LF Dealmakers

Fortress’ Billions Quietly Power America's Biggest Legal Fights According to a new exclusive by Bloomberg Law's Emily Siegel: The easy explanation for how Fortress Investment Group worked its way to the top of the polarizing, opaque business of litigation funding would be: It has a ton of money. With about $6.6 billion committed to legal assets, Fortress backs law firms behind some of history’s biggest mass tort suits, such as the Roundup cases against Bayer AG and talcum powder litigation against Johnson & Johnson. It funds other litigation funders. And with another $2.9 billion committed to intellectual property, the asset-management giant claims to be the world’s largest institutional investor in patents. But its secret may be its intensity and a meticulous streak that comes with all of that money. Read the full article, including reporting based on a 3-hour long interview with Fortress top executives, at: https://lnkd.in/e5BnV34N #litigation #litigationfunding #ip #patents #masstorts #civilrights

International Legal Finance Association (ILFA) Welcomes New ELI Report – ‘Principles Governing the Third-Party Funding of Litigation’ The International Legal Finance Association (ILFA) , the global voice of commercial legal finance, has welcomed the findings of the newly published European Law Institute (ELI) report ‘Principles governing the third-party funding of litigation’. The report, authored by UK High Court Judge Dame Sarah Cockerill and Professor Susanne Augenhofer, is the product of more than two years of investigative work to develop principles and guidance for the TPLF market, and represents a new, independent contribution to the legitimate and effective use of TPLF. Following the publication of the report, Neil Purslow, Chairman of the Executive Committee of ILFA, commented: ‘This new report, authored by seasoned legal observers, recognises that commercial legal finance increases access to justice for European businesses and consumers and provides ‘vital improvement in access to justice’ (pg.19) when made available. Contrary to the repeated claims of big business, funding helps level the playing field for those exercising their rights against multinationals with almost unlimited resources’. ‘ILFA agrees with the report’s conclusion that proscriptive one-size-fits-all regulation isn’t appropriate for a sector like ours. It risks funders ceasing to offer funding, inevitably leading to what the authors rightly identify as ‘serious access to justice issues’.’ https://lnkd.in/eWP6G66e #litigationfinance #litigationfunding #litfin #legalfinance #legalfunding

US Judicial Committee to Study Disclosure of Litigation Funding An article in Reuters covers the news that the U.S. Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Civil Rules agreed last week to begin a study into litigation finance, to ascertain whether a federal rule governing disclosure of third-party funding was necessary. The decision followed a panel meeting last Thursday in Washington, D.C., and notably comes shortly after over 100 companies signed a letter calling on the judiciary to introduce greater transparency measures for litigation funding. In response to the committee’s decision, Page Faulk, senior vice president of legal reform initiatives at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, called on the judiciary “to move forward swiftly in adopting mandatory disclosure requirements.” In contrast, the International Legal Finance Association (ILFA) said that it welcomed “the opportunity to be a part of the conversation to demonstrate how legal finance is a valuable part of the legal economy and has not resulted in any of the negative outcomes that the U.S. Chamber has cut from whole cloth.” https://lnkd.in/ersTXZsh #litigationfinance #litigationfunding #litfin #legalfinance #legalfunding #disclosure #regulatory

I am excited to share the University of Denver's (IAALS) Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System report, "Unlocking Legal Regulation: Lessons Learned and Recommendations for the Future."  Integrating technology and capital into legal services is key to increasing access to justice and improving consumer outcomes. Regulatory reform is critical for consumers seeking to protect their rights. By enabling innovative models—such as Arizona’s Alternative Business Structure and Utah’s regulatory sandbox —consumers gain access to more competitive, diverse legal services tailored to their needs and budgets. The report emphasizes that reforms can simplify legal service delivery, allowing consumers to resolve disputes more effectively, which is a huge step forward in empowering individuals to protect their rights. These reforms unlock significant business opportunities for creative companies and law firms. Introducing alternative legal providers opens new markets for technology-driven services and capital-backed ventures. Legal tech and other innovative service models can flourish under a more flexible regulatory framework, providing scalable and consumer-focused solutions . Jessica Bednarz and her team's report provides a roadmap for pushing for reform that benefits consumers and businesses. I encourage you to check it out. https://lnkd.in/eauEjbW7

BREAKING: More Than 100 Companies Sign Letter Urging Third-Party Litigation Funding Disclosure Rule for Federal Courts Ahead of October Judicial Rules Meeting Legal Funding Journal reported today: "In the most significant demonstration of concern for secretive third-party litigation funding (TPLF) to date, 124 companies, including industry leaders in healthcare, technology, financial services, insurance, energy, transportation, automotive and other sectors today sent a letter to the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules urging creation of a new rule that would require a uniform process for the disclosure of TPLF in federal cases nationwide. The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules will meet on October 10 and plans to discuss whether to move ahead with the development of a new rule addressing TPLF." Read the full article by Harry Moran: https://lnkd.in/eJ5wS8RE #litigationfunding #litigationfinance #tplf #disclosure

https://lnkd.in/eNHS-ghZ Women of litigation specialty insurance are the best. Wendy Wei Chou Tamar Katamadze Daniela Raz #litigationinsurance #LFDealmakers #internationalarbitration #internationallaw

