header-logo header-logo

12 May 2017 / Neil Purslow
Issue: 7745 / Categories: Features , Profession
printer mail-detail

Taking root

nlj_7745_purslow

Litigation finance is going from strength to strength in the UK & globally, says Neil Purslow

Four years on from Lord Justice Jackson’s reforms, there is no doubt that litigation funding, or litigation finance as it is becoming increasingly known, is now mainstream in the UK.

Therium’s data show that for 75% of litigation partners at UK law firms funding is central to their discussions with clients. That trend is reflected by recent research from law firm RPC which highlighted that 2016 saw a 25% increase in litigation funding in the UK over 2015’s level, with the leading sector players investing £723m in legal claims versus £575m in 2015.

Key driver

The key driver behind the momentum in the litigation finance market has been the growing recognition that third party funding eradicates the costs and associated risk issues of litigating for claimants because the funder assumes all of the financial cost, including the other side’s if the case is lost—and is only paid if the claim wins. Unsurprisingly, this is very attractive to potential claimants, given

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

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

Commercial property and child law teams expand with senior hires

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Set expands London and Singapore offering with senior international disputes hires

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Firm strengthens real estate and litigation teams with partner promotions

NEWS
Behind the profession’s polished exterior, lawyers are ‘internally drained rather than physically tired’, according to a stark assessment of burnout in legal practice
Five years after the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 came into force, concerns remain that the family courts continue to minimise allegations of abuse in child contact disputes
Uber has built a formidable strategy for insulating itself from liability for drivers’ conduct, but the legal terrain differs sharply between the US and England and Wales
The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 marks a constitutional watershed by severing the centuries-old link between hereditary titles and automatic membership of the upper chamber
The Civil Justice Council’s review of Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 could mark the end of what one commentator calls an ‘outdated’ and overly technical regime governing solicitor-client fee disputes
back-to-top-scroll