A Federal Court of Australia judge has approved the A$6.4 million settlement of class action proceedings against Australian labour hire company, CoreStaff NT Pty Ltd.
Although jurisdictions vary in their date for CPD (continuing professional development) year-end, the universal experience seems to be that the CPD year-end approaches quickly! Omni Bridgeway has a suite of complimentary options to help you earn CPD points in practice management while learning how dispute finance can mitigate cost and risk for your business or clients.
The Aotearoa New Zealand Law Commission handed down its supplementary issues paper in its ongoing review of class actions and litigation funding in New Zealand and has confirmed its view that a statutory class action regime is desirable, observing that even those submitters who were sceptical of the benefits of class actions preferred the certainty of such reform.
The Australian Government is considering the merits of legislating a minimum return to group members in funded class actions, potentially as high as 70 per cent of gross proceeds. The introduction of a 70 per cent minimum would be a completely arbitrary measure and is not supported by reference to any analysis of the negative implications for the funding of class actions or the risks being assumed by litigation funders.
Brick by brick, the claim that funded class actions are the primary driver of rising directors’ liability insurance premiums is being dismantled. Even more precarious is the claim that the Commonwealth Government’s continuous disclosure reforms are the answer and will result in enormous savings for Australian business.
Omni Bridgeway celebrates its high ranking in the 2021 Chambers and Partners Litigation Support Guide and exceptional performance in Lawdragon’s 2021Global 100 Leaders in Legal Finance Guide, with 14 individuals recognised.
In a webinar for the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Australia, Omni Bridgeway Investment Manager Leanne Meyer chatted with our Head of Enforcement for Asia, Marjolein van den Bosch-Broeren, about the role a dispute funder plays in enforcing judgments and awards from unwilling or evasive debtors and early steps in-house counsel can take to safeguard collectability.
A number of sensible reforms to Australia’s 30-year-old class action system are underway, with the ‘light touch’ regulatory regime that has drawn legitimate criticism starting to get a little heavier.
This is part 2 of our podcast on negotiation strategies for commercial dispute resolution in which Omni Bridgeway’s Clive Bowman chats with Robert Bordone, a Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School. In Part 2, Clive and Bob discuss positional bargaining and alternative methods of negotiating and how to get around difficult behaviour from the other party. They also share key learnings from the globally renowned Harvard Negotiation Institute workshop.
In this two-part podcast, Omni Bridgeway’s Clive Bowman chats with Robert Bordone, a Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School, about negotiation strategies for commercial dispute resolution. In Part 1, Clive and Bob discuss theories behind negotiation methods, principles for negotiating a good outcome and how to create value in negotiation and why it is important.
In this recent webinar panel discussion hosted by Lexology, Omni Bridgeway and an expert panel shared their insights and answered some of the most critical questions that companies, and lawyers have about using dispute finance for insolvency-related claims across Asia-Pacific.
Many in-house counsel would consider using dispute finance for commercial claims according to a survey conducted by Omni Bridgeway at the 2020 Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) in-house Legal Virtual Conference, with the inability to afford litigation being the main factor influencing their decision.
The Omni Bridgeway-funded class action against the manufacturer and suppliers of certain polyethylene (PE) core cladding has commenced in the High Court of New Zealand. The action seeks compensation for New Zealand property owners and lease holders who have suffered or will suffer financial loss in relation to the Alucobond PE and Alucobond Plus cladding products which are or were affixed to their buildings.
This week, the members of the Williamtown Contamination Class Action received some good news in the run up to Christmas: $57m in compensation was distributed by their settlement scheme administrator, Ben Allen of Dentons. The distributions followed from the landmark settlement achieved in February 2019 by Omni Bridgeway’s funded class action.
A recent decision of the Supreme Court of Queensland (Court of Appeal) held that the funding agreements between a funder and the members of a class action were not unenforceable as being against public policy and recognises the public benefit to be derived from class actions funded by a third party litigation funder.
Building owners, bodies corporate and public bodies of properties in Australia who believe their buildings may be affected by combustible cladding will find important information on Omni Bridgeway’s Australian Combustible Cladding Class Actions webpage. The webpage contains Notices for likely class members that have been approved by the Federal Court of Australia and full details of the online registration process.
In countries where it is permitted, Omni Bridgeway’s investment managers offer their expertise in managing complex arbitration, litigation and recoveries. This can enhance the claimant’s chances of achieving the best possible result.
Omni Bridgeway Investment Manager and former General Counsel of RSL NSW, Leanne Meyer, chats with Christian Paech, former General Counsel and Company Secretary of Australian energy company, Santos Limited. They discuss some of the challenges for an in-house legal team when a company has a claim and how dispute finance can assist.
Omni Bridgeway is pleased to be the first company in Australia to be granted a litigation funding Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL). The AFSL means we are able to fund Australian class actions in compliance with the new regulations that came into force last month.
In Australia, shareholder class actions are one mechanism that can be deployed when other safeguards have failed to protect shareholder rights, enhance long-term value and change behaviour for the better.
