International Legal Finance Association

The Global Voice of Commercial Legal Finance

ILFA was founded to represent the global commercial legal finance community. It is the only global association of commercial legal finance companies and is an independent, non-profit trade association promoting the highest standards of operation and service for the commercial legal finance sector.

ILFA’s mission is to engage, educate and influence legislative, regulatory and judicial landscapes as the global voice of the commercial legal finance industry.

In furtherance of ILFA’s mission, members undertake to comply with ILFA’s best practice principles.  ILFA recognizes that such principles are best put into practice locally in light of the inescapable fact that jurisdictional views of all legal issues vary widely around the world. These best practice principles will benefit clients by creating clarity around the financing process.  

ILFA is incorporated in Washington, DC, and will have chapter representation around the world.

About ILFA

ILFA Is The Only Global Association for the Commercial Legal Finance Industry

  • Commercial legal finance helps those who are:
  • unable to take the financial risk of seeking redress against more powerful opponents who have done them wrong, or
  • unwilling to take the material financial risks inherent in obtaining such redress, or
  • seeking rational capital solutions to their litigation issues.
  • Imbalance in the litigation system has permitted well-financed repeat defendants to achieve an inappropriate advantage. Once possessed of such an advantage, holders have a strong desire to retain it.
  • Commercial legal finance levels the playing field and threatens that advantage. This has induced amongst defendants a global campaign of disinformation to attack the idea of commercial legal finance and the individual providers of it.
  • As a globally-constituted trade association, ILFA will (through global advocacy and data-based information) ensure the powerful authors of disinformation do not sustain a one-sided campaign, thereby transforming access to justice.

Best Practice

ILFA members have each committed to uphold the following Best Practices:

Clarity - ILFA members should provide services to users in a clear and forthright manner. The terms, expectations and contractual arrangements associated with the financing should be set forth unambiguously and comprehensively. The process of obtaining financing should be transparent.

Respecting duties to the courts - ILFA members should not interfere with the performance of lawyers’ duties to the courts and to their clients and respect the proper administration of justice.

Avoid conflicts of interest - ILFA members will maintain effective systems to detect and manage potential conflicts of interest, including conflicts that could affect the enforcement of an award or judgment.

Preserve confidentiality and legal privilege - ILFA members will only receive confidential or privileged information pursuant to an approach which is expected to be respected in the relevant jurisdiction(s) and take all necessary steps to preserve confidentiality and legal privilege in information which they receive.

Capital adequacy - ILFA members should not make investment commitments without having adequate capital available or reasonably projected to be available to meet those commitments.

Governing By-laws

ILFA was incorporated in Washington, DC, on June 12, 2020. It is governed by a set of By-Laws that are available upon request.

John Simons
CEO of Justicia
Membership

Membership

Member Services
ILFA offers numerous member services, including:

Regulatory developments:  monitoring and informing members of relevant legislative and regulatory developments taking place in key jurisdictions around the world and providing a forum for members to review and share views on industry developments.

Advocacy:  acting as a spokesperson for members to government authorities and agencies, parliamentary bodies, multilateral institutions, the general public, and other entities. And representing the legal finance industry on legislative and regulatory developments via affirmative, coordinated public relations and public policy activities, including responding to policy proposals, consulting with government bodies and international organisations and facilitating cooperation between stakeholders.

Code of Conduct:  recommending a Code of Conduct for the legal finance industry to promote best practices in the sector in the interests of funded clients.

Case Law:  monitoring and intervening if appropriate in litigation where questions related to the legal finance industry are before the courts or other adjudicative bodies.

Public Awareness:  Promoting understanding of the legal finance industry and expanding public knowledge of the uses and applications of legal finance by collecting, analysing and disseminating research and data about the Industry

Membership Classes

Founding members

ILFA was formed in 2020 by six global commercial legal finance firms (listed alphabetically):

Burford Capital

Harbour Litigation Funding

Longford Capital Management

Omni Bridgeway

Therium Capital Management

Woodsford Litigation Funding

Charter and Regular Membership

ILFA members include professionals operating in the legal finance industry [and adjacent industries?] in any jurisdiction world-wide.  Members include private and publicly-listed companies, individuals and other [commercial and academic?] entities with a shared goal of advancing the legal finance industry to deliver optimal legal finance solutions to clients [insert].

Join ILFA
ILFA membership is open to professional companies operating in the legal finance industry.  To become a Charter or Regular Member of ILFA, you must demonstrate that your business:

  • Is meaningfully engaged in business in the legal finance industry and conduct business in a manner that reflects favourably upon the legal finance Industry.
  • Is financially sound.
  • Complies with applicable laws and regulations of the jurisdiction(s) in which your business operates.
  • Currently deploys investment capital in excess of [x].
  • Intends to advance and support ILFA and comply with its reasonable requirements and policies.
  • Will uphold ILFA’s Code of Conduct and comply with the duties and obligations contained in ILFA’s by-laws.
  • Will pay the annual membership dues reasonably requested.

Consumer legal finance companies who offer cash provisions to individuals in economic distress are not eligible for ILFA membership.

ILFA membership applications are reviewed by the ILFA Management Committee within approximately 7 days of receipt.  

To join ILFA, review the by-laws and membership dues, please contact:

Chairman, International Legal Finance Association  
Mr Leslie Perrin
Chairman, Calunius Capital LLP
T: +44 123 456789
E: leslie.perrin@calunius.com

Membership Directory
Burford Capital
Harbour Litigation Funding
Longford Capital Management
Omni Bridgeway
Therium Capital Management
Woodsford Litigation Funding

Board of Directors


ILFA is governed by a Board of Directors whose members serve on a voluntary basis. Board members include senior leaders of global commercial legal finance companies and founders of the modern-day commercial legal finance industry.

Neil Purslow

ILFA Chairman  
CO-FOUNDER AND Chief Investment Officer
Therium
Read Biography

Gary Barnett

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and General counsel
ILFA
Read Biography

Jonathan Barnes

Chief Operating Officer
Woodsford Group Ltd.
Read Biography

Christopher Bogart

Chief Executive Officer
Burford Capital
Read Biography

Christopher DeLise

Chief executive Officer
Delta Capital Partner
Read Biography

Susan Dunn

Co-founder
Harbour Litigation Funding
Read Biography

Allen Fagin

Board member and senior advisor
Validity Finance
Read Biography

William P. Farrell, Jr.

Managing Director and General Counsel
Longford Capital
Read Biography

Sarah Johnson

Head of Litigation Investing
The D. E. Shaw Group
Read Biography

Ian Garrard

Managing director
Innsworth Advisors
Read Biography

David Icikson

Chief operating officer
Parabellum
Read Biography
Kevin McCaffrey

Kevin McCaffrey

Chief Executive Officer
Law Finance Group
Read Biography

Hassan Murphy

managing partner
TRGP investment Partners LP
Read Biography

Michael Rozen

managing partner
TRGP investment Partners LP
Read Biography

Jack Neumark

managing director
Fortress Credit Funds
Read Biography

Raymond van Hulst

Managing director and ceo
Omni Bridgeway
Read Biography

Thomas Kohlmeier

CO-founder and co-ceo
Nivalion AG
Read Biography

Contact

General Enquiries

We welcome enquiries about commercial legal finance or our member companies.

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