INSIGHTS INTO LITIGATION FINANCE

Litigation Finance Interview for MedCity News

Lee Drucker

I was recently interviewed by MedCity News in anticipation of a panel that I will be speaking on at the Converge Conference (Philadelphia September 1 – 2).

“I would speculate that in some situations, the relationship turns into a numbers game. They plug in a number: “What happens if we build out this technology on our own, and what happens if we partner with the entrepreneurial company and own 30 percent?” If they determine it’s more profitable to build the technology on their own, then they disregard the contract and the law.”

Read More

Litigation Finance for Boutique Law Firms

Lee Drucker

Several months ago I described how litigation finance can be used by entrepreneurial litigators at large law firms to build sustainable high-end litigation practices outside the traditional route of cultivating relationships with the largest corporations and their general counsel.

Many of the same challenges that I discussed facing young partners at large law firms manifest more acutely at emerging law firms trying to sustain and grow a business as they attract new clients, build brand awareness, manage salaries, and generally maintain operations.

Read More

Is Litigation Finance Right for Your Client?

Lee Drucker

Litigation can get expensive, fast. Litigation finance is a funding tool many companies are considering to help cover the fees and expenses related to major legal claims. We at Lake Whillans Litigation Finance have compiled a list of questions to help you determine if your client is a candidate for litigation finance. Is litigation finance…

Read More

Insights from Research on Corporate Venture in Medtech

Lee Drucker

Medcity New’s article discussing the findings from our research on which medtech corporate venture arms are the best partners:

“The shift in the stage of investment and where the perceived opportunities in biotech are have had a significant impact. Pharma corporate venture investors have broadened their interest from late stage to earlier stages of investment. Priorities have also shifted from the next blockbuster drug to more personalized treatments.

One of the consistent criticisms of corporate investors is the imperfect balance between strengthening the core business and the investment target.”

Read the article in its entirety here.

Read More

Litigation Finance: 10 Questions to Help Advise Your Client

Lee Drucker

We, at Lake Whillans, have been writing a lot about litigation finance in order to provide lawyers and claimholders with a framework for thinking about its use and potential benefits. I thought it might be time to take a break from writing, and provide an analytics tool to help claimholders and their lawyers determine whether litigation finance makes sense for the business.

Read More

Build a Litigation Finance Company (Part 2)

Lee Drucker

As we continue to discuss the benefits of using litigation funding, how it can help companies grow, and how it provides new paths for entrepreneurial litigators, I have begun to explain how we at Lake Whillans think about building a quality litigation funding company. The purpose of this series of posts is to share a little about our vision of litigation finance and how we are building our company. If there are any topics that you might be curious to learn about just email me at drucker@lakewhillans.com.

In my last post on the topic, I discussed some of the less obvious benefits that are derived from selecting profitable investments. Today, I want to discuss how we think about the Lake Whillans ‘brand’.

Read More

Litigation Finance & Evolving Litigation: the Julia Woog Interview

Lee Drucker

The second of a series of interviews with top litigators discussing their practice, the evolving legal industry, and litigation finance:

In terms of funding alternatives, the introduction of third party litigation funding really offers an expansion of the contingency model. Lawyers have long been taking cases that have merit, but would not otherwise get to the courtroom, on a contingency basis. But a meritorious case still might not go forward with the traditional contingency option. For some cases the costs (as opposed to legal fees) might be so high that the clients can’t afford to cover even that piece of the litigation—particularly in this digital age when document discovery is often voluminous and discovery costs extensive. And in other instances, a law firm that sees merit in a case might not be able to take it on because of the firm’s own case load or cash flow concerns. The arrival of litigation finance in the market helps pick up these cases and means that a strong claim should never be frustrated just for a plaintiff’s lack of resources.

Read More

How Litigation Finance Was used by Yetter Coleman to Save a Business

Lee Drucker

The first of a series of interviews with top litigators discussing their practice, the evolving legal industry, and litigation finance.

In 2013, we met the principals of Lake Whillans, one of the leaders in litigation finance. They introduced us to Business Logic Corp., a small but innovative software company in Chicago. For years, BLC had worked well with one of the largest companies in Chicago to roll out an online advice solution for employer retirement programs. Then, BLC believed, its former partner stole its trade secrets and used them to implement “new” programs based on BLC’s hard work. Defended by a blue-chip law firm, Morningstar, after years of litigation, had worn down BLC to the point of abandoning its claims, declaring bankruptcy, or finding outside funding.

Read More
Contact Us


The best way for companies and their counsel to determine if litigation finance is an attractive option is to discuss it with us.