Tune in to The LFJ Podcast, an original podcast series produced by the Legal Funding Journal editorial team, and featuring key thought leaders from throughout the global legal funding community.

In this episode, we speak with Mani Walia, Managing Director, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer and Siltstone Capital. Siltstone is a Houston-based alternative investment firm that invests in litigation finance claims, focusing on $500,000 to $5 million funding requests. Siltstone is also producing LitFinCon, the inaugural litigation finance conference in the Houston area, set to take place on March 2nd and 3rd of 2022. [podcast_episode episode="9316" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we sat down with Steven Shinn, Founder and CEO of FinLegal. FinLegal offers a third-party tech solution to litigation funders, law firms, and others in the Legal Services market. Steven discussed his company's points of differentiation, how his technology background supported FinLegal's launch, and what the future looks like for FinLegal and the Legal Tech space in general. [podcast_episode episode="9028" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we sat down with Cesar Bello, Partner and Deputy General Counsel of Corbin Capital. Cesar described how he evaluates litigation finance investments, what his ROI expectations are, and how funders can mitigate risk. He also discussed funding as an ESG investment, and highlighted the growth of a secondaries market as a harbinger of the funding industry's future growth and maturation. [podcast_episode episode="8647" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we sat down with Robert Hanna, co-founder of Augusta Ventures, the largest litigation funder in the UK by case volume. Robert discussed Augusta's recent GBP 250 million fundraise, including how the company plans to invest its capital, how he envisions the global market for litigation funding will evolve post-COVID, and what the large funding round says about the viability of the litigation funding industry. [podcast_episode episode="8266" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we spoke with Ben Phi of Australian class action law firm Phi Finney McDonald. Ben recently penned this LinkedIn post which outlines his comments to the Senate Economics Committee on the proposed regulatory changes to the class action landscape in Australia. Ben joined us on the podcast to further explain his position, including his response to the 'rising D&O insurance' and 'social inflation' arguments being made by Big Insurance, and the negative consequences that could emerge if large class actions are over-regulated. [podcast_episode episode="8148" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we speak to Ben Moss about Orchard Group's foray into litigation funding. We learn what benefits the asset manager model offers in the commercial litigation funding sphere, how Orchard is approaching the market, the types of claims it is looking to fund, and what Ben's predictions are for the industry as the global legal landscape emerges from COVID-induced lockdowns. [podcast_episode episode="7824" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, Elena Rey of Brown Rudnick discusses her effort to introduce model documentation to the litigation funding industry. Elena explains the motivations behind model documentation, what the specific benefits are, how it will impact the industry going forward, and she elaborates on Brown Rudnick's formation of the Litigation Funding Working Group, which brings together litigation funders, insurers, legal experts and others to help formulate model documentation for use in the UK, EU and elsewhere. [podcast_episode episode="7620" content="title,player,details"]

On this episode, we speak with Louise Trayhurn, Executive Director of Legis Finance. Louise discusses Legis' bespoke approach to managing client relationships, the various funding and insurance products the company offers, the growing trend of GCs and CFOs extracting more value out of their legal assets, and what trends she predicts for the future of the industry. [podcast_episode episode="7446" content="title,player,details"]

On this episode, Grant Farrar of Arran Capital discusses his firm's value proposition as the only litigation funder focused solely on public sector financing. Grant explains why public sector funding merits its own categorization, what the sticking points are in convincing politicians and others of litigation funding's value, and what his expectations are for future growth in this rapidly-evolving space. For a more in-depth look at public sector legal funding, check out this contribution from Grant and Ed Truant, founder of Slingshot Capital, which explores the various drivers of the public sector legal funding market. [podcast_episode episode="7237" content="title,player,details"]

Our guest today is Dan Bush, Chief Investment Officer and Director of Innovation at Law Finance Group. Dan discusses Law Finance Group's latest law firm funding product, AR Now, including why his firm is targeting accounts receivable, what the selection and approval process for lawyers is like, how AR Now can help facilitate alternative fee arrangements, and how the product fits into the company's suite of offerings. [podcast_episode episode="6804" content="title,player,details"]

