In recent years, in Europe a growing number of claimants have begun to use litigation funding to finance their legal disputes. However, in continental Europe the availability and take-up of litigation funding is still in its childhood phase and continues to vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Additionally, litigation practitioners are not yet entirely familiar with the full range of funding options available to their clients – even in markets where third party financing is well-established. For both of these reasons, litigation funding has not yet reached its full potential.
The European Association of Litigation Funders (“EALF”) aims to promote best practices in the litigation funding industry of continental Europe, and in so doing promote access to litigation funding for claimants looking for finance in order to resolve disputes.