header-logo header-logo

Appetite for destruction?

14 June 2010 / Neil Mirchandani
Categories: Opinion , Costs
printer mail-detail

Has a reduced appetite for risk among investors following the recession, combined with proposals for restrictions on the activities of litigation funders supported by Lord Justice Jackson, sounded the death knell for third party funding of large scale commercial litigation in the UK?

Has a reduced appetite for risk amongst investors following the recession, combined with proposals for restrictions on the activities of litigation funders supported by Lord Justice Jackson, sounded the death knell for third party funding of large scale commercial litigation in the UK?
 
At the outset of the credit crunch it seemed that third party funding of litigation might emerge as a viable option for those investors looking for a new type of asset class. The theory went that hedge funds and institutional investors could agree to fund all or part of a claimant's legal costs in exchange for a percentage of any damages ultimately paid out. As the economic turmoil spread, many commentators were quick to point out that there was an increased

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Serious injury teambolstered by high-profile partner hire

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Firm strengthens employment team with partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

NEWS
Chronic delays, duplication of work, cancelled hearings and inefficiencies in the family law courts are letting children and victims of domestic abuse down, a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) inquiry has found
Ceri Morgan, knowledge counsel at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP, analyses the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd, which reshapes the law of fiduciary relationships and common law bribery
The boundaries of media access in family law are scrutinised by Nicholas Dobson in NLJ this week
Reflecting on personal experience, Professor Graham Zellick KC, Senior Master of the Bench and former Reader of the Middle Temple, questions the unchecked power of parliamentary privilege
Geoff Dover, managing director at Heirloom Fair Legal, sets out a blueprint for ethical litigation funding in the wake of high-profile law firm collapses
back-to-top-scroll