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

This year’s LF Dealmakers Forum was a hybrid conference, combining in-person guests and speakers along with virtual ones. It was a balancing act between providing a normal and engaging experience, presenting high-quality content, and keeping pandemic safety rules firmly in mind.

This week, the Supreme Court blocked a data protection claim against tech giant Google—saying that the case was doomed to failure. The court unanimously affirmed the appeal from Google.

Last week, one of the largest third-party litigation funders in the UK was placed into administration. According to a notice in the London Gazette, Affiniti has stopped taking in new business.

Like much of the world, Canada’s legal system can be expensive to access effectively. Even well-off Canadians may not be able to afford to follow up on meritorious claims against powerful defendants. Enter third-party legal funding. This practice affords potential clients the financial support needed to pursue meritorious cases without the risk of incurring a huge legal debt.

Until recently, there was a $150,000 cap on the incentive for employees to alert authorities when money laundering occurs. This monetary incentive was only for employees of regulated financial institutions, and was paid at the discretion of the feds.

The concept of blockchain investing is still a mystery to many consumers. To many it sounds complicated, risky, and predicated on guesswork. Blockchain-style investment in third-party legal funding is a new concept, and one that brings with it questions about transparency and disclosure.

Most industries report that women are still making less money than men, despite similar job performance. In American law firms, multiple studies affirm that male lawyers make more money than their female counterparts. A partner compensation survey from last year shows that male partners earned 44% more than female partners. Can third-party legal finance help address this?

Pure Business Group, which specialized in civil legal claims, is now in administration along with seven connected entities. The firm employed 256 people in total, with 203 of those immediately dismissed for “redundancy.”

The Tinder trial is about to begin. One co-founder of the popular dating app is suing Barry Diller and his media holdings for an astronomical $2 billion—claiming that he was misled about Tinder’s true value.

As legal firms try to keep up with a spike in new litigation, a worker shortage is making an already tough task even more challenging. Many firms initiated a hiring freeze during the pandemic, and are now scrambling to cover staffing shortfalls. As competitive wages for lawyers climb, salaries for first year associates can be as much as $200,00 annually at Big Law firms.

Litigation Finance has become a powerhouse investment in the last decades, with billions in assets under management. The reasons for this are varied—including financial instability caused by the pandemic, a thirst for uncorrelated assets, and a burst of interest in ESG investing.

As new jurisdictions discover the benefits of third-party legal funding, access to justice is increasing around the globe. As predicted, Litigation Finance is gaining acceptance among Big Law firms, corporates, and the public at large.

At present, the New Zealand Law Commission is reviewing regulations regarding class action regimes and litigation funding. The expectation is that a new round of regulations could be introduced to the minister of justice by summer of next year.

Referencing a “large backlog,” Binance has put a temporary hold on customer withdrawals of crypto assets. The number one cryptocurrency exchange tweeted the announcement earlier this week.

Like many places in the world, Canada’s cost of litigation can be prohibitively high. Even meritorious claims may not be worth what it costs to pursue them—leaving good people victimized and the unscrupulous free from dissent. Enter third-party litigation funding. That’s when everything changes for Canadians seeking justice.

Bloomberg predicts that by 2025, nearly a third of assets under management will consist of ESG investments. Representing advances and social justice in environmental, social, and governmental systems, sustainable investments sound like a great idea for all concerned. But are they?

After-the-event insurance is a common means of covering costs by both defendants and plaintiffs in litigation or arbitration cases. Often, such insurance can also be used as security for the defendant’s costs. Recently though, Deputy Master Nurse found in Addlesee and Ors v Dentons Europe LLP that not all ATE policies are suitable as providing security for costs.

More than 20 million potential claimants believe they overpaid on their homeowner’s insurance because of overt bias on a price comparison website. Augusta Ventures is backing the claim for an undisclosed percentage of any potential award.

Can a marketing rep of average financial means successfully mount a civil case against a billionaire? A few decades ago, probably not. But now that third-party legal funding is on the scene, a complex civil suit is finally reaching the trial phase after years of delays.

Recently, Magistrate Judge Mark Roberts released his decision in the NuStar Farms action, regarding discovery of the identity and terms of the third-party legal funder supporting the plaintiffs. Citing “unusual” circumstances in the case, Judge Roberts determined that disclosure was necessary in this instance.

Blockchain-based token offerings are finding their way into the Litigation Finance sector. Apothio, an Indiana grower and distributor of hemp, has launched the initial litigation offering in the hopes of raising $5 million.

This week, the Australian Parliament has introduced the Corporations Amendment Bill 2021. It’s designed to promote what’s described as a “more fair” distribution of awards from class actions.

Litigation funding expenses are fundamentally related to the cost of doing business—so says a federal district court judge in their rejection of a request to recover expenses. In Perez v Rash Curtis & Assoc, the judge held that if funding expenses were recovered from a class settlement fund, that it would undermine necessary transparency—particularly in cases in which funding agreements were not pre-approved by the court.

The purpose of attorney-client privilege is to allow clients and their legal teams to discuss cases privately without fear of disclosure to other parties. Yet third-party funders require information about cases in order to vet them for potential funding. How is this dichotomy addressed?

Germany is already well-known for its robust legal system, and is a preferred venue for international and domestic arbitration. Litigation funding has been in use in Germany for more than two decades. For most of that time though, funding has been used by cash-poor clients on a single case basis. This is beginning to change as funders step up and develop new solutions to meet complex legal funding needs.

Third-party legal funding is on the rise, both in terms of major players and client requests. Money is pouring in from investors, and some hedge funds are even funding litigation without input from established litigation funders. But is mainstreaming litigation funding a good thing for industry professionals who already appreciated it before it was cool?

What’s the connection between Litigation Finance and cryptocurrency? David Kay, CIO of crypto litigation finance entity, Liti Capital, says that the overlap between these two topics is an increasingly popular discussion in the digital assets theatre.

Patent filings are on the rise, as 38 Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions and 71 district court filings occurred last week alone. There have also been a spate of dismissals, settlements, and district court terminations.