a period of rapid growth for the company, which completed its $35 million Series B funding round last year. Darrow currently works on active litigation valued over $10 billion across legal domains such as privacy, consumer protection, and antitrust. 

About Darrow: Founded in 2020, Darrow is a LegalTech company on a mission to fuel law firm growth and deliver justice for victims of class and mass action lawsuits. Darrow’s AI-powered justice intelligence platform leverages generative AI and world-class legal experts and technologists to uncover egregious violations across legal domains spanning privacy and data breach, consumer protection, securities and financial fraud, environment, and employment. Darrow is based out of New York City and Tel Aviv. For more information, visit: darrow.ai. 

Omni Bridgeway Limited (ASX: OBL) (Omni Bridgeway, OBL, Group) announces the key investment performance metrics for the three months ended 31 March 2024 (3Q24, Quarter) and for the financial year to date (FYTD).

Summary

• Investment income of A$296 million FYTD; A$56 million provisionally attributable to OBL.
• 23 full completions, 17 partial completions FYTD, with an overall multiple on invested capital (MOIC) of2.0x.
• A$333 million of new commitments FYTD with a corresponding A$447 million in new fair value, on track to achieve our A$625 million target.
• Pricing remains at improved levels, up 32% for the FYTD compared to FY23.
• Strong pipeline, with agreed term sheets outstanding for an estimated A$212 million in new commitments.
• OBL cash and receivables of A$101 million plus A$60 million in undrawn debt at 31 March 2024.
• A$4.4 billion of possible estimated portfolio value (EPV) in completions over the next 12 months. 
• Further simplification and enhancement of our disclosures as announced at the Annual General Meeting, comprising non-IFRS OBL-only financials and non-IFRS fair value on a portfolio basis and OBL-only basis.
• These new disclosures and metrics, as well as a valuation framework for our existing book and platform, were presented at our investor day on 27 March 2024.

Refer to https://omnibridgeway.com/investors/investor-day.

Key metrics and developments for the Quarter

Income and completions

• Investment income of A$296 million generated from A$193 million income recognised and A$103 million income yet to be recognised (IYTBR), with A$56 million provisionally attributable to OBL FYTD (excluding management and performance fees). 
• During the Quarter, 11 full completions and 11 partial completions (excluding IYTBR), resulting in 23 full completions and 17 partial completions (excluding IYTBR) FYTD, and one secondary market transaction, with a FYTD overall MOIC of 2.0x.

New commitments

• Our stated targets for FY24 include A$625 million in new commitments or equivalent value, prioritising value over volume to reflect potential for improved pricing of new commitments.
• FYTD new commitments of A$333 million at 31 March 2024 (from matters that were newly funded, conditionally approved or had increased investment opportunities). 
• The fair value associated with these commitments is $447million, 72% of the full year value generation target.
• Pipeline of 37 agreed exclusive term sheets, representing approximately A$212 million in investment opportunities, which if converted into funded investments is a further 34% of our FY24 commitments target.  
• In addition to the regular new commitments to investments in the existing funds FYTD, an additional A$11.5 million of external co-fundings were secured for these investments to manage fund concentration limits. OBL will be entitled to management fees as well as performance fees on such external co-funding.

Portfolio review

• A$4.4 billion of EPV is assessed to possibly complete in the 12 months following the end of the quarter. This 12 month rolling EPV is based on investments which are subject to various stages of (anticipated) settlement discussions or for which an award or a judgment is expected. All or only part of these may actually complete during the 12 month period.
• We anticipate replacing these final EPV metrics with fair value metrics by the end of this financial year.

Cash reporting and financial position

• At 31 March 2024, the Group held A$100.7 million in cash and receivables (A$62.8 million in OBL balance sheet cash, A$2.0 million in OBL balance sheet receivables and A$35.9 million of OBL share of cash and receivables within Funds) plus access to a further A$60 million in debt.
• In aggregate, we have approximately A$161 million to meet operational needs, interest payments, and fund investments before recognising any investment completions, secondary market sales, management and transaction fees, and associated fund performance fees.
• Post Quarter-end and as per the date of this report, in anticipation of the expiry of the availability period of the debt facility, OBL has drawn down the A$60 million in undrawn debt and received the funds.

