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HFW, KPMG AND AUGUSTA VENTURES JOIN FORCES TO SUPPORT BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY COVID-19

HFW, KPMG and Augusta Ventures are pleased to announce a non-exclusive project to assist companies facing problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. Together, they will provide a global ‘one-stop shop’ that can quickly support companies needing assistance by facilitating funding for supporting litigation and arbitration from Augusta, and a package of legal assistance, asset tracing and enforcement measures from HFW and KPMG.

Augusta’s assistance will enable claims to be swiftly investigated and the merits established, so that clients can decide how they wish to proceed including by way of litigation or mediation.

Brian Perrott, Partner, HFW:

“The pandemic is the biggest disruption to business since 2008 and will give rise to countless disputes and claims, largely through no fault of either party. But companies wishing to resolve such disputes may find themselves unable to fund the costs of any litigation at this difficult time. Having Augusta on board will therefore be of great comfort to parties when they are dealing with problems caused by the pandemic that are unforeseen and for which there is no time to make any cash provision to fund the matter.

“I also look forward to working with KPMG on this project, as I know how many claims do not proceed or fail because of an inability to locate and, where necessary, enforce against assets. This team will also be able to ensure matters are properly investigated, so that the clients can decide if they want to proceed to litigation or resolve their claims by mediation.”

Robert Hanna, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Augusta Ventures:

“Collaborating with KPMG and HFW will allow us to deliver a seamless, low-risk litigation process for claimants seeking to recover funds. Together, we will level the playing field providing funds for access to justice and place our clients on the best path for success.”

David Standish, Partner, KPMG:

“Our expertise in asset tracing and enforcement is of the utmost value to clients who wish to recover losses. Working with this team means we can tackle all aspects of the problem very quickly. The added comfort of funding means no claim need be delayed because of problems around financing the work.”

About HFW

HFW is a leading global law firm in the aerospace, commodities, construction, energy and resources, insurance, and shipping sectors. The firm has more than 600 lawyers, including 185 partners, based in offices across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. HFW prides itself on its deep industry expertise and its entrepreneurial, creative and collaborative culture.

About Augusta

Established in 2013, Augusta is the largest litigation and dispute funding institution in the UK by case volume. Augusta’s scale enables them to make decisions in market-leading timeframes and fund cases of any size. The business is organised into a series of specialist practice groups: Arbitration, Class Action, Competition, Consumer, Intellectual Property, and Litigation, and sectors including Financial Services and Construction & Energy. Augusta has offices in London, Sydney, Melbourne, and Toronto.

About KPMG

KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing audit, tax and advisory services to a wide variety of public and private sector organisations. We operate in 147 countries and territories and have over 219,000 people working in member firms around the world. KPMG in the UK is one of the largest member firms of KPMG’s global network providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. In the UK we have 631 partners and 17,600 professionals working together to deliver value to our clients across our 22 UK offices. Our vision is to be the clear choice in professional services in the UK. For our clients, for our people and for the communities in which we work.

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Pegasus Legal Capital Completes $74 Million Securitization to Fuel Growth

Pegasus Legal Capital, LLC ("Pegasus") (mylawfunds.com), a prominent pre-settlement legal funding company in the United States, announced today that it has successfully completed a $74 million litigation finance securitization. This achievement marks Pegasus' second securitization transaction in the asset class and another significant milestone in its capital market journey. The proceeds from this transaction will further propel Pegasus' growth across key markets in the United States.

Pegasus Managing Director, Alexander Khanas, expressed, "With the successful completion of this transaction, Pegasus will expand its business in the personal injury market while upholding its industry-leading service standards."

GreensLedge Capital Markets LLC played the role of Placement Agent for Pegasus. GreensLedge Senior Managing Director, Douglas Lipton, added, "We are delighted to continue expanding Pegasus' investor base through their second securitization issuance and assisting them in creatively developing their platform."

Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, Pegasus was founded in 2008 as a pre-settlement litigation finance company. Since its inception, the company's management team has successfully sourced, underwritten, and serviced over half a billion dollars through more than 30,000 advances. While Pegasus has traditionally focused on the New York market, it has established a strong presence in the Southeast and Texas markets as well.

Pegasus is a proud member of the American Legal Finance Association (ALFA), a national organization comprising companies that provide non-recourse funds to personal injury victims. ALFA's primary objective is to establish industry standards for transparency in legal funding transactions, ensuring upfront and clear disclosure to consumers.

