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Former Boies Schiller Flexner Lawyers Launch Premier Litigation Boutique Roche Cyrulnik Freedman LLP

January 15, 2020

Former Boies Schiller Flexner Lawyers Launch Premier Litigation Boutique Roche Cyrulnik Freedman LLP

NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Kyle Roche, Jason Cyrulnik and Vel Freedman today announced the launch of a premier litigation boutique, Roche Cyrulnik Freedman LLP (RCF) (www.rcfllp.com). RCF’s 12 former Boies Schiller Flexner litigators, including two equity partners, represent the first breakaway firm from Boies Schiller Flexner LLP since that firm’s inception in 1997. RCF opens its doors with 15 lawyers from top law firms that include Boies Schiller; Paul, Weiss; Robbins Geller; and another major, New York-based law firm. The RCF team brings a breadth of experience leading high-stakes litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants in class actions, securities litigation, and many other complex commercial disputes. The New York and Miami-based firm aims to disrupt the big-law model through its approach to clients, cases and its own lawyers. “In today’s fast-paced and dynamic global environment, clients require innovative and tech-savvy legal counsel to help resolve high-stakes business disputes. We are building a unique, forward thinking firm that can keep pace with that change,” said Kyle Roche, one of the founding partners. “Our firm combines high-stakes plaintiffs’ work with a strong base of bet-the-company defense work to help clients tackle a wide array of complex and challenging matters,” said Jason Cyrulnik, a former Boies Schiller equity partner and one of RCF’s founding partners. RCF is handling cases in burgeoning areas of the law like cryptocurrency and cannabis litigation.  The firm is handling two of the largest cryptocurrency disputes ever brought pursuing both a multibillion-dollar dispute over stolen bitcoin in Florida and another multibillion-dollar class action against the companies and individuals accused of manipulating the price of Bitcoin. RCF has already implemented innovative funding solutions, including flat-fee, success-based offerings, defense-side contingency matters, equity in start-ups, plaintiff-side contingency cases, litigation funding, and hybrid cases that are part hourly and part contingency.  RCF has strong relationships with litigation funders and leverages those relationships to help clients get the best results and to align incentives for clients and the firm. RCF also has a strong commitment to transparency to its own lawyers. It has a developed a compensation model that downplays the value of equity in place of offering above-market rewards to lawyers at all seniority levels for their business generation, their litigation talent, and their commitment to achieving efficiency and results for the benefit of the firm’s clients. Vel Freedman, also from Boies Schiller, and one of the firm’s co-chairs , added, “we attracted top talent by bringing in the type of cases lawyers aspire to handle, and will retain that talent and grow our practice by both fairly and transparently rewarding our lawyers and delivering real results to our clients.” “We’re aiming for the best way to run a new law firm,” said Ted Normand, a former equity partner at Boies Schiller who will also serve as RCF’s other co-chair. “If you’re bright and entrepreneurial, Roche Cyrulnik Freedman is where you want to work.” RCF launches with a hand-picked group of lawyers from Boies and other litigation firms, including: RCF Partners
  • Jason Cyrulnik (Boies Schiller)
  • Joseph Delich (Paul Weiss)
  • Katherine Eskovitz (Boies Schiller)
  • Paul Fattaruso (Boies Schiller)
  • Vel Freedman (Boies Schiller)
  • Amos Friedland (Boies Schiller)
  • Nathan Holcomb (Boies Schiller)
  • Ted Normand (Boies Schiller)
  • Kyle Roche (Boies Schiller)
RCF Counsel
  • William Dzurilla (Boies Schiller)
  • Constantine Economides (Robbins Geller)
RCF Associates
  • Richard Cipolla
  • Stephen Lagos (Boies Schiller)
  • Alex Potter (Boies Schiller)
  • Stephanie Scutti (Boies Schiller)
RCF expects to continue its growth in 2020 by offering partner compensation that rewards significantly above market for business generation and provides above-market associate compensation, including participation in the firm’s exciting contingency upside. The firm also offers true flexibility for highly qualified lawyers who wish to maintain work-life balance. The firm’s offices are located at: 99 Park Ave, New York, New York and 200 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 5500, Miami, Florida. SOURCE Roche Cyrulnik Freedman LLP

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Apex Group Ltd Selected to Support Seven Stars Legal Group Ltd’s Pioneering Tokenised Litigation Fund in Dubai

By John Freund |

Apex Group Ltd (“Apex Group”), one of the world's largest fund administration and solutions providers, today announced it has been selected to provide fund administration and digital asset infrastructure for the anticipated Seven Stars Legal Group Ltd (“Seven Stars”) Tokenised Litigation Fund, a pioneering investment vehicle that will combine institutional-grade litigation finance with blockchain technology.

