Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Business

Legal sector hits back at EU calls for regulation of third-party litigation funders

by September 15, 2022
September 15, 2022
Legal sector hits back at EU calls for regulation of third-party litigation funders

Lawyers and litigation funders have hit back at EU plans to regulate the third-party litigation financing industry in claiming new rules could limit access to justice.

The clashes come after the EU parliament on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favour of adopting a report by German MEP Axel Voss calling for new regulation of Europe’s litigation funding sector.

Third-party litigation funders bankroll lawsuits with a view to taking a cut of any winnings.

The Voss report calls for litigation funders’ fees and payments to be capped at a maximum of 40 per cent of any winnings.

The report says third-party litigation funders should also be required to cover defendants’ costs, including any adverse awards, if litigation is unsuccessful, whilst calling for greater transparency in the sector.

Commenting on the EU parliament’s endorsement, Voss, an MEP with Germany’s Christian Democratic Union, said regulation is needed to cap the “astronomical and unjustified rewards of litigation funders”.

“We must guarantee that our justice system continues to serve the people and is not exploited by profit-seeking actors,” Voss said, as he warned of the “recent and rapidly expanding global trend of hedge funds investing in legal proceedings in order to make enormous profits on the back of ordinary people.”

However, lawyers and litigation funders hit back at Voss’ proposals, as they argued regulation will hinder growth in the legal sector and limit access to justice.

Gary Barnett, Executive Director of the International Legal Finance Association (ILFA) warned stringent regulation “could limit the availability of and increase the cost of funding, which provides access to justice and upholds the rule of law.”

David Greene, head of finance litigation at London law firm Edwin Coe, argued significant “competition in the market” for third-party funding already “regulates” pricing in the sector.

Robert Hanna, managing director at litigation financier Augusta, said prices are also kept low by the relative sophistication of corporate clients, as he noted a large proportion of litigation funders’ clients are large corporations that “know the price they are prepared to pay”.

Hanna warned regulation of the litigation financing sector could hinder the UK’s legal sector’s growth, in the face of “a huge opportunity for UK plc to be the jurisdiction of choice for commercial disputes”.

Julian Chamberlayne, a partner at Stewarts, said regulation could “make it even more difficult” for “David vs Goliath” class-action lawsuits to progress, due to the costs associated with launching a major case against a well-funded corporate entity on behalf of a disparate group of people.

Third party funding paired with new laws allowing “opt-out” lawsuits has seen the UK become Europe’s leading jurisdiction for class action lawsuits, including cases against major firms such as Apple and Mastercard

Greene said many class action lawsuits “would not be possible were it not for the financing industry” due to the complexities of bringing a claim on behalf of a potentially extremely large group of individuals.

Regulation in the EU could however further boost the UK’s leading position as a hub for class action lawsuits, Chamberlayne said, as he suggested law firms may increasingly turn to Britain to file claims.

Read more:
Legal sector hits back at EU calls for regulation of third-party litigation funders

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Businesses to learn next week how the government will help with energy bills
next post
UK’s financial sector faces new wave of brute force DDoS attacks

You may also like

Construction hungry for new talent as one in...

June 22, 2023

One in five workers undergoing fertility treatment have...

September 14, 2023

Seven million Britons embrace crypto as Bitcoin soars...

November 26, 2024

Names of UK Covid business loan borrowers to...

January 5, 2023

Farmers descend on Westminster amid inheritance tax row...

December 11, 2024

What does a purchaser do in an organization?

August 4, 2022

Q&A Spotlight with Andrew Young, CEO of Conjugate...

January 24, 2025

Why live marketing is more important than ever...

January 27, 2023

£1 billion growth fund to help scale UK...

August 17, 2023

Homeworking means over an hour extra time to...

January 25, 2023

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Rubio condemns assassination attempt on Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe

      June 8, 2025
    • Obama WH physician says Biden doc should have performed cognitive test

      June 8, 2025
    • Trump warns of ‘serious consequences’ if Elon Musk funds Democrats

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk jokes about reconsidering stance on Big Beautiful Bill after Schiff’s praise

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk deletes explosive posts about Trump and Epstein files

      June 7, 2025
    • House witness flips script on Dem who ambushed him during hearing with unearthed tweet: ‘Iceberg is ahead’

      June 7, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,152)
    • Investing (2,019)
    • Politics (15,570)
    • Stocks (3,136)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved