Please join BakerHostetler’s International Disputes practice team for its International Arbitration Boot Camp, a series of in-depth presentations and discussions that explore key legal and commercial issues unique to these considerations. Each presentation is led by experts from the legal and commercial sectors.

Webinar Recording:

Third-Party Funding of International and Domestic Arbitration and Litigation will explore what to expect when involving third parties (e.g., investment firms) to fund your litigation or arbitration. Our presenters represent private investment firms from the United States and Europe and will cover the following topics:

• Financing international disputes with private investors.
• Insurance products unique to third-party funding (e.g., in an alternative fee arrangement, purchasing insurance to ensure you receive a success fee).
• Selling a potential judgment or award before trial or final hearing.
• The pros and cons of third-party funding for lawyers and clients.
• Ethical considerations.

We will also have a panel of in-house counsel from the energy sector who will provide real-world insight as well as probing questions for the investment bankers on the availability and practicality of third-party funding for small, medium and large matters.

Presenters:

• David Desser is the managing director of Juris Capital. Juris Capital is a privately held commercial litigation investment fund. Its capital is used to manage litigation expense and mitigate outcome risk. Mr. Desser is a pioneer in the commercial litigation finance industry, and has been a leading manager and investor since 2004. He co-founded and was sole managing director of one of the first dedicated commercial litigation investment funds in the United States. He also has consulted on the acquisition and disposition of litigation risk portfolios. Previously, Mr. Desser was chief legal counsel and served in business development roles at two technology companies. Mr. Desser spent his early professional career in private practice at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, focused on mergers and acquisitions.
• David Kay is a partner and the portfolio manager of the International & Commercial Arbitration Fund at Tenor Capital Management LP. He joined Tenor in 2009 to focus on dispute management and arbitration-based investments. He is responsible for sourcing opportunities and running the portfolio on a daily basis, including: developing and underwriting investment opportunities, negotiating and structuring investments, and actively managing existing investments. Tenor Capital Management LP was founded in 2004 and has approximately $1 billion of assets under management. It is backed by some of the most stable and prominent institutional investors in the world, including a number of the largest pension funds, endowments and foundations in the United States and Europe. For more than 10 years, Tenor has analyzed and invested in dispute management, arbitration and event-driven situations using a highly collaborative team approach to investing and risk management.
• Steve Jones is a director in the Dispute Resolution Practice at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Gallagher was founded in Chicago in 1927. It has since grown to become one of the largest insurance brokerage and risk management companies in the world. It is the only broker with an externally accredited ethical award, and places $18 billion in global markets. With significant reach internationally, the group employs more than 20,000 people and its global network provides services in more than 140 countries. Its Major Risks practice includes 53 colleagues based in London, and is dedicated to complex insurance advice and solution delivery. Its Dispute Resolution Team provides solutions for clients involved in complex litigation and arbitration proceedings internationally. Before joining Gallagher, Mr. Jones spent his entire career working in the legal industry, specializing in contentious disputes. In the past eight years, he has assisted clients with finding funding and insurance solutions that mitigate the cost risks inherent in major litigation and arbitration. Mr. Jones’ experience extends across all major litigation and arbitration centers globally, and his specific expertise lies in high-value disputes where the legal fees are expected to exceed $1.5 million. He is also a member of the International Bar Association.

Houston In-House Panel

• Nicolas Evanoff – Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, Vantage Drilling
• Eugene Silva – Counsel, Exxon Mobil Corporation
• Margaret Munnelly – Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Just Energy (US) Corporation

Moderators:

• Houston Moderator – Sashe Dimitroff, a partner in the Houston office of BakerHostetler, has successfully represented U.S. and international companies in courts and arbitral tribunals around the world, including the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes in Paris (ICSID), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Centre for Dispute Resolution in Miami (ICDR), the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR), the International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. (ITC), and others. Mr. Dimitroff has won multimillion-dollar awards prosecuting his clients’ claims and has successfully defended Fortune 100 companies in multi-plaintiff lawsuits alleging up to $300 million in damages.
• New York Moderator – Daniel Buzzetta, a partner in the New York office of BakerHostetler, is a commercial litigator with a national trial practice. Mr. Buzzetta regularly represents clients in courts throughout the US and in arbitral tribunals including the American Arbitration Association and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution in New York (ICDR). Recently, Mr. Buzzetta successfully represented an international broker of airplane parts in an ICDR arbitration against a parts manufacturer resulting in a multi-million dollar recovery.

For more information, please contact Courtney Daniel at 713.276.1696.