‘Financial issues’ are one of the top five trends legal professionals expect to have greatest impact over the next three years, according to a survey by Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory. These include greater price competition, alternative fee structures and cost containment pressures.
Last week, Justice Beach in the Federal Court of Australia approved the settlement of the securities class action against Sirtex Medical Limited (Sirtex). The action, funded by IMF Bentham Limited, had settled during the trial, subject to the court’s approval.
Recent reports show that companies are forgoing millions of dollars in dormant claims and unpursued recoveries. An expected economic downturn is likely to exacerbate this problem as companies’ legal budgets are reduced further, making it less likely that funds will be expended on disputes. A legal recovery program, combined with dispute resolution finance, can mitigate these problems and generate revenue and value for companies.
One of the most complex issues facing many in-house counsel is the expense of litigation. Companies, even well-capitalised ones, with potentially valuable claims are often reluctant to pursue them, or see them through to their most valuable stage. Dispute resolution finance can help in-house counsel transform their legal departments from cost to profit centres.
IMF Bentham's Nathan Landis shares insights from his experience living and working in the Middle East and why the market for dispute resolution finance is growing rapidly.
IMF Bentham is delighted to be recognised as the only ‘Band 1' funder in the Asia-Pacific from the legal industry’s leading global directory, Chambers and Partners. We are also one of only two funders ranked Band 1 in the United States.
IMF Bentham’s Matthew Kennedy and Noah Wortman discuss the rapidly evolving class action regime in Australia and how IMF Bentham’s global program assists institutional investors to recover value for shareholders.
Global dispute financier IMF Bentham Limited and William Roberts Lawyers have commenced a second product liability class action in the Federal Court of Australia under consumer protection laws. The action is against the manufacturer of ‘Vitrabond’ PE core cladding products, Fairview Architectural Pty Ltd. It follows the commencement in February 2019 of a class action against the manufacturers of ‘Alucobond’ PE core cladding products.
Omni Bridgeway’s Gavin Beardsell has been interviewed for a podcast by Amanda Farmer, founder of Your Strata Property. Gavin discusses the combustible cladding class action that Omni Bridgeway is funding against the manufacturers of Alucobond polyethylene (PE) core cladding products.
IMF Bentham’s Chief Investment Officer (Asia), Tom Glasgow, explains developments in dispute finance in Asia (including jurisdictional nuances and funders’ investment criteria) and Managing Director and CEO of IMF Bentham’s global operations, Andrew Saker, discusses the expansion of funding products available.
IMF Bentham Executive Director and pioneer of the dispute finance industry, Hugh McLernon, shares insights into the origins of modern-day dispute finance and its global expansion.
IMF Bentham congratulates Mr John Sulan on his recent appointment as South Australia’s Reviewer of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). This role provides independent oversight of the ICAC and the Office for Public Integrity, reporting to the South Australian Attorney General and Parliament’s Crime and Public Integrity Policy Committee.
Disputes that arise in the energy sector are invariably complex, high value and often cross-border in nature. Common examples include disagreements about the construction or operations of oil and gas extraction projects, power production projects, commodity contract disputes and joint venture disputes. These types of commercial disputes are increasingly referred to international arbitration.
One of the most significant challenges for in-house legal teams is resource and budget limitations. Costs budgeting by both sides in litigation has the potential to enable the Courts, as well as the parties, to better manage and control the costs of the litigation and to avoid the risk of costs becoming disproportionate to the claim size.
The number of investment treaty arbitrations filed in 2018 continued to grow. As more parties seek to file meritorious claims, demand for third-party funding for these arbitration claims will also continue to rise.
IMF Litigation Funding Services Limited (IMF LFS) is delighted to be ranked as ‘excellent’ by Leaders League for litigation and arbitration funding in the UK. IMF LFS is the European arm of leading global dispute funder IMF Bentham Limited, one of the oldest and most experienced commercial litigation funders in the world.
As Australia’s pioneer of commercial litigation funding and leading funder, IMF Bentham has a particular insight into the current system. Class actions are particularly complex and costly. Each action involves different circumstances, considerations and issues. We think that some of the ALRC’s recommendations will benefit class members and improve the existing class action regime.
