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Community Spotlight: Philippa Wilkinson, Associate Director, S-RM

By John Freund |
November 19, 2024

Community Spotlight: Philippa Wilkinson, Associate Director, S-RM

Philippa Wilkinson is an Associate Director on S-RM’s Disputes & Investigations team, which is dedicated to providing investigative support to parties to contentious situations. She has experience managing asset tracing investigations, as well as litigation and arbitration support engagements, associated with complex corporate disputes. While her practice is global, Philippa specialises in matters involving Middle Eastern parties, having spent several years in the Middle East, living and working in Tunisia and the UAE. She previously worked as a journalist covering finance and infrastructure in the GCC and wider Middle East, and subsequently covering European infrastructure funds. Philippa has an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from the School of African and Oriental Studies, and a BA in Modern Languages from Durham University. She is a fluent Arabic, Spanish and French speaker.

Company Name and Description: S-RM is a global risk and intelligence consultancy. Founded in 2005, our staff comprises 350+ practitioners across eight international offices, serving clients across all regions and major sectors. Headquartered in London with offices in Cape Town, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, New York, Utrecht and Washington, D.C., we support our clients by providing intelligence that informs critical decision-making and strategies.

Our dedicated Disputes & Investigations practice was established to provide specialist support to clients engaged in contentious situations. Our intelligence is deployed in a number of scenarios including litigation, international arbitration, internal investigations and investigations related to sanctions or fraud. We provide a full spectrum of dispute-focused services including asset tracing and enforcement strategy; litigation support; eDiscovery and digital forensics; and strategic intelligence. S-RM’s investigators sit alongside cyber security experts and seasoned crisis managers. Our investigations involve their collaboration on a regular basis, be it for physical surveillance, expert witness support, or digital forensics. Since 2021, our practice has received international recognition by leading legal directories, including Chambers & Partners and Who Who’s Legal (Lexology Index).

S-RM’s research and analysis is provided by six regional teams, which provide expert coverage of a range of jurisdictions globally, from the most prominent to some of the smallest and most obscure. Collectively, S-RM’s analysts and managers speak over 45 languages and have come to the business from a broad range of sectors including intelligence, government, finance, journalism, the military and academia. Each team is adept at locating hard-to-find public records and has built an extensive network of human sources on the ground in their region. On every project, we bring together the most relevant and experienced practitioners from across our business, creating teams designed to address unique problems and complex challenges.

Company Website: https://www.s-rminform.com/

Year Founded: 2005 

Headquarters: 4th Floor Beaufort House, 15 St Botolph Street, London, Greater London, EC3A 7DT 

Area of Focus: Corporate intelligence  

Member Quote: “Through our asset tracing work and enforcement advisory, we make sure a judgment or an award is not just a very expensive piece of paper, but a pathway to recovery.”

About the author

John Freund

John Freund

Commercial

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Case Developments Commercial

Deloitte and Grant Thornton Sued in France Over Atos Accounts in Funded Shareholder Claim

By John Freund |

In what is being described as an unprecedented action in French corporate law, nearly 800 shareholders have filed a civil liability claim against Deloitte & Associes and Grant Thornton, the former statutory auditors of Atos, the once-prominent French IT services company and former CAC 40 constituent.

As reported by Atos Audit Action, the claim targets the auditors for allegedly certifying consolidated financial statements that did not reflect the true financial and asset position of the Atos group across six consecutive fiscal years. Shareholders who purchased Atos shares between February 2018 and March 2024 are eligible to participate. The case has been filed with the Nanterre Commercial Court.

The plaintiffs, represented by law firm Vermeille & Co and supported by the Union for the Protection of Shareholders (UPRA), accuse the auditors of approving accounts containing overvalued assets, overly optimistic revenue recognition, and insufficiently provisioned risks. They further allege that the auditors failed to issue going concern warnings despite the company's deteriorating finances, which they argue had been compromised since the early 2020s. Atos shares collapsed from approximately 70 euros in April 2021 to under one euro by April 2024.

The litigation is backed by an unnamed litigation fund that covers all procedural costs in exchange for a commission on any recovery. The case marks the first time in France that a civil liability action has been brought directly against the auditors of a listed company, potentially setting a precedent for future shareholder claims in the French market.

Case Developments Commercial

Which? Drops £480 Million Funded Class Action Against Qualcomm

By John Freund |

A £480 million collective proceedings claim against chipmaker Qualcomm has been withdrawn in full after the UK consumer group Which? reassessed its position following trial evidence. The settlement, which requires Competition Appeal Tribunal approval, involves no payment from Qualcomm.

As reported by Non-Billable, the litigation-funded claim was originally filed in 2021 under the UK's collective proceedings framework. Backed by litigation funder Augusta Ventures, Which? alleged that Qualcomm's overcharging at the manufacturer level inflated retail mobile phone prices for millions of consumers. Quinn Emanuel and Norton Rose Fulbright represented Qualcomm in the defense.

According to Quinn Emanuel's statement, the class representative concluded that the tribunal would reject allegations that Qualcomm coerced Apple, chipset manufacturers, or Samsung into unfair licensing terms. The firm's partners Miguel Rato and Marixenia Davilla led the defense alongside Norton Rose Fulbright's Caroline Thomas, Helen Fairhead, Nuala Canavan, and US partner Rich Zembek. Hausfeld, led by managing partner Nicola Boyle, represented Which? with counsel from Monckton Chambers.

The withdrawal underscores the ongoing challenges facing the UK's developing competition class action regime, which has faced uncertainty since the Supreme Court's 2023 PACCAR ruling on the enforceability of litigation funding agreements. For funders like Augusta Ventures, the outcome represents a significant loss on what was one of the higher-profile consumer class actions in the UK market.

Announcements Commercial

Nera Capital Secures £50M Asset Mandate

By John Freund |

Nera Capital has strengthened its litigation finance platform with the onboarding of a new South America-based funding partner committing £50 million across litigation finance and legal assets. The mandate not only expands Nera’s available capital base but also sees the firm formally appointed as asset manager for the new funds, reinforcing its growing role as both originator and portfolio steward within the UK litigation market.

In a press release, Nera Capital announced that the £50 million commitment will be deployed across a range of UK-based claims, with the firm responsible for underwriting, structuring, capital deployment, and ongoing portfolio management. The capital will be allocated in line with Nera’s established investment criteria and risk management framework, targeting carefully selected legal assets. The funding partner, described as having an “extensive track record” in high-yielding special situations investments uncorrelated to traditional asset classes, brings prior experience in litigation finance across South America.

Robin Grant, CFO at Nera Capital, emphasized that the partnership aligns with the firm’s disciplined approach to litigation finance and enhances its ability to deliver attractive, risk-adjusted returns to investors. Aisling Byrne, Director at Nera Capital, highlighted the funder’s blend of financial and legal expertise, noting that the asset manager appointment reflects international confidence in Nera’s ability to identify viable claims and manage them through to resolution.

Established in 2011 and headquartered in Dublin, with offices in Manchester and Holland, Nera Capital provides law firm lending across consumer and commercial claim portfolios and is a member of the European Litigation Funders Association.