Omni Bridgeway, Deminor and Nivalion AG have teamed up to organize the launch of the European Litigation Funders Association (ELFA). Tasked with helping expand legal finance innovation across Europe, ELFA will represent industry best practices before international governments and legal associations.
The following piece was contributed by Lillian Rizio and Max Hensen of Australian law firm, Piper Alderman.
The Full Federal Courts’ decision in Parkin v Boral Limited (Class Closure) [2022] FCAFC 47 (Parkin) confirms the courts’ power to issue pre-mediation (and settlement) soft class closure notices to group members. The decision hints at the (positive) appetite of the Federal Court in making future orders for class closure that facilitate a just outcome,[1] simplifies the assessment of quantum prior to settlement, and reduces an element of risk in funded litigation.
DLA Piper today announces a new partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) that will see the two organisations working collaboratively to develop innovative responses to the global refugee crisis, enhance refugee integration and advocate for impactful, systemic change. During the first three years, DLA Piper will provide pro bono support worth over $3.7m and contribute financially to the agency’s global programmes.
Litigation funding specialists, Apex Litigation Finance have announced the appointment of Stephen Allinson, Solicitor and Licensed Insolvency Practitioner, as their new Head of Legal.
Mastercard and Visa are no strangers to legal action, having endured class actions and legal challenges all over the world. Currently, a collective action funded by Bench Walk Advisors accuses the credit giant of illegally overcharging Multilateral Interchange Fees (MIFs) in the UK.
Omni Bridgeway (ASX:OBL), the world’s largest legal risk finance and management team, is pleased to announce new appointments in its Asia Pacific leadership team.
The International Legal Finance Association (ILFA) today announced it will host its first annual International Legal Finance Conference on Monday, October 24, 2022, at the prestigious Morgan Library in New York City.
Six producers of big rigs have allegedly conspired in a 14-year scheme to defraud government regulators over emissions mandates. The Competition Appeal Tribunal has approved a £2B claim marking a historic first for United Kingdom collective actions. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is representing an estimated 18,000 claimants as the beneficiaries of the hopeful award.
The following piece was contributed by Martin del Gallego and Matthew Harris of Australian law firm, Piper Alderman.
This article considers a recent decision of the Federal Court of Australia, awarding damages to class action claimants on an aggregate basis. Aggregate damages is a rare global award which covers all group members described or identified in the award. This was the first instance of aggregate damages being awarded to a funded litigant in Australia, and may spur a trend in representative claims brought on this basis.
Leading litigation funder Validity Finance announced it has expanded to California, adding experienced litigator Mark Chen as portfolio counsel in Los Angeles. Mr. Chen was previously special counsel with Covington & Burling in LA, representing clients in complex commercial disputes, including major intellectual property cases in the entertainment sector. In his new role, he will help assess Validity’s funding opportunities with law firms and businesses in Southern California and the West Coast.
Bloomberg Law profiles Ashley Keller and Adam Gerchen as serial law entrepreneurs who have now raised $750M to fund the first secondary transaction litigation fund. Six years ago, Mr. Keller and Mr. Gerchen made headlines by selling their litigation finance firm for upwards of $160M to Burford Capital. Bloomberg Law reports that the secondary deal landscape for litigation finance is in its infancy. News of Keller and Gerchen’s new secondary market fund (under the banner of Gerchen Capital Partners) is being viewed as a signal of the maturing nature of litigation investment broadly.
