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Funding manoeuvres

14 May 2009 / Steven Friel , Michael Williams
Issue: 7369 / Categories: Features , Public , Procedure & practice
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How, if at all, has the downturn in the economy affected litigation funding? Steven Friel & Michael Williams discuss the evidence

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There has been a great deal of hyperbole written about litigation funding in the last year. An expected increase in litigation caused by the financial crisis combined with the increasingly accepting political and judicial approach to litigation funding has led many to predict a rapid rise in third party funding agreements, including agreements whereby professionals funders such as banks and hedge funds agree to take on a part of the litigation risk from a claimant in return for a slice of the damages award if the case is successful. However, for all the hype, a relatively small number of cases have actually been funded, suggesting that demand in the current economic climate may be not be as ripe for litigation funding as many expected.

Conditional fee agreements

The usual type of conditional fee agreement (CFA) between a client and his solicitor provides that if the

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NEWS
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
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