The Global Legal Post attends CORLA’s ‘London International Disputes Week’ Claimant v Defendant Debate

Class action lawyers clashed over whether litigation funding is a blessing or a curse at a debate held as part of London International Disputes Week staged in response to Monday’s publication of the Civil Justice Council’s (CJC’s) eagerly awaited report on funding.

The differences in views between lawyers representing claimants and defendants have never been starker, following a week that saw the CJC publish its final report on litigation funding, and with the fallout from the Mastercard settlement ruling still reverberating.

The event on 4 June was chaired by Nick Bacon KC, of 4 New Square, and featured contributions from Patrick Green KC of Henderson Chambers; Ronit Kreisberger KC of Monckton Chambers; CORLA co-chair David Greene; and Kenny Henderson of CMS, who each offered a sharply defined perspective on the evolving role of third-party funding in the justice system. Patrick Green KC opened the debate with a powerful defence of litigation funding as a tool for restoring balance in an unequal legal landscape. “Without litigation funding, you simply cannot get access to justice,” he declared.