litigation finance firms

How to Choose A Litigation Funder

Marla Decker

It’s 2019, and litigation finance is going to play prominently in the legal industry this year. Lawyers and claimholders increasingly desire the utility and flexibility of what litigation finance can offer. As demand for litigation funding has increased, so too has the number of litigation funders in the market. Some funders (like Lake Whillans) focus exclusively on litigation financing, while others have added litigation finance investments as part of a larger investment portfolio. The field has matured to the point that Chambers & Partners ranked litigation funders in the U.S. and U.K. last year. (Lake Whillans as a firm, and Lake Whillans co-founder Boaz Weinstein individually, each were ranked among the top bands in the 2018 Chambers rankings).

So if you are a claimholder, a lawyer seeking funding for your client or firm, or law firm management trying to differentiate between funders, how should you be analyzing the options? We suggest there are key differences among funders that you can use to compare:

Third-party funding in Asia: Arrived, and Set to Thrive

Marla Decker

Over the last few years, third‑party funding has become a hot topic in Asia. As we previously reported, in 2017, the two leading arbitral seats in Asia, Singapore and Hong Kong, enacted legislation that opened the door to third‑party funding of arbitration proceedings. As well as fundamentally changing the legal framework in those jurisdictions, these developments made third‑party funding a major talking point across Asia. In this article, we reflect on the current landscape for third‑party funding in the region.

Using Litigation Finance to Close the Gender Gap in Law

Marla Decker

The advancement of women lawyers has been a discussion in the legal profession for decades, and one that I’ve followed closely. As a young associate, I was encouraged by the efforts underway at various firms to attract and promote women into senior positions. While women were admittedly underrepresented in leadership roles at law firms, the tide seemed about to shift.

How Litigation Finance Can End the Partisan Practice of Law

Marla Decker

No, I’m not talking about politics. I’m talking about a different partisan divide: the division in the legal-services market between so-called “Plaintiffs’ Firms” and “Defense Firms” and how litigation finance can mitigate the division.

Draft Report of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration on Third-Party Funding: What You Need Know

Marla Decker

The Draft Report of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration and the Queen Mary University of London Task Force on Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration: What You Need to Know

The international arbitration community has been a leader in the adoption and evolution of third-party funding. Continuing that trend, The International Council for Commercial Arbitration (“ICCA”) partnered with Queen Mary University of London (“QMUL”) in 2013 to establish a task force comprised of over 50 leading international arbitration experts (the “Task Force”) to “identify and study the issues that arise in relation to third-party funding in international arbitration, and to determine what outputs, if any, would be appropriate to address them.”

Boaz to Deliver Keynote Address at NYC’s Litigation Funding Conference

Lee Drucker

On Friday, April 28, leaders of the litigation finance industry will gather in New York City at the 2017 Litigation Funding Conference to discuss the current state of litigation funding, as well as number of other topics relevant to the industry. The conference is a chance for legal and financial professionals to network with others in the industry and learn about the most pressing topics affecting litigation finance today.

How-To Win Clients and Influence Funders: A 2-Part Series

Marla Decker

In Part I of this series, I shared observations from my vantage point as a litigation funder on what works when pitching to potential clients. In this Part II, I will share my views on how to best present your client’s case to a financier. It may seem that to obtain financing, you would present a funder with the best aspects of your client’s case, including the facts and law on their side. At a minimum, this is of course necessary, but there is more. Here are a few tips.

How-To Win Clients and Influence Funders: A 2-Part Series

Marla Decker

As a member of the litigation finance community, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a varied cross-section of attorneys and one truth has emerged: business development is a pressure every practitioner is facing. Perhaps your New Year’s Resolution this year will include improving the efficacy of your business development efforts. If so, this series is for you. In Part I of this series, I’ll share my observations about what I’ve seen work in winning business. In Part II, I’ll share my thoughts on the related skill of how to best present your client’s case to a funder.

Lake Whillans’ Life Sciences Law Firm Index

Lee Drucker

In order to help entrepreneurs in the life sciences sector, we are creating an annual ranking of the top law firms that help these entrepreneurs protect their interests throughout the lifecycle of their business.

Litigation Finance Tier 1: Lake Whillans & GKC

Lee Drucker

Above The Law recently published its survey of client experiences with litigation finance firms, and we are happy to be one of only two firms considered ‘top tier’ among the litigation finance companies included in the survey. It is great to learn that ~80% of the companies that we have supported would unreservedly choose to work with us again. It is a solid starting point for our young company, but it is a number we will seek to improve upon as we grow.

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.

Lee Drucker drucker@lakewhillans.com