Woodsford supports further major Australian class actions against car manufacturers with claims filed against Hyundai and Kia
Hyundai and Kia engine defect class actions launched in Australia Class actions were filed on Wednesday (15th February) in the Federal Court of Australia relating to defective engines in various Hyundai and Kia vehicles sold in Australia from 2011 to date. The actions allege that the numerous vehicles sold by Hyundai and Kia in Australia were offered for sale with [...]
Nanoco v Samsung – recent developments illustrate the possibilities of big payouts for universities, TTOs and spin-outs
The recent positive developments in Nanoco’s patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung in the US, highlight the possibilities for universities, their technology transfer offices or spin-outs to realise the value of their inventions and protect their intellectual property from the predatory clutches of Big Tech. In short, Nanoco claimed that the South Korean company used its patent-protected cadmium-free quantum dot technology [...]
Woodsford announces further major expansion, with five new hires in Australia and the UK
Woodsford announces further major expansion We are excited to announce a further major expansion of our global team with the appointment of Jordan Howells as Senior Investment Officer together with three other appointments to our executive team and the addition of former Australian Federal Court Judge, Hon. Neil McKerracher KC, to our Investment Advisory Panel (IAP). The appointments of Howells, [...]
Woodsford supports Toyota Diesel Defeat Device class action in Australia
Woodsford supports Toyota Diesel Defeat Device class action in Australia. Woodsford supports another major Australian class action with a claim filed yesterday (17th October) in the Supreme Court of Victoria on behalf of up to half a million owners of diesel-powered Toyota vehicles. The class action filed yesterday by Victoria-based Maddens Lawyers alleges that Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Limited manufactured [...]
View the recording of our Webinar: The UPC: A Game Changer for European Patent Assertion
We hosted a lively, interactive webinar, The UPC: A Game Changer for European Patent Assertion on Wednesday 12th October 2022. You can view a recording of the webinar here. Our Director of Business Development, Mitesh Modha, hosted and was joined by our US Chief Investment Officer, Robin Davis in New York, Andreas Wietzke, partner at Mathys & Squire in Munich and Myles Jelf, joint head of the [...]
Woodsford’s Public Submission to the Treasury in respect draft Corporations Amendment (Litigation Funding) Regulations 2022
Yesterday, 3rd October 2022 ,Woodsford submitted our considered response to the Australian Treasury, in respect of the draft Corporations Amendment (Litigation Funding) Regulations 2022. "Woodsford is in favour of the proposal that an explicit exemption be provided for litigation funding schemes from the definition of a managed investment scheme in section 9 of the Corporations Act 2001. The decision in [...]
Woodsford supports $Multibillion claim filed against Sony Group
Woodsford supports $Multibillion claim filed against Sony Group. Woodsford is proud to support another major UK class action, with a $Multibillion claim filed against UK subsidiaries of Sony Group in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) on 19 August. The claim is being brought on behalf of UK-based PlayStation users who have purchased digital games and/or add-on content from the PlayStation [...]
Woodsford announces major expansion, with six new hires in the UK and US
Woodsford announces further expansion We are excited to announce a further major expansion of our global team with the appointment of Ryan Schultz as Vice President, Business Development in the US, four new members of the London-based underwriting and finance teams and the addition of former Linklaters partner, Kathryn Ludlow to our IAP. The appointments of Schultz (Minneapolis), Emily Woolcott, [...]
(Another) Decision to Watch on Discoverability of Litigation Funding Materials in the US: Fleet Connect v. Waste Connections
As litigation funding becomes more prevalent in patent litigation, defendants in the US are likely to attempt to obtain discovery into such agreements. However, litigation funding discovery is usually nothing more than a fishing expedition aimed to create additional burden for plaintiffs. Recently, Judge Gilstrap ruled precisely that discovery of ligation funding documents is irrelevant to any claim or defense and [...]
The Case For Company-Directed Offensive ESG Litigation
The Case For Company-Directed Offensive ESG Litigation In a provocative article published in Law360, Woodsford’s Bob Koneck argues that there is an opportunity for the legal industry to benefit from an ESG paradigm shift — rather than treat ESG litigation as a mere source of liability, companies and their lawyers should evaluate and pursue offensive ESG litigation as a linchpin of their [...]
Woodsford ranked band 2 for litigation funding by Chambers
Chambers 2022 Litigation Support rankings have been announced. We are pleased to share that Woodsford ranked Band 2 for litigation funding. Congratulations to our CEO Steven Friel and CIO (EMEA & APAC) Charlie Morris for being recognised individuals. See here for the complete rankings.
View the recording of our Webinar: A Practical Guide to Litigation Funding
We hosted a lively, interactive webinar, A Practical Guide to Litigation Funding, on Thursday 26 May. You can view a recording of the webinar here. Our US Chief Investment Officer, Robin Davis hosted and she was joined by our US General Counsel, Alex Lempiner, and talented litigator, Russell Tonkovich of Kramer Day, who provided a top practitioner's perspective. The webinar [...]
Woodsford is recruiting a Legal Counsel in London
Woodsford is recruiting a Legal Counsel in London We have a rare opportunity for a transactional commercial/corporate lawyer to join our dynamic London team and play an important part in Woodsford’s continued growth and development as an ESG-focused business. The right candidate will be closely involved in all aspects of the company’s commercial and litigation finance related affairs, working directly [...]
Woodsford is recruiting an Operations & Accounts Assistant / Bookkeeper in London
Woodsford is recruiting an Operations & Accounts Assistant / Bookkeeper in London We're seeking a full-time Operations & Accounts Assistant/Bookkeeper to work in our small finance team. You will work directly with the Commercial Manager and Financial Controller to process accounts payable and accounts receivables as well as post transactions on the accounting system and produce management accounts. This position [...]
Litigation Funding 2022 – your updated guide to the developing law and practice of funding in Germany
Third-party funding was launched in Germany in 1999 and the overwhelming majority of the legal community welcomed the idea. Litigation funding closed the gap between credit facilities provided by banks, which are typically not granted without securities being provided by the claimant, and the prohibition of lawyers providing legal services whose remuneration is based solely on a successful outcome of [...]
Litigation Funding 2022 – your updated guide to the developing law and practice of funding in France
The legality of third-party litigation funding is well established in France. Nevertheless, the French market for third-party litigation funding is still comparatively small. Among other factors, this may be attributed to the fact that French law traditionally did not recognise class actions or punitive damages and that civil and commercial courts generally grant only limited cost awards for legal fees. [...]