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Delta Capital Partners Management LLC, Chicago-Based Litigation Finance Firm, Announces New Offices and Hires

January 8, 2020

Delta Capital Partners Management LLC, Chicago-Based Litigation Finance Firm, Announces New Offices and Hires

CHICAGO, Jan. 8, 2020 –Delta Capital Partners Management LLC, a private equity and advisory firm specializing in litigation finance, today announced major milestones in its growth.

Christopher DeLise, Delta’s Managing Principal, CEO and CO-CIO, stated, “Delta has met its key business objectives for 2019 by hiring top-tier professionals, building out our geographic footprint, and joining forces with a top-tier global financial partner.  These developments have strengthened Delta’s AUM and the successful completion of recoveries for claimants, Delta and the firm’s investors. We look forward to continuing to provide world-class services to our investors and clients in 2020.”

Delta’s Geographic Reach and Team Expansion

In 2019, Delta increased its presence in several geographies where it had historically done business, by opening offices in Madrid, Prague, Warsaw and Hong Kong.

New Management Team Members 

Daniel Bond, Esq., Managing Director

Daniel Bond has been hired to lead Delta’s intake, evaluation, due diligence, and monitoring efforts to support new investment opportunities. Mr. Bond was previously a Partner at Kirkland Ellis LLP. Mr. Bond has had a 10+ year law firm career with extensive experience in the planning and management of commercial litigation and dispute resolution.

Since 2015, Mr. Bond has been named by Leading Lawyers as an “Emerging Lawyer in Illinois,” an honor given to the top 2% of lawyers who are 40 years old or younger or practicing law 10 years or less, who have proven themselves professional, ethical and experienced at an early point in their legal career.

Michael Makridakis, Esq., Managing Director – Asia, Australia and Offshore Jurisdictions

Michael Makridakis has been hired to lead Delta’s business in Asia, Australia, and in the Offshore Jurisdictions including the Cayman Islands, BVI and the Channel Islands. Mr. Makridakis works out of the firm’s Hong Kong office.

Prior to joining Delta, Mr. Makridakis was Managing Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution & Insolvency of the Hong-Kong office of Carey Olsen. Mr. Makridakis has a broad range of experience with investment funds, both offshore and domestically. Mr. Makridakis has worked extensively with distressed investment funds and has been a commercial litigator for over 15 years with extensive global litigation and arbitration expertise. Prior to launching the Hong-Kong office of Carey Olsen, Mr. Makridakis practiced law in the Cayman Islands, starting his career with Walkers Global in 2008.

Petr Malecek, Esq., Managing Director – Central & Eastern Europe

Petr Malecek has been hired to lead Delta’s business in Central and Eastern Europe. Mr. Malecek works out of the firm’s Warsaw and Prague offices. Mr. Malecek has over 20 years of experience advising corporate and sovereign entities on banking, finance and dispute-related matters in jurisdictions across Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Prior to joining Delta, Mr. Malecek co-founded a multi-disciplinary advisory practice where his areas of expertise included litigation management, dispute resolution, asset recovery, cross-border leveraged finance and the coordination of the company’s  advisors/practices and external contractors. Previously, Mr. Malecek was a Partner at CMS Cameron Mckenna and ran the banking and finance practices in Warsaw and Kyiv during that time.

Joseph Drozd, Jr., Director – Strategic Initiatives & Investor Relations

Joseph Drozd brings over ten years of experience in investment management and specializes in fundraising and managing a fund’s entire investment process. Before joining Delta, Mr. Drozd was the director of strategy and marketing with a major Chicago-based investment management company.    Joe formerly was a portfolio manager and director of research for a multi-family office in Chicago and previously worked in the alternatives group at Mercer Investments.

Jennifer Conley, Director – Marketing & Communications

Jennifer Conley has been hired to lead Delta’s marketing and communications efforts. Ms. Conley has worked in marketing and business development across the legal and financial services industries for over 13 years. Ms. Conley is responsible for developing marketing and branding strategies, client pitches and proposals, social media initiatives, competitive intelligence research, national conference sponsorships, and client socials.  Prior to joining Delta, Ms. Conley was a Global Practice Development Manager at Winston & Strawn and focused on practice and client development initiatives for the firm.

In addition to the new management team members noted above, Delta also hired several support, finance, accounting, and legal professionals during 2019, including: Daniel Noonan, Alon Polischuk, and Erin Bishop, Esq.

Delta’s Institutional Financial Partner in 2019

In May 2019, Delta entered a joint venture with a prominent Chicago-based asset manager that has made more than 60 investments since 2007.  The firm has had commitments and deployments of over $5 billion since inception and has an AUM of $9 billion.  The firm manages funds with a variety of investment strategies, including private equity, venture capital, specialty financing, distressed bond and credit alternatives, and has invested extensively in litigation finance over the last decade.

About Delta Capital Partners Management LLC

Delta Capital Partners Management LLC is a US-based private equity and advisory firm specializing in litigation finance, judgment enforcement, asset recovery and related strategies serving claimants, law firms and other professional service firms, and businesses across the globe. The firm provides capital and expertise that enables their clients to de-risk, focus on their core businesses, and significantly enhance the probability of a successful and timely resolution of their and/or their clients’ claims.

Contact:

Delta Capital Partners

Jennifer Conley, 312-481-8194

jconley@deltacph.com

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Court of Appeal Shuts Down BHP’s Attempt to Overturn Mariana Liability Judgment

By John Freund |

The Court of Appeal of England and Wales today refused BHP’s application for permission to appeal the High Court’s landmark liability judgment in the Mariana disaster litigation.