Investor day

The investor day presentation and Q&A which took place on 27 March 2024 can be viewed at https://omnibridgeway.com/investors/investor-day.

The team around former Carpentum Capital has launched AURIGON LITIGATION RISK CONSULTING (LRC), a litigation funding intermediary based in Switzerland with a special focus on Latin America. 

Founder and Managing Director Dr. Detlef A. Huber comments: ”AURIGON LRC is combining two worlds, litigation finance and insurance. Both areas are increasingly overlapping. Insurers offer ever more litigation risk transfer products and funders recur to insurance to hedge their risks. Hence complexity and advisory requirements are increasing, especially in still developing markets like Latin America. With our team of lawyers and former re/insurance executives trained in Latin America, the US, UK and Europe we are perfectly suited to advice our clients in any stage of the funding process or in related insurance matters. Our goal is to become the preferred partner for litigation and arbitration funding projects out of Latin American jurisdictions and I am looking forward to this new adventure.”

ABOUT AURIGON

AURIGON Advisors Ltd. is operating as re/insurance consultancy since 2011 with a special focus on dispute resolution and auditing. With AURIGON LRC an intermediary for litigation funding has been launched servicing our clients out of Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Switzerland in Spanish, English, Portuguese and German. With our experience setting up the first Swiss litigation fund dedicated to Latin America (founded 2018), and in the insurance advisory area (since 2011), we are bringing together knowledge of processes and mindsets of the funding and the insurance world. 

Westfleet Advisors, the premier U.S. litigation finance advisory firm, is delighted to announce the appointment of James “Jim” Batson as its new Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Batson, widely recognized as a leader in litigation finance, brings an extensive portfolio of expertise, including nearly a decade at Omni Bridgeway, most recently as its US Co-CIO, and a former partnership at Liddle & Robinson.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jim to Westfleet,” said Charles Agee, Founder and CEO of Westfleet Advisors. “His impressive track record and deep industry knowledge align perfectly with our strategic goals. Jim’s leadership is set to drive significant growth, reinforcing Westfleet’s role as an essential advisor in the increasingly complex litigation finance market.”

“At a time when the litigation finance industry has reached a critical juncture, requiring sophisticated understanding to navigate its complexities, I am excited to join Westfleet Advisors,” said Mr. Batson. “The industry’s growth and the diversification of funding options have made it imperative for clients to seek knowledgeable and experienced advisors. Westfleet’s long-established expertise in advising on deal structures, pricing, and market trends positions us uniquely to guide our clients to the most advantageous outcomes. I look forward to advancing our mission to deliver unmatched advisory services in this dynamic sector.”

Mr. Batson’s prior roles have honed his skills in developing growth strategies and enhancing client services, with a strong focus on operational excellence and strategic advisory for complex legal disputes.

“Jim’s deep understanding of the industry’s needs and his proven leadership abilities will be instrumental as we expand our advisory services and deepen our engagement with the market,” added Agee.

About Westfleet Advisors

Westfleet Advisors is the leading litigation finance advisor in the United States. Founded in 2013, the company has been instrumental in promoting transparency and efficiency in the litigation finance market. With a team of seasoned experts active since 1998, Westfleet provides clients and their attorneys with essential resources and insights necessary for navigating successful litigation financing.

Legal-Bay LLC, The Lawsuit Pre Settlement Funding Company, announced today its focus on funding Securities Fraud and FINRA Arbitration cases for the remainder of 2024 and beyond. The legal funding firm has noticed a major deficiency in the legal funding sphere for specialized funding options for Securities Fraud cases and FINRA arbitrations, as these are some of the toughest cases to approve and understand within legal funding.

However, with two decades of experience in funding complex cases of all natures with creative yet straightforward funding solutions, Legal-Bay is widely recognized throughout the lawsuit funding industry as one of the “best lawsuit loan companies” or “go-to funder” for securities fraud cases and FINRA arbitrations against major brokerage firms.

