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Parabellum Appoints Jiamie Chen as Director of Investment Initiatives

November 7, 2019

Parabellum Appoints Jiamie Chen as Director of Investment Initiatives

Parabellum Capital LLC (“Parabellum”), a leader in commercial litigation finance, today announced the appointment of Jiamie Chen as Director of Investment Initiatives, a newly created position that strengthens the firm’s origination and underwriting of new investment relationships in strategically significant sectors. She will be based in San Francisco. “Jiamie has an incredibly impressive background and entrepreneurial character. With experience as a plaintiffs’ and defense-side antitrust attorney and as a federal prosecutor, she is ideally positioned to target and develop strategic initiatives,” said Aaron Katz, Parabellum’s Chief Investment Officer. “I’m honored to join a team that continues to lead the commercial litigation finance field through a focus on true alignment,” said Ms. Chen. “It’s an exciting time to join this fast-growing industry. Litigation finance today is brimming with opportunities to leverage my affirmative litigation experience to develop new strategies that innovate the business of law.” Ms. Chen joins from the Joseph Saveri Law Firm, where she specialized in complex litigation. Her experience there included work on the EpiPen antitrust and RICO multidistrict litigation (MDL), the Capacitors price-fixing antitrust litigation, and the UFC monopoly and monopsony litigation. She previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney and as the designated Department of Justice Financial Crimes Task Force prosecutor for the District of Nevada, focusing in high-dollar financial crimes. Ms. Chen also previously served as judicial law clerk for Chief Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. She began her legal career in the antitrust and white-collar defense practices at White & Case LLP. Ms. Chen is an active member of various professional associations. In addition to serving on the California Lawyers Association Antitrust, UCL & Privacy Section’s Executive Committee, Ms. Chen is the Co-Chair of the Women’s Committee and a member of the Mentorship Program for the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area; the Regional Director for the Dartmouth Asian Pacific American Alumni Association; a Board Member of the Dartmouth Club of Greater San Francisco; and a member of the American Bar Association Antitrust Section and the Bar Association of San Francisco. She is also a Barrister member of the Edward J. McFetridge American Inn of Court in San Francisco. Ms. Chen received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as Symposium Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, and her B.A. in Government from Dartmouth College. She has published several expert commentaries on litigation matters and is a lead chapter author of an upcoming ABA Antitrust Section treatise on expert witnesses and Daubert practice. About Parabellum Capital Parabellum Capital is a leading financier of commercial and intellectual property litigation. Its principals pioneered the commercial litigation funding market in the United States and remain on the forefront of shaping the asset class as the industry evolves. Parabellum is a trusted financial partner to claimholders and law firms for a wide array of litigation matters in the US, other common law jurisdictions, and international arbitration forums. Founded in 2012, Parabellum’s team includes legal and financial professionals with backgrounds at major law firms, investment banks, accounting firms, and the federal government. Parabellum principals previously founded the Legal Risk Strategies and Finance group at the global investment bank Credit Suisse. Parabellum manages both separate accounts and pooled private equity vehicles for institutional and high net worth investors globally. Based in New York, Parabellum’s team has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the commercial litigation arena. Areas of focus include commercial disputes, antitrust, intellectual property infringement, trade secret misappropriation, bankruptcy and special situations. For more information, visit www.parabellumcap.com.

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Announcements Commercial

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.