Ronit Cohen Quoted in CDR Article Discussing Public Perceptions of Litigation Funding

Ronit Cohen was recently asked by CDR (Commercial Dispute Resolution) to give her thoughts on the public’s perceptions of litigation funding, and whether funders need to do more to educate in light of attempts by some in business and government to portray the industry in a negative light in the U.S.

Commenting on how she believes the funding market is being perceived at the moment, Ronit said, “From the beginning there have been naysayers, but these voices almost exclusively emanate from interest groups that support mega corporations and insurance companies, because these entities stand to benefit from a world where the defense bar has all the cards to play, and [claimants] and their lawyers are without adequate resources to fight on the same playing field.”

In Cohen’s experience, any anxieties about the funding sector are not coming from the stakeholders, lawyers, clients or from investors. “Rather, the concerns are being raised by the defendants in civil litigation, who have an obvious pecuniary interest in preventing litigation funding. The neutral party is the courts and, time and again, courts have ruled that funding is a legitimate option that does not hinder and, indeed, helps the administration of justice by levelling the playing field.”

In response to the reporter’s questsions about whether funders need to focus more on educating the public, Ronit responded, “Every litigation finance company that I have been part of has been out there and been engaged in thought leadership – educating the legal community through articles, blogs, conference attendance, panels and CLEs [Continuing Legal Education]. It takes time for new ideas to penetrate the legal industry [as it is] one built on precedent and slow to embrace even positive change,” she emphasises, noting that it took years for the legal industry to recognise and legalise contingency fee arrangements. “But we see the impact every day and know that those in our industry will continue to make the effort to educate the community.

Click on the button below to read the full article on CDR’s website.