Bentham and HLS Host Panel on Commercial Litigation Funding

In a well attended event sponsored by Bentham IMF, in conjunction with the Harvard Law School Association and hosted at Southwestern Law School on November 19, 2015, Los Angeles Investment Manager David Gallagher participated in a litigation funding panel discussion moderated by David Houston, editor of The Daily Journal.  Also contributing to the panel discussion were Byron Stier, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School and Steve Garber, author of the RAND Corporation study, Alternative Litigation Financing in the United States: Issues, Knowns, and Unknowns. 

The panelists informed the audience about the history of litigation finance as well as its evolution and impact on a global and domestic scale.  Each panel member brought his own unique thoughts about third party funding to the table.  David Gallagher explained and debunked various misconceptions surrounding the alternative litigation finance industry, including ethics concerns normally raised by attorneys (e.g., fee splitting; duty of confidentiality; conflict of interest).  Professor Stier, a former mass torts defense attorney at Skadden and Jones Day, provided his perspective on the potential impact a litigation funder may have on defense counsel merely by its presence in the case.  Steve Garber discussed his thoughts about the growth of the alternative litigation finance industry since his research brief was published in 2010.

As litigation finance continues its growth in the United States, Bentham values the importance of educating the legal profession about the industry.  For upcoming events and seminars, please visit our Events page.