header-logo header-logo

09 April 2020 / Cormac Leech
Categories: Features , Profession
printer mail-detail

Opportunity knocks for litigation finance

Cormac Leech, CEO of AxiaFunder, outlines the growing need for litigation funding & how it can bridge the funding gap

  • Litigation finance: changing the face of the commercial litigation landscape.
  • COVID-19 pandemic: an opportunity for growth.
  • Supporting practitioners: cash flow management.

Litigation finance is becoming an increasingly important part of the commercial litigation landscape. Litigation funding can be seen as a response to a growing need for finance by claimants—particularly given the growth in both the number of cases and the cost of litigation. However, rising costs of litigation have made access to justice extremely expensive—and in many cases inaccessible—for many individuals and businesses. 

Litigation funding platforms are providing an alternative financing solution, to often underfunded SMEs, to ensure that the cost of bringing a case to trial does not deter businesses and individual’s businesses from accessing justice. By applying a stringent approach to assessing cases that are of sound legal merit, there is an opportunity for alternative lenders to enter the space and bridge the

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

NLJ Career Profile: Ling Ong, London Market FOIL

NLJ Career Profile: Ling Ong, London Market FOIL

Ling Ong, partner at Weightmans and president of London Market FOIL, discusses her biggest inspirations, the challenges of AI and the importance of tackling unconscious bias

DWF—Imogen Francis

DWF—Imogen Francis

Director and head of IP team joins in Birmingham

Penningtons Manches Cooper—five promotions

Penningtons Manches Cooper—five promotions

Firm boosts partnership and costs practice with five senior promotions

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
back-to-top-scroll