Litigation fi nance evolution

• Author: Gary Barnett
• Pages: 8-8

Litigation f‌i nance evolution

Your recent article by Stephanie Francis

Ward on litigation  nance (“Risky Busi-

ness,” February-March, page 54) gives a

false impression of commercial litiga-

tion  nance as uniquely risky to law

 rms, focusing on a few outlier circum-

stances involving allegations of attorney

malfeasance or default. In fact, com-

mercial litigation  nance is increasingly

necessary, common and rarely offers

anything like the drama described.

Looking forward, the International

Legal Finance Association is working

to further professionalize the industry,

establishing best practices all funders

should follow to maximize the overall

value to litigants, law  rms and  -

nancing entities alike. As this growing

industry evolves and becomes more

routine, we expect these standards to

become ubiquitous so that commercial

litigation  nancing can continue to play

its critical role in ensuring a stronger

and more equitable justice system.

Gary Barnett

International Legal Finance Association

Rights f‌i ght

Just a note to compliment you on your

superb Intersection column (“Race to

the Bottom,” February-March, page 11).

You captured my thoughts precisely and

succinctly. Thank you.

Dennis A. Rendleman

Spring eld, Illinois

Thank you for the opinion piece you

wrote on freedom, choice and the social

contract. Cogent. Persuasive. Succinct.

Marie Breaux

New Orleans

C-suite inclusion

I am a member of the Missouri Bar. In

Missouri, one of our CLE requirements

is to have one hour of diversity training

each year. In a few weeks, I will be pre-

senting my third CLE on this topic. As

part of my presentation, I have included

information provided in Cynthia L.

Cooper’s diversity article (Inclusion &

Equity,” December-January, page 44). It

was outstanding!

In addition, although I am retired

from the active practice of law, I am an

adjunct professor at Avila University,

located in Kansas City, Missouri . I teach

a business law class to undergraduate

students that discusses all of the U.S.

anti-discrimination laws. We start with

the Constitution and move forward

Photos by

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ABA JOURNAL | APRIL–MAY 2022

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