We’d like to thank John Freund, Timothy Skennion, and the team at Legal Funding Journal for their coverage of LF Dealmakers | Mass Torts Edition and LF Dealmakers | 7th Annual Forum. These articles offer great insight into some of the key discussions that took place, though you must be an LFJ member to access: https://lnkd.in/ec7ea_DF “Taking a Look at Recent Mass Torts Settlements” covers our LF Dealmakers | Mass Torts Edition panel session “Getting Paid: A Breakdown of Recent Settlements” featuring speakers Max Doyle of Consumer Attorney Marketing Group, Inc. (CAMG), Samuel Dolce, Esq. of Milestone, Jennifer Hoekstra of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC, Michael London of Douglas & London, P.C., and Eamon Walsh of Advoc8se. https://lnkd.in/ezJd3w_s “How Wall Street Money is Impacting the Mass Torts Sector” focuses on our LF Dealmakers | Mass Torts Edition keynote session “Mass Torts at a Crossroads: Is Wall Street Money a Catalyst or Complication?” with Seth Meyer of Meyer Law Firm PLC moderating a discussion between Steven Weisbrot of Angeion Group, and Harris Pogust of Pogust Goodhead. https://lnkd.in/e3vXKdWE “How to Score a Win-Win Deal in Litigation Funding” discusses our LF Dealmakers | 7th Annual Forum panel with industry dealmakers Michael P. Kelley of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Joseph Dunn of Fortress Investment Group, Adam Hudes of Vinson & Elkins, Sarah Johnson of The D. E. Shaw Group, and Ryan Stephen of Pine Valley Capital Partners. https://lnkd.in/eACzpBux “Rebecca Berrebi Interviews Steven Molo at LF Dealmakers” offers takeaways from the 30-min 1:1 interview session, “Deep Dive: The Ultimate Decision Point – Taking a Case to Trial,” between Rebecca Berrebi, Esq. of Avenue 33, LLC, and Steven Molo of MoloLamken LLP at our LF Dealmakers | 7th Annual Forum.  https://lnkd.in/eMpxkVhF #litigationfinance #litigationfunding #legalfinance #legalfunding #litfin #masstorts

Last week, we hosted an incredible gathering of our community, including many first-time attendees, for back-to-back LF Dealmakers events! A huge thank you to our sponsors, speakers, and attendees for making it such a success! On September 17, we brought together over 200 of the most influential minds in mass torts and litigation finance for our inaugural LF Dealmakers | Mass Torts Edition — the first of its kind event focused on mass torts funding. The 7th Annual LF Dealmakers Forum followed on September 18-19, convening nearly 300 leaders from legal and finance to tackle the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in commercial litigation finance. Across three days, Dealmakers participants engaged in 20 interactive sessions, over 11 hours of networking, and hundreds of 1:1 meetings, sparking countless new connections and opportunities. As the industry continues to evolve, we at Dealmakers are honored to be at the forefront, facilitating the discussions and connections that drive progress. Thank you again to our participants for making this year’s LF Dealmakers our biggest and best yet! We invite you to continue the conversation by sharing your experiences with the hashtag #LFDealmakers.

What an incredible 7th Annual LF Dealmakers Forum! Coming off the momentum of our inaugural LF Dealmakers | Mass Torts Edition on Tuesday, we just wrapped a productive 2 1/2 days packed with meaningful discussions and dealmaking. With nearly 300 industry leaders in attendance — representing top litigation funders, investors, law firms, insurers, advisors, and other key stakeholders — we hosted 12 impactful sessions, 45+ A-list speakers, 300 one-to-one meetings, and countless impromptu conversations. We’ve already received fantastic feedback from both first-time and returning attendees on the tremendous value they gained — whether from the expertise shared or the connections made. A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors, speakers, and attendees for making this year’s event such a success. Special thanks to our Chairperson, Nicole Silver, for opening the program, and to our Platinum Sponsor, Ignite Specialty Risk, for their unwavering support. We’d love to hear from those of you who joined us! Share your insights and keep the conversation going using #LFDealmakers. Thank you to our 2024 LF Dealmakers | 7th Annual Forum Sponsors: Advoc8se Bochner PLLC CAC Specialty C Cubed Capital Partners, LLC Consumer Attorney Marketing Group, Inc. (CAMG) Contingency Capital LLC Crowell & Moring Curiam Capital LLC Darrow AI The D. E. Shaw Group Dominion Fabricant LLP Gerchen Capital Partners Ignite Specialty Risk Litigation Funding Advisers Longford Capital Lumenci McKool Smith Moelis & Company MoloLamken LLP Pine Valley Capital Partners Pretium Saul Ewing LLP Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP Spencer Fane LLP Torticity Trimaxian Westfleet Advisors

How to Score a Win-Win Deal in Litigation Funding One of the day two panels at the 7th Annual LF Dealmakers event was titled “Structuring Win-Win Deals”. Michael P. Kelley, Partner at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP moderated a discussion between Joseph Dunn, Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group, Adam Hudes, Partner at Vinson & Elkins, Sarah Johnson, Head of Litigation Investing team a The D. E. Shaw Group., and Ryan Stephen, Co-Founder of Pine Valley Capital Partners. #litigationfinance #litigationfunding #legalfinance #legalfunding #litfin LF Dealmakers https://lnkd.in/eACzpBux #litigationfinance #litigationfunding #legalfinance #legalfunding #litfin LF Dealmakers