Our guest today is Cormac Leech, founder of AxiaFunder. AxiaFunder is a UK-based funding platform that provides institutional and high net worth investors the opportunity to invest in commercial litigation claims. Cormac discusses his company's success thus far both in attracting investors and sourcing strong claims, how crowdfunding platforms should be considered in the context of FCA rulings and ALF guidelines, some disclosure concerns for litigation funders, and what AxiaFunder's priorities are going forward. [podcast_episode episode="6758" content="title,player,details"]

Our guest today is Rob Cooper, Group Chief Executive Officer at ME Group Holdings. ME Group is a UK-based LegalTech provider of litigation funding, insurance and legal representation for consumers facing complex legal problems. Rob explains his company's proprietary technology, their partnership with Forbes Ventures, and future plans on the horizon. [podcast_episode episode="6696" content="title,player,details"]

Our guest today is Erik Bomans, CEO of Deminor Recovery Services. Deminor is an EU and Asia-focused litigation funder. The company has a presence in six countries and has supported claims in 13 jurisdictions, with an 81% positive outcome rate. Erik discusses issues relating to market awareness, regulatory environment and country-to-country differences across Europe with respect to the funding industry. He also dives into the collective action landscape, and whether Europe is headed down a similar road as Australia in terms of a regulatory backlash to the funding of large consumer claims. This podcast is a must-listen for any litigation funder with an eye towards the EU market! [podcast_episode episode="6490" content="title,player,details"]

On this episode, Rebecca Berrebi, Founder and CEO of litigation funding advisory firm Avenue 33, LLC, explains the benefits of an advisory service to funders, lawyers, claimants and investors. She discusses the types of questions advisors get from their clients, what law firms and claimants should look for when partnering with a funder, the evolution of the funding industry over the last five years, and what the future holds for this rapidly-evolving space. [podcast_episode episode="6314" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, Kevin Flood, COO of Segue Cloud Services, returns to the podcast to discuss Segue's 3.0 upgrade (see the recent press release). Kevin explains how Segue's cloud-based technology automates workflows and reduces operating costs, the specific enhancements of the 3.0 upgrade, how customer data is protected, and how the company accommodates client needs during the lockdown. [podcast_episode episode="6277" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we spoke with Michael Weisz of YieldStreet. Michael discusses how YieldStreet's platform operates, allowing accredited investors to participate in alternative asset deals (including litigation finance) typically reserved for institutional players. Michael also explains the advantages of the platform provided to both investors and deal partners, as well as how the funding industry has evolved over the five years since YieldStreet's inception, and why he believes the litigation funding industry is headed for a $50-$100 billion valuation by 2030. [podcast_episode episode="6099" content="title,player,details"]

On this episode, we sat down with Michael Kelley, partner at Parker Poe, a regional law firm representing many of the Southeast's largest companies and local governments. As a former GC himself, Michael discusses litigation funding from an in-house perspective. Why might GCs be reluctant to adopt funding, and are those tendencies changing post-Covid? Plus, what can funders do to differentiate themselves as they approach the GC market? Michael provides invaluable insights into the minds of General Counsel as relates to matters regarding litigation funding. [podcast_episode episode="5859" content="title,player,details"]  

On this episode, we sat down with Robert Hanna, co-founder of Augusta Ventures, the UK's largest litigation funder by case volume and overseas lead generation. Robert discussed developments in the UK market post-COVID. What is the current climate like, and what can we expect down the road? Will the emergence of more funders spell trouble for the industry's reputational risk? And how are industry participants managing issues like collectability risk and time-to-settlement concerns? [podcast_episode episode="5814" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we spoke with Christopher DeLise, Founder & CEO of Delta Capital Partners. Delta was founded in 2011, and Chris explains both his company and the industry have evolved over that time. He also goes into detail about 'the Delta difference,' and highlights some unique product launches that are expected to rollout soon. [podcast_episode episode="5574" content="title,player,details"]