Whether you are a plaintiff that lost a good majority of assets or a law firm looking for case costs to fight a large brokerage firm, or someone who lost assets due to fraud and needs money now, Legal-Bay can help you. Please visit our website geared specifically toward these types of cases, at: https://lawsuitssettlementfunding.com/securities-fraud.php 

Legal-Bay’s team of experts and underwriting department can quickly evaluate the validity of your claim(s) and potential case value and provide you with the capital you need to see your case through. Too often, plaintiffs or lawyers simply cannot wait all the years these complex fraud cases can drag out without obtaining some sort of large cash advance in the meantime.

It is for this reason that Legal-Bay has committed extensive capital to funding plaintiffs and law firms that find themselves in dire financial situations due to instances of securities fraud. To learn more, feel free to call Legal-Bay today to speak with one of our courteous and knowledgeable staff, at: 877.571.0405.

Chris Janish, CEO, commented, “Securities or stock brokerage fraud cases are some of the most difficult in the legal finance industry to evaluate and fund. It is without question that our firm is one of the few niche funders in this space that has the expertise to evaluate your FINRA arbitration case quickly and accurately for settlement value and for needed cash advance approval.”

To apply right now for your Securities Fraud pre-settlement cash advance or FINRA arbitration settlement cash advance, please visit Legal-Bay’s page dedicated solely to these types of cases, at: https://lawsuitssettlementfunding.com/securities-fraud.php 

You don’t have to wait for the money you deserve. Clients only have to pay back the Securities Fraud advance or FINRA Arbitration case loan if and when they win their case, meaning the money is risk-free. All you need in order to apply for the quick and immediate cash relief—typically provided within 24-48 hours following approval—is a lawyer. Even if you don’t yet have a lawyer, Legal-Bay can help you with that too, as Legal-Bay works with the country’s top Securities Fraud attorneys who will fight for you to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.

Legal-Bay is a leader in personal injury lawsuit loans or commercial litigation settlement loans, as commonly referred to by plaintiffs. Although referred to as loans for settlements, the legal funding advances are not pre settlement loans at all, as they only need to be paid back if your case is won. FINRA arbitrations are considered commercial settlement funding and most typical litigation funding firms do not even consider these cases, however, Legal-Bay is happy to freely evaluate your case for funding. Funds can be used for personal use or for paying for expert witnesses or trial costs prior to an arbitration hearing.

After opening offices in Brussels in 2015, London in 2021, and Amsterdam in 2023, Geradin Partners continues its European expansion with the launch today of its Paris office with the hires of former EU official and competition litigator Marc Barennes and his team. 

Founding partner, Damien Geradin comments: 

“We’re delighted that Marc accepted our offer to open our Paris office. France is a key jurisdiction in Europe, and Marc and his team will help us achieve three goals. First, it allows us to bolster our competition and digital regulation practice. The Paris office will allow us to better serve our clients in France, in particular those in need of strategic advice regarding the DMA (Digital Markets Act), DSA (Digital Services Act) and EU competition law. It will also assist our international clients in interactions with the French competition authority. Second, given his unique experience within the competition authorities and courts, Marc adds further strength to our ability to pursue high-stakes appeals and interventions in relation to competition authority decisions at the French and European levels. Third, Geradin Partners has brought major private actions in the courts, in particular against large tech firms in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, while Marc has been a frontrunner in bringing collective actions in France. With Marc onboard, we will offer a choice between bringing a competition and DMA actions before the Dutch, English or French Courts, depending on which is best for each client”. 

Marc Barennes is a competition litigator with 20-plus years of experience. With over 15 years at the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Union, he brings unique expertise in competition law. During his time with European institutions, he was directly involved in more than 350 cases, including more than 70 of the most complex and high-profile European cartel, abuse of dominance, merger and State aid cases. Before joining Geradin Partners, Marc also gained experience over the past five years of damages actions through his role as Executive Director of a leading claim aggregator, and co-founding partner of the first French claimant firm specialized in class actions. Marc has also been a Lecturer at French School of Law, Sciences Po Paris since 2014 and has been a non-governmental advisor to the European Commission and/or the French and Luxembourgish competition authorities for the International Competition Network (ICN) since 2012. He is a member of both the Paris and New York bars. 

