Michael Perich is a Senior Vice President and Head of Litigation Insurance in the Transaction Liability Practice at Lockton. Prior to joining Lockton, Michael spent much of his career working at the world’s largest litigation finance company, Burford Capital, as well as a Chambers-ranked litigation finance broker, Westfleet Advisors. In these roles, he helped a wide range of clients—including multinational corporations and AmLaw100 firms—use innovative litigation finance structure to achieve their financial objectives.
Michael is also a former litigator, having represented clients on contingency fee, alternative fee, and hourly fee arrangements. He now uses those skillsets to help his clients structure bespoke insurance policies designed to help his clients achieve their financial objectives.
Michael has been recognized by LawDragon as one of the top 100 Global Leaders in litigation finance and is listed in the IAM Strategy 300, a guide listing individuals who innovatively create and action strategies which realize and amplify the worth of IP portfolios.
Company Name and Description: Lockton is the largest privately held global insurance brokerage that provides outstanding risk mitigation and claims management through the application of modern insurance strategies. With expertise in risk management, property and casualty, employee benefits/people solutions, professional and private risk, we help our clients protect what matters to them most: people, property, and their bottom line.
Company Website: https://global.lockton.com/us/en
Headquarters: Kansas City
Area of Focus: Litigation Funding and Contingent Liability Insurance products
Member Quote: Having ventured into the field of litigation finance almost ten years ago, I remain repeatedly astounded and impressed by the growth and increased sophistication the market has exhibited in recent years. The progress has been truly remarkable, and I feel grateful to be involved in this dynamic industry.
Ziad Mouallem is the Founder & Operator of Practiclaim. Ziad is a Legal Entrepreneur, International Dispute Resolution Specialist, and Legal Innovator & Strategist, with a specific experience in Litigation Finance, Arbitration, ISDS, Enforcement, ADRs, ClaimTech, Legal Systems Design & Engineering, Legal Ops & Products Advisory, and Claim Management & Strategy.
Company Name and Description: Practiclaim
Practiclaim is a multidisciplinary Alternative Legal Claims Service Provider (ALCSP), offering comprehensive end-to-end solutions on a mandate-led basis.
We act as a claims incubator, aiding companies, their in-house functions, claim funders and service providers in efficiently sourcing, managing, optimizing, and realizing legal claims, with a particular focus on international arbitration, cross-border, and multi-jurisdictional business disputes.
Our services include cost-efficient Enterprise Legal Services (ELS) and Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO), ranging from free initial prevention and assessment, through optimized multi-sourced due diligence, to flexible-value-based-fee legal representation, enforcement, and financing/monetization options.
Company Website: www.practiclaim.com
Year Founded: 2019
Headquarters: Dubai, UAE
Area of Focus: Claim and dispute management and advisory, claim due diligence, pre-contentious risk management, legal representation support, international arbitration, ISDS, complex litigation, cross-border disputes, enforcement, recovery, international law, dispute resolution, early case assessment, legal tech, claim tech, justice tech, enterprise legal process outsourcing, legal help, claim value maximization, corporate & consumer access to justice, expert in-house support, legal claims solutions, managed legal services, value-driven fee optimization, decentralized justice, know your claim, team aggregation & resources allocation, legal procurement solutions.
Member Quote: "In the dynamic realm of legal claims and dispute resolution, funding solutions serve as the linchpin for ensuring access to justice for corporations and consumers alike. Subject to ongoing economic market adjustments, they enhance accessibility, ensure equitable legal support, facilitate legal mobility for claims, and evolve further into merged service offerings within claim service providers. These endeavors collectively reinforce the foundation of a genuinely just society."In a strategic move to bolster its litigation finance and loan servicing capabilities, Counsel Financial welcomes Nicholas (Nick) D’Aquilla, Esq. as its new Managing Director. With over a decade of experience in the mass tort industry and as a former civil defense litigator for the Louisiana Department of Justice, D’Aquilla brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of success to the Counsel Financial leadership team.
D’Aquilla has distinguished himself as a leading figure in administering complex settlements, contributing to the administration of more than $20 billion in mass tort settlements across many high-profile cases. His expertise in solution design and oversight services has contributed to the resolution of more than 40 mass tort and class action litigations, spanning environmental, pharmaceutical, medical device, and sexual assault matters.
D'Aquilla will focus on enhancing Counsel Financial's mass tort underwriting processes and loan servicing offering, enhancing the development of valuation models based on historical settlement data. He will also leverage his experience as a consultant for multiple legal technology companies to help drive continued refinement of the company's servicing platform.
“Adding Nick to our team marks a significant enhancement of our litigation finance and loan servicing offerings,” said Paul Cody, President & CEO of Counsel Financial. “Coupling our team’s 200+ years of legal, financial and litigation experience with Nick’s knowledge and insight into the mass tort sector provides unparalleled resources that can be leveraged by both our law firm clients and institutional investors utilizing our servicing platform.”
Before joining Counsel Financial, D’Aquilla played a pivotal role in a complex settlement fund advisory team for a national bank, where he developed innovative underwriting methodologies that enabled credit extensions to mass tort plaintiffs’ firms. There, he also analyzed and valued over $1.5 billion in loan collateral derived from mass tort dockets.
About Counsel Financial
Counsel Financial is an industry leader in originating, underwriting and servicing loans and other financing solutions for contingent fee law firms. For over two decades, Counsel Financial has provided more than $2 billion in capital investments across 300+ law firms. These investments have financed the growth of firms in every area of plaintiffs’ litigation, including personal injury, mass torts, class action and labor and employment.