The High Court found BHP responsible for the 2015 collapse of the Fundão tailings dam in Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil, concluding that BHP is liable for the disaster under both the Brazilian Civil and Environmental law.

The Court of Appeal heard BHP’s application for permission to appeal the decision on 12 March after BHP was refused permission to appeal by the High Court in January.  BHP asked the court for permission to contest the findings that it was a polluter, and that it had knowledge of the risks associated with the dam before the collapse. The mining company also challenged the finding that all claimants brought their claims in time.

The Court of Appeal’s refusal marks a further victory for the hundreds of thousands of Brazilian victims who have spent over ten years pursuing justice, and a major setback for BHP. The High Court’s liability judgment remains in force, and BHP has exhausted the ordinary routes by which it could seek to overturn it.

In today’s ruling, the court concluded that BHP’s proposed grounds of appeal have no real prospect of success and there is no other compelling reason for the appeal to be heard.  The decision means that the parties will proceed to the trial of Stage 2 of the proceedings, which will determine issues of causation, loss and damages. The trial evidence is to be heard from April 2027 to December 2027, with closing submissions listed for March 2028.

Lord Justice Fraser wrote in the decision: “I do not accept that any of the grounds relating to BHP’s liability for the dam collapse are reasonably arguable. I do not consider that there is any foundation for the different complaints that the trial judge failed to engage with BHP’s case."

Jonathan Wheeler, lead partner for the Mariana litigation at Pogust Goodhead, said: “The Court of Appeal has now joined the High Court in finding that BHP’s grounds of appeal have no real prospect of success - an emphatic and unambiguous outcome. BHP remains liable for the worst environmental disaster in Brazil’s history, and it will not be given another bite at the cherry.”

“Our clients have waited more than a decade for justice while BHP pursued every procedural avenue to avoid accountability; those avenues are now closed. We are focused on securing the compensation that hundreds of thousands of Brazilians have been owed for far too long.”

Announcements Commercial

Loopa Finance Wins at the Lexology European Awards 2026 in the Litigation / General Counsel Category

By John Freund |

Loopa Finance has been recognized as the winner in the Litigation – General Counsel Team category at the Lexology European Awards 2026, one of the leading recognitions in the international legal sector.

The award was received in London by Ignacio Delgado, General Counsel Europe at the firm, on behalf of Loopa Finance’s European team, composed of Ignacio Delgado (General Counsel Europe), Marina Gouveia (Investment Manager), Fernando Pérez Lozada (Senior Investment Manager), and Fernando Folgueiro (Managing Partner).

The Lexology European Awards recognize outstanding legal teams across the region through a methodology that combines independent research, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and thousands of nominations supported by clients and industry peers, as well as the annual research conducted by the Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) and Client Choice.

The selection process is based on performance evaluations related to effective communication, commercial understanding, technical expertise, strategic management, and team strength, and is supported by a global community of more than 940,000 subscribers.

This recognition positions Loopa Finance’s European team among the leading practitioners in complex litigation and strategic legal management in Europe.

“This award reflects the strength of a team operating across two continents that understands litigation not only from a legal perspective, but also through financial analysis and risk management. It is the result of collective work and a rigorous, strategic approach to structuring complex disputes,” said Delgado during the ceremony.

More Than an Award: Validation of a Model

The award comes at a time of consolidation for the firm. Loopa Finance recently completed its rebranding process, evolving from Qanlex to Loopa Finance and reinforcing an identity aligned with its growth in continental Europe and its broader international positioning.

It also coincides with the closing of Fund III, raising €65 million to finance complex litigation and arbitration across Europe and Latin America, significantly expanding the firm’s investment capacity and supporting the continued growth of its platform in the region.

This milestone adds to the firm’s recent rankings, including its Band 1 classification by Chambers & Partners in Latin America and Europe, its recognition as “Highly Recommended” by Leaders League across multiple jurisdictions, and the inclusion of members of its team among the Thought Leaders in Third-Party Funding by the Lexology Index. Together, these results confirm the strength of Loopa Finance’s model and the consolidation of its team as a reference in the strategic financing of disputes at an international level.

About Loopa Finance

Loopa Finance is an investment fund specializing in the financing and monetization of litigation and arbitration across continental Europe and Latin America, supported by a technology-driven model and rigorous risk analysis. The firm provides capital to cover legal costs or monetize ongoing claims through non-recourse structures, where the recovery of the investment depends exclusively on the successful outcome of the case, assuming the financial risk of the dispute while fully aligning its interests with those of clients and law firms.

Announcements Commercial

Pravati Capital Partners with SEI to Bring Litigation Finance to Registered Investment Advisors

By John Freund |

One of the oldest litigation finance firms in the United States has announced a strategic partnership aimed at expanding mainstream investor access to the asset class.

As reported by Business Wire via Yahoo Finance, Scottsdale-based Pravati Capital has partnered with financial services firm SEI to provide registered investment advisors with structured access to litigation finance as an alternative investment option. The collaboration will leverage SEI's distribution platform to make litigation funding opportunities available within advisor portfolios.

The partnership reflects growing institutional interest in litigation finance as an alternative asset class. Historically, litigation funding has been difficult for mainstream financial advisors to access on behalf of their clients, with the market largely dominated by specialized funds and institutional investors. The Pravati-SEI arrangement seeks to bridge that gap by creating a more accessible pathway for advisors seeking diversification through non-correlated investments.

The announcement underscores a broader industry shift as litigation finance continues to move from a niche strategy toward greater acceptance within traditional wealth management channels. As the global litigation funding market grows — projected to reach over $25 billion in 2026 — partnerships like this one may signal a new phase of institutional adoption.