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

By John Freund |

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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Certum Group Litigation Finance Fellowship Opens Applications for Third Year

By John Freund |

The Certum Group is accepting applications for its Litigation Finance Fellowship, now in its third year. The program offers law and business students a four-week, hands-on immersion in the business of litigation finance, with fellows earning a $3,000 stipend.

As reported by Above the Law, the fellowship provides participants with direct exposure to the complete lifecycle of litigation risk assessment, pricing, and transfer. Fellows analyze case funding requests, model case resolution scenarios, attend client development meetings, and prepare marketing materials alongside Certum's legal, insurance, and finance professionals.

The program is directed by William Marra, who leads Certum's litigation finance strategy, serves on the board of the International Legal Finance Association, and is in his fourth year teaching litigation finance as a lecturer in law at Penn Carey Law School. Marra noted that litigation finance and insurance are rapidly transforming the legal landscape and that understanding finance has become essential for modern legal professionals.

The fellowship is based in New York City, with remote participation available. Certum expects to select one to three fellows depending on the applicant pool. Past fellows have come from institutions including Penn Carey Law and Columbia Business School. Applications are due March 31, 2026, and require a resume, law school transcript, and a 250-word statement of interest.

Burford Capital Opens First South Korean Office as Cross-Border Disputes Rise

By John Freund |

Burford Capital, the world's largest litigation funder, has formally entered South Korea's litigation finance market by establishing its first office in the country. The expansion targets Asia's fourth-largest economy amid rising cross-border disputes involving Korean companies and escalating legal expenses.

As reported by KED Global, the move capitalizes on growing international disputes involving Korean corporations and increasing demand for third-party litigation funding. The article highlights prominent Korean commercial litigation cases, including Medytox Inc. v. Hugel Inc. over trade secret allegations involving botulinum toxin technology, as well as multiple patent disputes involving Samsung Electronics and Seoul Semiconductor.

Burford's entry into South Korea signals the continued global expansion of litigation finance into major Asian markets. As Korean companies face mounting legal costs from cross-border commercial disputes, third-party funding offers an increasingly attractive tool for managing litigation risk without straining corporate balance sheets.

The Korean Commercial Arbitration Board serves as a key domestic venue for resolving such disputes, and Burford's presence in the market positions the funder to support both Korean companies and international parties engaged in disputes with Korean counterparts.

KPMG Appoints First U.S. Legal Services Chief as Arizona Alternative Business Structure Faces Scrutiny

By John Freund |

KPMG LLP has named Christian Athanasoulas as the inaugural head of KPMG US Legal Services, a newly created position aimed at expanding the Big Four firm's legal offerings in the United States. Athanasoulas, a Boston-based M&A tax practice leader with more than 25 years at the firm, will oversee efforts to integrate legal services with KPMG's broader corporate advisory platform.

As reported by Bloomberg Law, the appointment comes one year after KPMG gained regulatory approval to operate as an alternative business structure in Arizona — making it the first Big Four firm permitted to run a U.S. law firm. The division focuses on work traditionally handled by in-house legal teams, including post-merger contract cleanup, entity dissolution, and vendor consolidation.

The expansion, however, faces growing regulatory pushback. Arizona's Committee on Alternative Business Structures has recommended rule changes that would require ABS firms to serve Arizona clients and provide direct legal services rather than operate as national referral networks. The Arizona State Bar has warned that some entities may be exploiting the framework without meaningfully benefiting Arizona residents.

The development is significant for the legal industry's evolving competitive landscape. KPMG operates globally with more than 3,000 licensed attorneys and has already expanded legal services in the UK and Australia. Traditional law firms view the firm's entry with caution, recognizing that its established corporate client base, substantial resources, and technology investments present a formidable competitive challenge to conventional legal service delivery models.