Content for the Public

The lawyers behind a multibillion-dollar class action against BHP over the fatal 2015 Samarco dam disaster in Brazil, are opening an office in Sydney.

On February 8th, 2024, Litigation Finance Journal hosted a special digital event titled ‘Litigation Finance: What to Expect in 2024.’  The event featured Gian Kull, Senior Portfolio Manager at Omni Bridgeway, David Gallagher, Co-Founder of LitFund, Justin Brass, Co-CEO and Managing Director of JBSL, and Michael German, Co-Founder and CIO at Lex Ferenda. The event was moderated by Peter Petyt, founder of 4 Rivers.

A prominent litigation finance firm has marked a significant growth milestone by establishing a new office in The Netherlands to complement its existing presence in Manchester and Dublin.

 Ignite Specialty Risk, a leading provider of litigation risk insurance, announced today the US launch of its Litigation Capital Protection Insurance offering and the appointment of litigation finance expert and former litigator, Nicole Silver as Lead Underwriter and Head of US Operations.

Consumers for Fair Legal Funding (CFLF) — a coalition of community groups, social justice organizations, and business interests across New York — today announced the relaunch of its push for commonsense reform of the unregulated and predatory lawsuit lending industry. 

The following is an article contributed by Ed Truant, founder of Slingshot Capital,

Executive Summary

• Gross v. Net return dispersion needs to be considered by investors & fund managers
• While present in many private equity classes, managers that can limit dispersion can attract more capital for a given return profile
• Wide dispersion prevents many institutional investors from considering investing in the asset class

Omni Bridgeway Limited (ASX: OBL) (Omni Bridgeway, OBL, Group) announces its investment performance for the three months ended 31 December 2023 (2Q24, Quarter) and for the financial year to date (FYTD, 1H24).

Global law firm White & Case LLP has advised a syndicate of leading financial institutions on an upsized offering by Burford Capital Global Finance LLC, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Burford Capital Limited, of US$275 million aggregate principal amount of tack-on 9.250% senior notes due 2031.

POLARIC PARTNERS GmbH is opening its doors under the management of longstanding litigation funding specialist Markus Glaser. The company provides litigation financing in return for a success-based share of the litigation proceeds.

The following is the second of a two-part series (Part 1 can be found here), contributed by Ed Truant, founder of Slingshot Capital,

Executive Summary

• Duration risk is one of the top risks in litigation finance
• Duration is impossible to determine, even for litigation experts
• Risk management tools are available and investors should make themselves aware of the tools and their costs prior to making their first investment
• Diversification is critical in litigation finance

Burford Capital Limited (“Burford” or “Burford Capital”), the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today announces the pricing of its private offering of $275.0 million aggregate principal amount of additional 9.250% senior notes due 2031 (the “Additional Notes”) by its indirect, wholly owned subsidiary, Burford Capital Global Finance LLC (the “Issuer”), which represents an increase from the previously announced offering size.

The European Litigation Funders Association (ELFA) is pleased to announce that IVO Capital Partners, an independent French investment manager with nearly 10 years of active presence in the litigation funding industry, has joined ELFA.

LegalPay, India’s first litigation funder and legal solutions provider, has announced the launch of a zero-interest credit line for enterprises, startups, individual business owners, and freelancers to settle legal disputes while preserving their working capital. LegalPay aims to disburse INR 200 crore in 2024 through its own NBFC Padmalaya Finserve along with other partner NBFCs.

The following article was contributed by Peter Petyt, CEO of 4 Rivers Services, a third-party funding advisory and legal project management firm.  

Peter is undertaking part-time doctoral research at the University of Westminster in London to explore how law firms can ensure that they are suitable for portfolio funding and how can funders best evaluate which law firms to support. In his thesis, he will be examining the different ethical and regulatory challenges in various jurisdictions and analyzing the characteristics of legal case types which make them suitable or unsuitable for inclusion in a funded portfolio. The research will complement the existing 4 Rivers know-how which has been developed to help law firms and claimants secure third-party funding.

The following is the first of a two-part series, contributed by Ed Truant, founder of Slingshot Capital,

Executive Summary

• Duration risk is one of the top risks in litigation finance
• Duration is impossible to determine, even for litigation experts
• Risk management tools are available and investors should make themselves aware of the tools and their costs prior to making their first investment
• Diversification is critical in litigation finance

Litigation funding specialists Apex Litigation Finance have announced the upcoming appointment of Timothy Fallowfield as interim Chairman. Tim will commence the new position in January 2024, assuming overall responsibility for guiding Apex through its next growth stage.

