L-R: Evan Meyerson, Kate Tellez, Alyx Pattison and Charles Griffin. Courtesy photos Ex-Big Law Corporate Defenders Explain Why They Now Help Fund the Opposite Side of the 'V'
"The skillsets we were developing as associates were largely transferable," said Evan Meyerson, a former Paul Weiss associate who moved to Burford Capital. "A big part of litigation strategy is thinking about what the other side thinks about your case and the job at Burford is to think through these investments as a devil's advocate."
April 16, 2024 at 11:53 AM
8 minute read
The original version of this story was published on The American Lawyer
What You Need to Know
- Big Law defense attorneys have helped grow the litigation finance industry's profile within the Am Law 200 and their Fortune 500 clients.
- Skills they developed as Big Law corporate defense attorneys factor into their work evaluating cases for investability.
- Burford Capital isn't alone in looking to cultivate tighter relationships with Big Law.
As a litigation associate at Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, Charles Griffin wasn't aware of third-party case funding. At least, not until his firm found itself defending client Match Group in a case where the plaintiffs were backed by a litigation funder, said Griffin, now a vice president on the U.S. investment team of Burford Capital.
The founders of dating app Tinder had sued parent company Match Group in 2018 over allegations that it cheated them out of $2 billion by manipulating financial information to undermine the company's valuation. The case, which settled in 2021 for $441 million, made Griffin realize the growing role litigation finance occupies in the litigation ecosystem, he said.
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Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
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