News and analysis dedicated to the commercial litigation funding sector including regulatory issues, case developments, funding activities, and more.

The following is a contributed article from Ana Carolina Salomão, Micaela Ossio Maguiña and Sarah Voulaz of Pogust Goodhead. 

On 26 September 2023, a new case was filed in the High Court of England and Wales on behalf of a claimant who, despite having received damages from a successful lawsuit, refused to pay litigation funders for funding previously sought. Legal representatives of the Claimants in this case are seeking a declaration from the Court that the clients’ LFAs “fall under the PACCAR regime as non-compliant DBAs” and have added that in reaching its decision in R (on the application of PACCAR Inc & Ors) v Competition Appeal Tribunal & Ors [2023] UKSC 28 (“PACCAR”), the Supreme Court has recognised “the importance of statutory protections for clients.” Is this the case?

Legal-Bay LLC, The Lawsuit Settlement Funding Company, a leader in lawsuit funding services and legal funding with the fastest approval process in the industry, announced today that they have launched a new site for commercial litigation case funding and will be focusing on funding more commercial litigation cases for the foreseeable future. For over a decade, Legal-Bay has been dedicated to funding large and complex commercial litigation cases. However, they have now expanded to accommodate more clientele as they’ve seen a surge in cases where clients have been disqualified for advances from other funding companies.

Litigation Capital Management Limited (AIM:LIT), an alternative asset manager specialising in dispute financing solutions internationally, today announces that it intends to commence a share buyback programme in respect of its ordinary shares up to a maximum consideration of A$10.0 million from the date of this announcement (the “Share Buyback Programme”).

Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer at DealBridge.ai. Prior to founding DealBridge.ai, he led various data, technology, and product initiatives at some of the largest financial institutions and a category-defining FinTech: JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock, and iCapital. He has spent the past 15 years devising technical & business solutions across manufacturing, life sciences, and financial services. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University.

From September 26^th-28^th, LF Dealmakers hosted its sixth annual event in New York City. The three-day conference kicked off with a workshop on navigating the Mass Torts landscape, and an opening reception at the James Hotel. Days two and three featured panel discussions and networking opportunities between key stakeholders in the litigation finance space.

DealBridge.ai, the inventor of the modern Deal Relationship Management (DRM) platform, is delighted to announce its strategic partnership with Finitive. Finitive, a leading marketplace that excels in facilitating deal-making within the private credit space, has selected DealBridge.ai’s cutting-edge technology to help power its litigation finance business.

Pogust Goodhead, a global law firm, and Gramercy Funds Management LLC (“Gramercy”), today announced that they have entered into a $552.5 million investment partnership in the form of a secured loan by Gramercy to Pogust Goodhead. This loan is the largest of its kind in a U.K. based law firm.

The panel discussion consisted of Jacob Malherbe, CEO of X Social Media, Sara Papantonio, Partner at Levin Papantonio Rafferty, and Ryan Stephen, Managing Partner of Pine Valley Capital Partners. The panel was moderated by Steve Nober, CEO of Consumer Attorney Marketing Group (CAMG),

Palisade Insurance Partners, LLC (“Palisade” or the “Company”), a specialty managing general underwriter (“MGU”), today announced the appointments of two seasoned industry executives across its business geography. Scott Stevenson has joined Palisade Insurance Partners LLC in New York as Head of US Risk, from Aon Special Opportunities Group where he served as Senior Vice President. Mark de la Haye has joined Palisade Risk Solutions Ltd in London as Head of UK and Europe Risk, from Augusta Ventures Limited, where he served as Head of Resolutions.

The day’s featured panel included a discussion around ethical challenges and conflicts of interest, impacts on attorney-client relationships, developing a regulatory framework, and balancing the benefits vs. the risks of litigation funding.

On the back of its successful launch of 11Onze Recommends, Europe’s leading community fintech has added housing litigation to enhance its funding offer. 11Onze has also lowered the entry requirement for the product to € 10,000 (from € 25,000) to widen its access to more members. The housing claims are for housing disrepair, especially social housing disrepair.

A panel consisting of Rebecca Berrebi, Founder & CEO of Avenue 33, Daniel Bond, Senior VP of DUAL North America, Jarvis Buckman, Managing Partner at Leste, and Steven Penaro, Partner at Alston & Bird, discussed the intersection of insurance and litigation funding. The panel was moderated by Stephen Kyriacou, Managing Director & Senior Lawyer at Aon.