The Center on European Union Law
Jean Monnet Center of Excellence for the Comparative Study of European Union Business Law at Fordham (EU-FORDHAM)

presents

Third Party Litigation Funding: Whose friend, whose foe?

Wednesday, September 9, 2026
3:30 - 4:00 pm EST | check-in
4:00 - 5:30 pm EST | program

In-Person and on Zoom
Fordham Law School
Gorman Moot Courtroom (1-01), First Floor
150 West 62nd Street
New York, NY 10023

CLE credit will be available.

About the Program:

Third-party litigation funding (TPLF) has emerged as one of the most controversial developments in the civil justice debate. While critics argue that it fuels excessive litigation and turns legal claims into investment products, proponents view it as an essential tool for Access to Justice (A2J). This lecture examines TPLF from a comparative U.S.-EU perspective, highlighting how differences in procedural law – notably contingency fees, class actions, and other collective redress mechanisms – shape the demand for litigation funding in different sectors (e.g. commercial vs. consumer litigation). It will also report on recent developments on both sides of the Atlantic, including legislative proposals for stricter regulation, enhanced disclosure requirements, and the growing trend of direct investment in law firms. Finally, an assessment of competing claims about TPLF as facilitator of over-litigation vs. providing A2J will be provided.

Speaker:

Professor Susanne Augenhofer
Full Professor of Business Law at the University of Innsbruck (Austria) and Co-reporter of the Principles of Third Party Litigation Funding of the European Law Institute

Commentator and Remarks:

Professor Susan Block-Lieb
Professor of Law; Cooper Family Chair in Urban Legal Issues, Fordham Law School (commentator)

Professor Martin Gelter
Professor of Law & Director of the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence, Fordham Law School (introductory remarks)

CLE Credit

CLE credit is approved in accordance with the requirements of the New York and New Jersey State CLE Boards for a maximum of 1.5 transitional and nontransitional credits.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.