Office in Philadelphia, heavyweight US additions to its Investment Advisory Panel and key US executive hires

Woodsford Litigation Funding, the global provider of litigation financing solutions for businesses, individuals and law firms, has announced the opening of its first US office, in Philadelphia PA.

With the addition of former United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York Shira A. Scheindlin and former Latham & Watkins partner David J. McLean to its Investment Advisory Panel, Woodsford has made a bold statement about its ambitions in the burgeoning US litigation funding market.

Josh Meltzer, Woodsford’s new Managing Director, US and Alex Lempiner (EVP & GC), both join Woodsford from Rembrandt IP Management. They will combine forces with Senior Investment Officer Zachary Krug, who came on board in January from the Los Angeles office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, to drive the US business amid increasing market demand.

“We are hugely excited by our US expansion. Our focus has always been global and we have already funded a significant number of US cases. The timing is now right to make this logical next step to become a key player in the US litigation funding market,” said Steven Friel, Woodsford’s CEO.

Noting the new appointments, Friel concluded, “Judge Scheindlin and David McLean bring a wealth of experience and credibility with them and together with Josh, Alex and Zachary we are launching our US operation with a truly outstanding team in place.”

Judge Shira A. Scheindlin commented, “I am pleased to join Woodsford as it brings its international expertise to the United States. My role will be to help identify meritorious claimants whose claims should be provided with funding. Small and mid-size businesses and individuals deserve an equal chance to prove their claims. It is well known that litigation – and indeed arbitration – can be very expensive particularly in the era of massive electronic discovery. Every party should have an equal chance to prevail and I am excited to play a small part in achieving this goal."