OUR INSIGHTS

It is a misnomer to term any business a simple one, but the business of being a law firm can often be far more arduous than those of other industries. Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, famously said: “Business is like a war without bullets”. However, the business of...

The disclaimer that all lawyers give their clients upfront in litigation is that litigation is lengthily, expensive, and without guarantee. Disputes, however, do not have to be a binary choice of either entering lengthily acrimonious litigation, or walking away from a...

The billable hour has been the ubiquitous billing model for litigation services in South Africa since anyone can remember. The model is that lawyers charge their time out to their clients at a set rate per hour. This devoted time is itemized in increments (e.g.: 6...

This article follows our article on the game theory of litigation and its "signaling events". One such signal is unique to a party that utilises a litigation funder and discloses its presence to their opponent. It is common in high-stakes litigation for an...

Examining litigation and game theory is not a new concept. In South Africa, Taryn Neuhaus has written a fascinating paper titled "Game Theoretic Modeling of Litigation in Engineering Projects" (2015). This article presents some of her premises and conclusions, as well...

Litigation is expensive and comes with enormous risk. With litigation funding available in South Africa, the legal landscape has changed for those who would not normally have access to our courts. Simon Kuper and Gary Sweiden are in the CliffCentral studio with Garry...

Nick Denton, Gawker Media's founder and CEO, announced that the company has reached a settlement with Hulk Hogan as part of an insolvency arrangement to settle Hogan's jury award against the company. It has been reported that the settlement is in the amount of $31m...

The worldwide rise of litigation funding began after the Global Financial Crises of 2008. The transaction of funding litigation has, however, been around for millennia. Before its scale into the main stream of both the litigation and investment arenas, it was more...

Online media company Gawker Media filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June 2016. The company is now in the process of auctioning off its assets to the highest bidder. Its insolvency is on the back of a March 2016 Florida jury verdict to award $140m in...

WebGap's Clayton Timcke sat down with his newest client Taurus Capital and its founders Simon Kuper and Gary Sweidan to ask a few questions about Taurus Capital, its services, and litigation funding in South Africa. Why did you launch Taurus Capital, and what problem...