Our guests today are Paul Cody and Todd Kushman from law firm funder Counsel Financial. Paul and Todd discuss what sets Counsel Financial's business model apart from that of traditional funders, how they partner with funders in various capacities, the types of financial products the company offers, and how both their company and the industry at large has evolved in the 20 years since Counsel Financial was first founded. [podcast_episode episode="5536" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we sat down with Maurice MacSweeney, Director of Litigation Funding at UK-based Harbour Litigation Funding. Maurice discussed the issue of enforcement - what is enforcement, what are the inherent challenges, and what does it take to be successful? Maurice also touched on some key issues facing the enforcement sector, including enforcing against cryptocurrency and in investor-state arbitrations. He also discussed COVID-19's impact on enforcement, and explained what funders like Harbour can do to help aid enforcement efforts. [podcast_episode episode="5470" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we speak with Dave Kerstein, Chief Risk Officer of Validity Finance, and Will Marra, Portfolio Counsel at Validity. Dave and Will discuss the Working Group on Litigation Funding's response to the controversial NYC Bar opinion, which found that third party funding violates the prohibition on fee sharing. They also discuss the role of litigation funding in today's stressful economic times, and how the COVID-19 crisis is likely to impact the funding industry. [podcast_episode episode="5213" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we sit down with Justin Kuczmarski of NAV Valuation and Advisory. Justin discusses the value-add that an independent auditor and valuation expert provides, why litigation funders shouldn't necessarily rely on the plaintiff firm's valuation, and what quantitative and qualitative metrics he uses when determining a claim's valuation. [podcast_episode episode="5153" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we sit down with Nick Pontt, the newest addition to UK-based consumer and commercial funder, Affiniti Finance. Nick discusses the ins and outs of Affiniti's unique business model, the types of claims the funder looks to finance, what separates Affiniti from the competition, and what the future holds for the company and broader litigation funding industry. [podcast_episode episode="4946" content="title,player,details"]

In this week's episode, we sat down with Charles Agee of Westfleet Advisors. Westfleet just released their inaugural Litigation Finance Buyer's Guide, the most comprehensive study of the U.S. commercial litigation finance industry. Charles discusses the study's methodology, the controversial findings that there is deployment pressure on funders and that only 30% of funder commitments are allocated to the AmLaw 200, and what the benefits are of a study such as this one for the industry as a whole. [podcast_episode episode="4800" content="title,player,details"]

On this episode, we speak with Laina Miller Hammond of Validity Finance. Laina recently conducted research into the gender pay gap that exists for lawyers. She discusses its root causes, how female lawyers can maneuver within the current system to achieve greater pay equity, and how litigation finance can be leveraged to achieve that very goal. [podcast_episode episode="4743" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we speak with litigation finance investor Ed Truant, and Westfleet Advisors managing partner Charles Agee about their call for the commercial litigation finance industry to associate. We discuss the benefits of an association, how they plan to deal with issues like mandatory disclosure and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and how similar associations in the UK, Australia, and on the consumer side in the U.S. can serve as examples of how to proceed. [podcast_episode episode="4589" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we sat down with Kevin Flood - Chief Operating Officer of Segue Cloud Services. Segue is a customized software built on the Salesforce platform, designed to automate the business processes of pre-settlement funding companies. For more information on Segue, you can visit them at their website:  https://seguecloudservices.com [podcast_episode episode="4528" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode we speak with Paul Haskel of RK&O. Paul discusses establishing a litigation funding practice at his firm, how his background in distressed and high-yield debt investments overlaps with the funding sector, how he structures funding agreements for both claimants and law firms, and what the impact of Burford v. Muddy Waters is likely to be on the industry going forward. [podcast_episode episode="4450" content="title,player,details"]

In this episode, we sit down with Linda Fitz-Alan of the Abu Dabi Global Market Courts. Linda discusses the recent Litigation Funding Rules which the court has adopted, how the ADGM went about developing the rules, and how their implementation is expected to impact the broader funding climate in the region. [podcast_episode episode="4082" content="title,player,details"]