The following article is part of an ongoing column titled ‘Investor Insights.’ 

Brought to you by Ed Truant, founder and content manager of Slingshot Capital, ‘Investor Insights’ will provide thoughtful and engaging perspectives on all aspects of investing in litigation finance. 

This publication will be hosting a special digital conference on April 16th, discussing the topic of COVID-19 and the impact it has had on the litigation funding and broader legal services industry.

The following piece was contributed by Joshua Libling, Portfolio Counsel at Validity Finance, LLC.

Litigation finance has always billed itself as a way of helping meritorious claims regardless of the economic strength of the litigant. The coronavirus pandemic is now exerting enormous and growing stress on law firms and clients. If ever there was a moment for litigation finance to live up to its own hype, this is it. We think it can.

This article was contributed by Eric Schuller, President of the Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding (ARC).

In today’s “us vs. them” political environment, it is refreshing to see exceptions in the state of Utah.  I saw one example of people working together in the political environment during Utah’s most recent legislative session.

The following piece was contributed by Louis Young, Managing Director of Augusta Ventures. 

The Legal Services industry, like many others, is today racing to come to terms with the implications of coronavirus. A range of impacts have been felt to date, including cases being put on hold, staffing concerns and critically, cash flow issues. With clients under pressure, bills aren’t being paid and pipeline looks increasingly uncertain. Alongside this, law firms have high fixed costs, particularly staff, so income is urgently needed.

Understanding the Latest NYC Bar Report on Litigation Funding

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

1:00 pm to 2:00 pm

The following article is part of an ongoing column titled ‘Investor Insights.’ 

Brought to you by Ed Truant, founder and content manager of Slingshot Capital, ‘Investor Insights’ will provide thoughtful and engaging perspectives on all aspects of investing in litigation finance. 

The following article is part of an ongoing column titled ‘Investor Insights.’ 

Brought to you by Ed Truant, founder and content manager of Slingshot Capital, ‘Investor Insights’ will provide thoughtful and engaging perspectives on all aspects of investing in litigation finance. 

The following article is part of an ongoing column titled ‘Investor Insights.’ 

Brought to you by Ed Truant, founder and content manager of Slingshot Capital, ‘Investor Insights’ will provide thoughtful and engaging perspectives on all aspects of investing in litigation finance. 

The following article is part of an ongoing column titled ‘Investor Insights.’ 

Brought to you by Ed Truant, founder and content manager of Slingshot Capital, ‘Investor Insights’ will provide thoughtful and engaging perspectives on all aspects of investing in litigation finance. 

The following article is part of an ongoing column titled ‘Investor Insights.’ 

Brought to you by Ed Truant, founder and content manager of Slingshot Capital, ‘Investor Insights’ will provide thoughtful and engaging perspectives on all aspects of investing in litigation finance. 

ELEV8: Litigation Finance conference unveils the latest investment opportunities and trends in the exploding litigation market that has grown by over 400% in the last 5 years. For investors, litigation finance presents a vehicle to deploy capital uncorrelated to equity or debt markets, with the opportunity to realize significant returns. The conference connects investors, law firms, plaintiff, thought leaders and regulatory agencies in order to facilitate actionable dialogue and foster a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem. In support of that mission, we sponsor an ongoing effort to share information and build confidence in deal making to accelerate the growth of litigation finance.

The following article is part of an ongoing column titled ‘Investor Insights.’ 

Brought to you by Ed Truant, founder and content manager of Slingshot Capital, ‘Investor Insights’ will provide thoughtful and engaging perspectives on all aspects of investing in litigation finance. 

The following article is the first in an ongoing column titled ‘Investor Insights.’ 

Brought to you by Ed Truant, founder and content manager of Slingshot Capital, ‘Investor Insights’ will provide thoughtful and engaging perspectives on all aspects of investing in litigation finance. 

The following is a contribution from Eric Schuller, President of the Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding (ARC). 

What is the best way to reduce the amount of companies offering Consumer Legal Funding?

Simple: Put a RATE on it!

In Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it),” the lyrics read: “If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it.” The US Chamber and Insurance Industry are singing a similar tune when it comes to Consumer Legal Funding. However in their song, the lyrics read: “Put a RATE on it.”

