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12 September 2025
Issue: 8130 / Categories: Legal News , Litigation funding
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NLJ this week: Litigation funding must serve justice, not failure

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

Recent failures exposed structural and ethical flaws, with rigid repayment schedules, misaligned incentives, and excessive reporting requirements leaving firms and consumers exposed.

Dover argues for funding models that prioritise client outcomes, transparency, and shared success, rejecting commission-based structures and punitive terms. Law firms should question funders, ensure downside risk is shared, and avoid unsustainable growth. Ethical funding requires all stakeholders to operate collaboratively and benefit only when the client does. He calls for a fundamental shift in litigation finance, making funding a tool for access to justice rather than a source of risk.

Issue: 8130 / Categories: Legal News , Litigation funding
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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