Woodsford Group Limited
Distinguished by its permanent capital structure, the ‘outstanding’ Woodsford Group Limited has established clear market dominance in the UK CAT opt-out regime, achieving 5 of 6 settlements to date, and leads the non-US securities litigation market globally with a portfolio spanning multiple jurisdictions. Praised for its ’very impressive, experienced and knowledgeable team’, the firm’s institutional client base includes top-tier asset managers, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds. Key individuals include CEO Steven Friel; Chief Investment Officer Charlie Morris; co-founder and GC Jonathan Barnes; and finance and commercial director Mark Spiteri.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Woodsford are outstanding litigation funders. They have real insight not only into funding requirements, but also into the underlying litigation itself. They are at the cutting edge of developing the law around the entitlements of funders and other stakeholders in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.' 'The team are very focused strategically. They see the market ahead of other funders and, to a degree, help shape it further through the cases they fund — they do not sit back and simply fund the market reactively.' 'Woodsford have focused on particular types of claims and developed their own in-house expertise, allowing them to add value directly themselves. They have built in-house capabilities that other funders do not offer, creating barriers to entry for others while enhancing their own offering. Charlie Morris and Steven Friel stand out for their level of interest and involvement in the legal issues and strategy related to the claims Woodsford fund. They are both capable lawyers in their own right and have a clear passion for developing new and broader forms of legal redress.' 'Charlie Morris has a very sharp legal mind, complemented by strong financial and analytical abilities. He is direct in communications, a strong negotiator, and can quickly and accurately assess people and situations. He is one of the most well-rounded professionals with whom I have had the pleasure of working.' 'Woodsford is a highly commercial and practical litigation funder that is very straightforward to work with. They take a careful and thoughtful approach to developing claims and properly test the merits of cases.' 'They have a very impressive, experienced, and knowledgeable team. They work closely with legal teams in a seamless and professional manner to deliver results for funded clients.' 'Steven Friel has unrivalled market knowledge and experience, alongside a keen interest in the detail of Woodsford’s funding investments.' 'Woodsford takes care and pride in ensuring the best deal is available for every case they are involved with. The team is one of the most knowledgeable in their specialist litigation types within the funding market.'
Key clients
- Alex Neil (Class representative) CAT Class Action Doug Taylor (Class representative) CAT Class Action Justin Gutmann (Class representative) CAT Class Action Mark McClaren (Class representative) CAT Class Action Centenary Six Single Case Airbus Investors Recovery Stichting Shareholder Class Action Airbus Investors Recovery Limited Shareholder Class Action Wirral Council (Merseyside Pension Funds) Shareholder Class Action
Work highlights
Woodsford is one of the most active funders in the UK CAT under the ‘collective proceedings’ regime implemented by section 81 and schedule 8 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 in relation to private competition law claims and is the only funder to have had partial settlements on two of its claims in the same regime (Trains & RoRo Shipping Cartel claims).