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New Burford Capital Research Reveals How Businesses are Preparing for Likely Rise in Global Energy Transition Disputes

By Harry Moran |

Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today releases new research entitled “Energy transition disputes: GCs and senior lawyers on the business impacts of legal challenges to come,” which demonstrates how businesses are preparing for a likely rise in legal disputes related to the global energy transition. This transition―or the shift to renewable sources of energy―is likely to cause an increase in expensive commercial disputes.

Businesses are investing significant sums in this transition, and corporate commitments highlight the scale of economic engagement as they invest in the new technologies, infrastructure and other resources that will be needed. But multifaceted legal and commercial pressures present businesses with a myriad of potential challenges including contractual disagreements, regulatory compliance issues and the need for intellectual property enforcement or litigation. Burford’s research report aims to offer a unique perspective on how corporations foresee the expected rise in litigation and arbitration related to this energy transition, examining the areas of business impact related to this evolving landscape.

Burford commissioned this independent research by capturing insights from 300 GCs and heads of litigation across key industries impacted by the energy transition and spanning North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Key findings from the study include:

Disputes relating to the energy transition are rising

·       76% of GCs report they are already encountering disputes related to the energy transition and nearly half (47%) expect a further rise in the volume of such disputes in the next decade, driven by evolving laws, new technologies and infrastructure requirements.

Disputes relating to the energy transition are expected to be costly

·       Almost two in three GCs (63%) expect legal fees and expenses to exceed $4 million per energy transition case; a notable minority (29%) expect per case costs to exceed $10 million.

·       Over half (52%) view high costs as a significant factor in deciding not to pursue disputes.

·       Half (50%) of GCs agree that the energy transition will create the need for additional capital sources for the business.

Expected disputes span all types of business conflict

·       GCs are most likely to predict (77%) that the energy transition will result in more contractual disputes and commercial arbitration.

·       Joint ventures are expected to be particularly prone to disputes over profit allocation (76%) and intellectual property rights (65%).

·       Over half of GCs (57%) also expect their businesses to face arbitrations to resolve investor-state conflicts relating to the transition.

New tools are needed to manage the rising dispute costs

·       Legal finance is increasingly used to mitigate the financial burden of these disputes; three in four (75%) GCs have used or would consider using legal finance to offset the cost of disputes relating to this transition.

·       In particular, GCs value monetization―or advancing some of the expected entitlement of a pending claim, judgment or award― to generate liquidity from claims tied up in litigation and arbitration. With legal finance, companies can also offset the cost of pursuing affirmative litigation to generate liquidity, shifting legal departments from cost centers to value drivers.

Christopher Bogart, CEO of Burford Capital, said: “Businesses face significant challenges related to the global energy transition due to cross-border projects, differing legal frameworks and rapidly evolving policies. Additionally, long-term energy contracts may not keep pace with energy markets and technologies, resulting in conflicts among stakeholders. Burford’s latest research demonstrates the value of corporate finance for law, as legal finance helps companies manage the high costs of energy transition disputes and allows them to pursue meritorious claims without depleting resources.”

Burford’s research is based on a 2024 survey conducted by GLG and is supplemented by interviews with ten global energy transition experts conducted by Ari Kaplan Advisors.

The research report can be downloaded on Burford’s website.

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Hannah Sadler Joins GLS Capital Patent Investment Team

By Harry Moran |

Hannah Sadler has joined the firm as a vice president and member of the patent investment team.

“We are very happy to welcome Hannah to GLS Capital as a vice president and member of our team focusing on patent investments,” said Adam Gill, a GLS Capital managing director, co-founder, and leader of the firm’s patent-related investing. “Attracting top-tier talent is essential for continuing to help our clients achieve success, and Hannah’s background in patent litigation will be invaluable for navigating the complexities of patent investments and helping to drive our mission forward.”

Sadler focuses on diligence around qualified underwriting opportunities and monitoring and managing the firm’s patent litigation investments.

Before joining GLS Capital, Sadler was a patent litigator at Global IP Law Group in Chicago. She has over a decade of experience with all aspects of patent portfolio management and enforcement, including prosecution, litigation, sales, licensing, and portfolio valuation.

Sadler earned her J.D. (cum laude) from DePaul University College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of San Diego.

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