It previously announced the creation of 10 new jobs in key areas including legal, auditing, finance and origination, after opening a new office in Weert, Netherlands. Aisling added: “I take immense pride in witnessing the remarkable growth of Nera Capital as it expands worldwide.
“In the face of a rapidly evolving world, our industry has often been considered slow to adapt in relative terms. We are determined to break free from that inertia and lead the charge towards meaningful change. By embracing cutting-edge AI technology, we have entered a transformative chapter for our firm. The fusion of innovation and data-driven insights empowers us to navigate legal landscapes with even greater efficiency, ensuring our partnered law firms receive the swift and insightful solutions they deserve which can hopefully speed up the justice process for those that need it.”
Nera Capital are expected to look at further expansion into new locations in the near future.
About Nera Capital
Louisa Klouda is the founder and CEO of Fenchurch Legal. She set up the business in early 2020, after identifying a gap for additional small-ticket litigation funders in the UK market.
Louisa is responsible for day-to-day operations, strategic direction and capital raising. Louisa's expertise in sourcing, underwriting and managing borrowers, as well as attracting investor capital has been instrumental in Fenchurch Legal's growth.
Prior to setting up Fenchurch Legal, Louisa worked within corporate finance, specializing in the asset backed lending industry. She managed the broking and dealing desk for secured debt securities, structured various investment products and facilitated some large M&A transactions.
About Fenchurch Legal: Fenchurch Legal is a UK-based litigation financier, specialising in providing disbursement funding to small to medium-sized law firms in the UK. The financing funds small ticket ATE (“After the Event”) cases and covers associated disbursements, all backed by ATE insurance policies. Their focus on smaller claims, often overlooked in traditional funding, ensures that even modest claims, like housing disrepair claims receive the backing necessary to navigate the legal process, ultimately facilitating access to justice and contributing to a more balanced and inclusive legal landscape. Understanding law firm needs, Fenchurch Legal delivers solutions to remove pain points and has developed an offering to avoid problems such as complex drawdown procedures, undisclosed fees, and non-funding of crucial costs like WIP capital. In addition to collaborating with borrowers, we extend the opportunity to investors to invest in this unique market. Fenchurch Legal sets itself apart with a focus on smaller-ticket claims, flexible entry points, and robust security features, making it an accessible and attractive choice for those seeking alternative investment opportunities. The company continues to innovate and has recently developed its own loan management software, providing a bespoke platform for managing loan repayments, monitoring, reporting and onboarding – significantly enhancing the whole business operations, driving efficiency and enabling the business to scale. Company Website: https://www.fenchurch-legal.co.uk/ Year Founded: 2020 Headquarters: London Area of Focus: Fenchurch Legal is solely focused on funding smaller cases with an established legal precedent at high volumes. These protocol-driven consumer claims (housing disrepair, Plevin, PCP, financial mis-selling) offer a high potential for success. Member Quote: “The funding market is increasingly recognising the importance of smaller claims. Small ticket litigation funding plays a vital role in the UK legal landscape, offering an alternative approach to financing legal claims. Small-ticket funders like Fenchurch Legal focus on quantity, funding a high volume of smaller cases. Our core strength lies in our deep understanding of the small-ticket claims landscape. We have developed a rigorous and data-driven vetting process tailored to this specific segment of litigation funding, allowing us to identify top-tier law firms and high-potential case types with lower individual risk profiles. At Fenchurch Legal, we believe in the transformative power of small-ticket disbursement funding, and our commitment extends to both law firms and investors. Small-medium law firms can take on cases that might otherwise go unfunded whilst providing an avenue for investors looking for alternative investment opportunities within the litigation funding market.”LegalPay, India's leading litigation finance company, has been named the BEST LEGALTECH STARTUP OF THE YEAR by Entrepreneur India at the prestigious Tech and Innovation Summit 2024. This recognition underscores LegalPay's unwavering commitment to revolutionizing the legal finance landscape and empowering businesses with innovative solutions.
LegalPay tackles the chronic issue of delayed payments faced by businesses. Their groundbreaking financing solution, QuickSettle, offers a lifeline to thousands of businesses struggling with cash flow. QuickSettle provides immediate funding to creditors, allowing them to receive their dues upfront. Simultaneously, debtors benefit from flexible repayment plans, easing financial strain and facilitating a win-win outcome for all parties involved.
"In today's dynamic economic climate, access to flexible financing solutions is vital for businesses to thrive," says Mr. Kundan Shahi, Founder & CEO of LegalPay. "We are incredibly honored to be recognized by Entrepreneur India. This award is a testament to our steadfast dedication to pushing the boundaries of innovation in the legal finance industry. We remain committed to empowering businesses and fostering a culture of faster dispute resolution in India."
LegalPay’s innovation transcends traditional boundaries. By bridging the gap between creditors and debtors, QuickSettle fosters collaboration and trust, reducing the need for costly litigation. In today’s dynamic business landscape, access to working capital is paramount. QuickSettle liberates working capital, allowing businesses to focus on growth and expansion.
The recognition from Entrepreneur India serves as a testament to LegalPay's dedication to pushing the boundaries of innovation in the legal and financial technology sector. As businesses continue to seek efficient and sustainable solutions to recover their dues, LegalPay remains steadfast in its mission to empower businesses and drive positive change in the industry.
About LegalPay:
Founded in 2019 by Kundan Shahi, LegalPay has emerged as India's largest litigation funding company, currently managing over USD 400 Million worth of claims. Through innovative solutions like QuickSettle, LegalPay empowers businesses to navigate financial hurdles seamlessly and unlock their true potential.