Lexolent, the trailblazing force in the legal finance industry with offices in Dubai and London, is thrilled to announce the forthcoming launch of LexHub, the world’s first online platform for legal finance professionals. Scheduled to go live on Monday, January 8th, LexHub represents a seismic leap forward for the industry, offering a unique one-stop-shop experience for legal professionals worldwide.

LitFin Capital, a Prague-based litigation finance provider and one of the largest players in Europe, has enriched the investment landscape by launching one of the first qualified investor funds for litigation finance in continental Europe. Developed in partnership with WOOD & Company, a major Czech investment firm, this innovative fund presents a unique opportunity for investors seeking uncorrelated market returns.

LitFin Capital, a Prague-based litigation finance provider and one of the largest players in Europe, has enriched the investment landscape by launching one of the first qualified investor funds for litigation finance in continental Europe. Developed in partnership with WOOD & Company, a major Czech investment firm, this innovative fund presents a unique opportunity for investors seeking uncorrelated market returns.

Robert Martorana is a NYS licensed attorney who has 10 years of experience in the litigation finance industry.  Rob worked for Burford Capital and Stifel prior to launching REMO Litigation Finance in January of 2023.

In a landmark decision by the International Trade Commission (ITC), Apple’s highest-grossing wearables faced unprecedented importation restrictions, marking a pivotal moment in the protracted patent dispute with medical device-maker Masimo.

Montauk Metals Inc. (TSX-V: MTK) (the “Company” or “Montauk”) is pleased to announce that it is been advanced US$200,000 (the “Loan Amount”) pursuant to the loan and option agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with Omni Bridgeway (Fund 5) Canada Investments Ltd. (“Omni”), as previously announced in its news release on November 9, 2023. The Loan Amount was advanced to the Company in connection with the execution of promissory note by Montauk in favour of Omni (the “Note”).

Omni Bridgeway Limited (Omni Bridgeway) (ASX:OBL) is pleased to announce the first close (First Close) of capital raising for the second series of its core funds, Fund 4 and Fund 5 (Series II), with existing investors on improved cost coverage terms achieved through transaction fees (Transaction Fees). Each Series II fund is capped at US$500 million, and Omni Bridgeway will continue to be a 20% co-investor.

DealBridge.ai, a leading innovator in Deal Relationship Management (DRM), proudly announces the official release of its groundbreaking generative AI platform. This cutting-edge solution harnesses the power of Generative AI to automate financial, legal, and insurance processes, revolutionizing deal origination, due diligence, and distribution in the industry.

The International Legal Finance Association (ILFA), the only global association of commercial legal finance companies, has announced the addition of Orchard Global to the organization’s rapidly growing membership base. 

Omni Bridgeway Limited (Omni Bridgeway, OBL, Group) (ASX: OBL) announces that it has completed the sale of a 25% interest in a portfolio of 15 intellectual property (IP) investments (Investments) in Fund 4 (Fund) to an affiliate of GLS Capital Partners Fund II, LP (GLS) for an initial amount of US$21.5 million, representing a multiple on invested capital (MOIC) of 2.0x of the apportioned aggregated deployments to date. 

Anthony Johnson launched a new thought leadership website based on customer feedback on December 7, 2023.

On December 6^th, 2023, Litigation Finance Journal produced its final event of the year: Legal Tech and LitFin: How Will Tech Impact Litigation Finance Globally?

Tets Ishikawa moderated an insightful and pertinent discussion on the use of legal tech in the litigation finance industry. Panelists included Nick Rowles-Davies (NRD), Founder of Lexolent, Isabel Yang (IY), Founder of Arbilex, and Joshua Masia (JM), Co-Founder and CEO of Dealbridge.ai.

Ohio’s defendants should know whether a third-party litigation funding firm is financing a lawsuit against them, the Insurance Information Institute’s (Triple-I) chief insurance officer, Dale Porfilio said, in testimony today before the state Senate’s Judiciary Committee.

As litigation funders are keen to regularly emphasise, third-party financing is not only useful to directly support a company’s legal claims, it is also a valuable tool to allow the business to continue its operations unhindered whilst pursuing meritorious litigation.