The proposed fund, targeting GBP 50-250 million in commitments with an anticipated first close of GBP 50 million by March 31, 2026, represents a significant innovation in alternative investments. Once launched, the tokenised structure is expected to reduce traditional investment minimums from GBP 1 million to GBP 50,000, making institutional-quality litigation finance accessible to a broader range of qualified investors.

Subject to regulatory approvals and successful fund structuring, Apex Group is positioned to provide comprehensive fund administration services, while its digital asset platform, Apex Digital 3.0 (including Tokeny), would handle the token issuance and management infrastructure. This dual capability positions Apex Group as the sole provider managing both traditional fund administration and digital asset components under one unified platform.

Upon launch, Seven Stars will act as Investment Manager responsible for portfolio selection and management.

“Our selection to support Seven Stars' innovative fund structure exemplifies our commitment to bridging traditional finance with digital innovation,” said Agnes Mazurek, Global Head of Digital Assets at Apex Group. “By providing both conventional fund administration and tokenisation infrastructure, we're positioned to help fund managers unlock new distribution channels and operational efficiencies while maintaining institutional-grade governance and compliance standards.”

Offering up to a capped 16% annual return backed by diversified UK litigation portfolios, Seven Stars brings significant experience to the venture, having already deployed over GBP 44 million in UK litigation finance and funded more than 56,000 legal claims with a proven track record of performance, together with a team which includes leading Silk, Louis Doyle KC, who sits on the board and Advisory Committee at Seven Stars.

“Apex Group's expertise in both traditional fund administration and digital assets makes them the ideal partner for this groundbreaking initiative,” said Leon Clarance, Chief Strategy Officer at Seven Stars. "Their infrastructure will enable us to deliver the operational efficiency gains of tokenisation while maintaining the rigorous compliance and reporting standards our institutional investors expect.”

Mazurek added: “We are pleased to be supporting Seven Stars in this groundbreaking project. Our mission at Apex Group is to help clients bridge the TradFi and DeFi universes and this project perfectly represents this connectivity.”

Planned Partnership Capabilities

The anticipated partnership would leverage several key Apex Group capabilities:

  • Fund Administration: NAV calculation, investor services, and regulatory reporting 
  • Digital Asset Infrastructure: Token issuance, custody, and lifecycle management via Apex Digital 3.0
  • Regulatory Compliance: Full regulatory oversight and compliance monitoring 
  • Investor Onboarding: Streamlined KYC/AML processes for both traditional and digital investors

The proposed tokenised structure would enable secondary trading after a 6-month lock-in period, providing liquidity options traditionally unavailable in litigation finance funds. Smart contract automation is projected to reduce administrative costs by up to 90%, with anticipated savings passed through to investors.

This announcement follows Apex Group's recent expansion of its digital asset capabilities in the DIFC, positioning the firm as a leader in supporting the convergence of traditional finance and blockchain technology in the Middle East's premier financial hub.

About Apex Group

Apex Group is dedicated to driving positive change in financial services while supporting the growth and ambitions of asset managers, allocators, financial institutions, and family offices. Established in Bermuda in 2003, the Group has continually disrupted the industry through its investment in innovation and talent.

Today, Apex Group sets the pace in fund and asset servicing and stands out for its unique single-source solution and unified cross asset-class platform which supports the entire value chain, harnesses leading innovative technology, and benefits from cross-jurisdictional expertise delivered by a long-standing management team and over 13,000 highly integrated professionals.   

Apex Group leads the industry with a broad and unmatched range of services, including capital raising, business and corporate management, fund and investor administration, portfolio and investment administration, ESG, capital markets and transactions support. These services are tailored to each client and are delivered both at the Group level and via specialist subsidiary brands.

The Apex Foundation, a not-for-profit entity, is the Group’s passionate commitment to empower sustainable change. 

