Recent Developments in Third-Party Funding

Abstract

This article addresses recent developments in third-party funding that occurred during late 2012 and early 2013 in the three leading jurisdictions: Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The most important developments are the following. On 22 April 2013, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) issued regulatory guidelines clarifying the status of funders with respect to ASIC's regulations and detailing how funders should manage conflicts of interest and handle certain provisions of their funding arrangements. In the United Kingdom, the Jackson Reforms took effect on 1 April 2013, bringing sweeping changes to the allowable fee agreements, discovery rules and cost allocations in that jurisdiction. In the United States, at least twenty pieces of legislation have been filed in various state legislatures since the beginning of 2013 aimed at regulating the third-party funding industry in a variety of different ways. Thus, in these three leading third-party funding jurisdictions, it appears that the legislatures - rather than the courts - are seeking to lead the way in shaping the future of the third-party funding industry.