Marc Barennes added: 

“I’m honoured and delighted to join Geradin Partners and launch its Paris office. In only a few years, Geradin Partners has become the go-to European firm for all complex competition and digital regulation cases. It now comprises an exceptional team of 20 competition and digital regulation specialists, including five senior former competition agency officials, who work seamlessly on French, EU and UK high-stake cases. The many cases it has already successfully brought against large tech firms before the French, English and EU competition authorities and courts as well as the multi-billion damages claims it has filed against them in the Netherlands and England are a testament to its expertise and its innovative approach to complex competition issues, especially in the digital space. I look forward to assisting French companies both in benefiting from those damage actions and in their most complex cases before the French and EU competition authorities and courts. Our ambition is to expand the Paris office rapidly: applications at the partner and senior associate levels are welcome”. 

About Geradin Partners

Geradin Partners was founded by competition and digital regulation expert Damien Geradin, who has spent the past 25 years working as an attorney, while combining this with an academic career. With a team of seven partners and a total of 20 competition experts based in Paris, Brussels, London and Amsterdam, Geradin Partners is the first European boutique to offer seamless competition law and digital regulation services in major cases throughout the EU and the UK. It is recognized by its clients and peers for its commitment to excellence, as well as for its innovative and strategic approach. 

Orington Capital (“OC”), today launched an international, Australian headquartered subsidiary, Orington & Partners (“O&P”). O&P specialises in management consulting, legal and dispute financing advisory, restructuring and corporate advisory mandates across the globe including Australia, the United States, India, UAE, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. In addition, O&P provides investment banking and capital raising services in India.

O&P has been founded by entrepreneurs and corporate professionals combining vibrancy and rigour.  The firm prides itself on being new-age that understands how rapidly changing technology impacts businesses. O&P’s target market are mid-market businesses that are seeking a collaboration-first, solutions approach. As a result we are flexible with how we package our solutions to tailor to each business’s needs and financial position. 

The firm is led by Kashish Grover, Managing Partner and CEO, and supported by Orington Capital which provides broad global expertise in owning and investing in various businesses/assets, a larger footprint and access to its investment balance sheet in which few professional service firms are fortunate enough to gain access to.

“I’m extremely excited to be joining Orington & Partners as a Founding Partner, in which we look to provide to an underserved mid-market a breadth of exceptional strategy, transactions and legal finance advisory services, unrivalled by any other in the market. Additionally, our experience combines international best practices with new-age thinking understanding that technology continues to evolve and change the business landscape. ” Mr Grover expressed.

Wei-Khing Seow (Executive Chair of O&P and Managing Director of OC) commented: “We are fortunate to bring on board such an amazing talent and leader in Kashish. He brings a truly exceptional combination of integrity, passion for listening and learning, as well as an unparalleled level of pragmatic smarts.

O&P is positioned to service clients uniquely as a one-stop shop that can help your business grow and improve, whether it be organically and/or inorganically. Lastly, we will help your business create value and monetise legal assets that few other firms in the world can do.”

Please see Orington & Partners’ website for a list of specific services and jurisdictions we provide services to. We welcome both direct enquiries and referrals.

About Orington & Partners

Orington & Partners is an Australia headquartered, international firm specialising in management consulting, legal and dispute financing advisory, restructuring and corporate advisory mandates across the globe including Australia, the United States, India, UAE, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. We also provide investment banking and capital raising services in India.  Visit orington.com/orington–partners for further details.

About Orington Capital

Orington Capital is an Australian family owned and operated investment firm. Established in 2021. Its business holdings and activities originated in Australia but are increasingly international. Uniquely, Orington invests holistically and unconstrained across the entire capital and investment structure in both private and public markets. Orington provides bespoke capital and can attach dedicated business support service solutions to its investments and portfolio companies.  ACN: 664 474 640. Visit orington.com for further details.

In a groundbreaking agreement, Longford Capital Management, LP and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP announced a litigation financing offering for private equity (PE) firms and their portfolio companies. Under the terms of today’s deal, Longford has committed up to $40M in equity capital to Quinn Emanuel’s private equity clients involved in litigation, funding attorneys’ fees and litigation costs and monetizing the value of meritorious legal claims.

Legal Finance SE, which has been aiming for an IPO for some time, has been acquired by the listed company Nakiki SE. The shares of Nakiki SE have been traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 9 April 2024 under ISIN DE000WNDL300 / WKN WNDL30. Nakiki SE will soon operate under the name Legal Finance Holding SE.