About Seven Stars Legal

Seven Stars Legal is a specialist litigation finance provider focused on high-volume, precedent-based UK consumer claims. Founded by a team with over GBP 380 million in litigation finance experience, the company provides institutional investors with access to uncorrelated, asset-backed returns through secured lending to regulated UK law firms. Seven Stars has funded over 56,000 claims since 2022, maintaining a zero-default track record through its multi-layered security framework and AI-enhanced due diligence processes

Announcements Commercial

ILFA Welcomes Commissioner McGrath’s Rejection of EU Regulation for Third-Party Litigation Funding

By John Freund |

On 18 November 2025, European Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath closed the final meeting of the EU’s High-Level Forum on Justice for Growth with a clear statement that the Commission does not plan new legislation on Third Party Litigation Funding (TPLF). 

He added that Forum participants also indicated that there is no need to further regulate third-party litigation funding.

Instead, Commissioner McGrath said the Commission will prioritise monitoring the implementation of the Representative Actions Directive (RAD) over any new legislative proposals. 

(video from 2.32 here). 

Paul Kong, Executive Director of the International Legal Finance Association (ILFA), said:  “We’re delighted to see Commissioner McGrath’s clear statement that EU regulation for third-party litigation funding is not planned. This appears to close any talk of the need for new regulation, which was completely without evidence and created considerable uncertainty for the sector.

Over several years, ILFA has consistently made the case that litigation funding plays a critical role in ensuring European businesses and consumers can access justice without financial limitations and are not disadvantaged against larger and financially stronger defendants. New legislation would have choked off the availability of financial support to level the playing field for claimants. 

We will continue to work closely with the Commission to share the experiences of our members on the implementation of the RAD across the EU, ensuring it also works for claimants in consumer group actions facing defendants with deep pockets.”

About ILFA

The International Legal Finance Association (ILFA) represents the global commercial legal finance community, and its mission is to engage, educate and influence legislative, regulatory and judicial landscapes as the global voice of the commercial legal finance industry. It is the only global association of commercial legal finance companies and is an independent, non-profit trade association promoting the highest standards of operation and service for the commercial legal finance sector. ILFA has local chapter representation around the world. For more information, visit www.ilfa.com or @ILFA_Official. 

About the High-Level Forum on Justice for Growth

European Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath launched the High-Level Forum on Justice for Growth in March 2025 to bring together legal industry experts to “focus on and discuss together how justice policies can contribute to – and further support – European competitiveness and growth”. The final meeting of the Forum took place on 18 November 2025, in Brussels. 

Announcements Commercial

Pogust Goodhead Appoints Jonathan Edward Wheeler as Partner and Head of Mariana Litigation

By John Freund |

Pogust Goodhead law firm has appointed Jonathan Edward Wheeler as a partner and Head of Mariana Litigation, adding heavyweight firepower to the team driving one of the largest group claims in English legal history following the firm’s landmark liability win against BHP in the English courts.

Jonathan joins Pogust Goodhead from Morrison Foerster in London, where he was a leading commercial litigation partner, having served for seven years as office co-managing partner and for 15 years as Head of Litigation. A specialist in complex, cross-border disputes, Jonathan has extensive experience acting in high-value commercial litigation, civil fraud and asset tracing, international trust disputes, contentious insolvency and investigations across multiple jurisdictions.

In his new role, Jonathan will assume strategic leadership of the proceedings arising from the Mariana dam disaster against mining giant BHP, overseeing the continued development of the case into the damages phase and working closely with colleagues in Brazil, the UK, the Netherlands and beyond.

Howard Morris, Chairman at Pogust Goodhead said: “Jonathan is a heavyweight addition to Pogust Goodhead and to our Mariana team. His track record in running some of the most complex cross-border disputes in the English courts, together with his leadership experience, make him exactly the kind of senior figure we need after our historic liability victory. Our clients will benefit enormously from his expertise and judgment.”

Jonathan Wheeler said: “It is a privilege to join Pogust Goodhead at such a pivotal moment in the Mariana case. The recent liability judgment is a watershed for access to justice and corporate accountability. I am honoured to help lead the next phase of this extraordinary litigation and to work alongside a team that has shown such determination in seeking justice for hundreds of thousands of victims.”

Alicia Alinia, CEO at Pogust Goodhead said: “Bringing in lawyers of Jonathan’s calibre is a strategic choice. As we expand the depth and breadth of our disputes practice globally, we are investing in senior talent who can help us deliver justice at scale for our clients and build an even more resilient firm.”

The Mariana proceedings in England involve over 600,000 of Brazilian individuals, businesses, municipalities, religious institutions and Indigenous communities affected by the 2015 Fundão dam collapse in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Following the English court’s decision on liability on the 14th of November 2025, the case will now move into the next stage focused on damages and the quantification of losses on an unprecedented scale.