There is no other way to express it; the US commercial litigation finance industry is under assault from a variety of different interest groups and the industry lacks a homogenous voice to counter the opposition and to communicate its strong benefits.

No doubt, many industry participants are well aware of the recent report by a hedge fund short- seller against the industry’s largest participant.  While the report raises many issues for consideration, it is also symptomatic of a multi-pronged attack on the industry, whether organized or purely by coincidence.  This article is a call for the industry to unite and create an association to represent interests of the various participants and beneficiaries of the industry (lawyers, plaintiffs, funders and investors).

The following was contributed by Nick Rowles-Davies, Executive Vice Chairman of Litigation Capital Management (LCM).

The recent and well documented attacks by activist short-seller Muddy Waters on Burford Capital have brought litigation finance into the limelight. Whilst largely focussed on Burford’s accounting methods and corporate governance, the hedge fund’s accusations have raised concerns around the practices and legitimacy of the industry more broadly.

The following was contributed by Eric Schuller, President of the Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding (ARC). 

According to Investopedia: “Paycheck to paycheck is an expression used to describe an individual who would be unable to meet financial obligations if unemployed because his or her salary is predominantly devoted to expenses. Persons subsisting paycheck to paycheck have limited or no savings and are at greater financial risk if suddenly unemployed than individuals who have amassed a cushion of savings.”

One of LCM’s key areas of focus since its IPO has been the origination and execution of corporate portfolio transactions. The recent announcement of a portfolio funding partnership with a major aviation company, in which LCM will finance 38 worldwide disputes and contractual claims arising from the operations of the company for an initial 5-year rolling period, underscores the funder’s commitment to its corporate portfolio funding strategy.

This article was contributed by Eric Schuller, President of the Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding (ARC).

“Millions of Americans Are Just 1 Paycheck Away From ‘Financial Disaster’” was the title in a recent story in Barron’s. The article stated that 51% of working adults in the US would need to access savings to cover necessities if they missed more than one paycheck. That is the equivalent of over 78.2 million Americans.

The following article was contributed by Michael Lohrer, Chief Technology Officer of Segue Cloud Services.

When it comes to technology for the legal finance community, more often than not market solutions have been designed as pre-set software, produced to function in one particular fashion to address organizational processes or workflows. End-users are often encouraged to give feedback on desired changes and customization, but revisions to the finished product are difficult for developers to fulfill after-the-fact. A pre-determined GUI and set functionality doesn’t always accommodate the ongoing needs of the customer—particularly for those who hope to grow their practices.

The Following sponsored post was contributed by Segue Cloud Services.

The Challenge

Multi Funding USA is a pre-settlement finance provider that serves attorneys and their plaintiffs. The company has been serving clients for nearly a decade, providing millions of dollars in financial support in jurisdictions like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, Texas, California, Florida, and Washington. Through its pre-settlement funding services, plaintiffs can access much needed funds during the often lengthy settlement process as they wait for their cases to be resolved. When a case concludes in favor of the plaintiff, Multi Funding recoups its investment at a preferred rate of return.

This article was contributed by Eric Schuller, President of the Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding. 

Montani semper liberi; “Mountaineers are Always Free” is the motto of the State of West Virginia, but apparently the motto only applies to a select group of Mountaineers. The Legislature of West Virginia passed – and the Governor signed into law – Senate Bill 360 which sets out to regulate Consumer Legal Funding in the state. Unfortunately, SB 360 is a set of meaningless regulations, given that the legislation implements rate restrictions on the Consumer Legal Funding Industry which restrict the product from even being offered to the citizens of the state. So in essence, SB 360 bans the product altogether.

The following post was submitted by Dean Lipson, Partner of Covered Bridge Capital.

Ever hear of the psychological experiment known as the Invisible Gorilla?[1]  It goes like this: You’re asked to watch a brief video of a group of people moving randomly about in a pack. Several of these people are wearing white shirts and passing a ball amongst themselves. You’re asked to count the number of passes that occur. During the video, a person dressed as a gorilla enters the middle of the pack and, while facing the camera, thumps his chest for a few seconds then exits. The video ends and you’re asked to give the number of times the ball was passed. Most likely, you get that right. You’re then asked if you saw the gorilla. Huh, what gorilla? Yes, despite being on-screen for 9 seconds, half of all participants in the experiment never see the gorilla.