Topic: Conditional fee agreements

A judge in London has refused to allow two law firms to summarily enforce conditional fee agreements against the estate of a deceased businessman they represented in an investment treaty arbitration – finding it was realistically arguable that the retainers didn’t comply with applicable legislation.

24 April 2023

The High Court in London has affirmed that Volterra Fietta is not entitled to any of the nearly US$3 million it billed a client in an investment treaty arbitration under a conditional fee agreement that was found to be unlawful.

02 August 2022

A Singapore court has upheld a SIAC award favouring Laos in a long-running casino dispute, ruling the tribunal was within its rights to bar two gaming companies from raising claims argued in a prior arbitration.

06 June 2022

As Hong Kong’s legislature considers a bill to allow success fees in arbitration, Kathryn Sanger and Briana Young of Herbert Smith Freehills and Emily Tillett of Burford Capital consider how such fee structures may intersect with the legal finance industry.

13 May 2022

The Law Reform Commission of Hong Kong has recommended that a ban on success fees in arbitration should be lifted to bring the special administrative region in line with other major arbitral seats.

15 December 2021

A French-Italian consultant is fighting to overturn her conviction on fraud charges over her work on an enforcement matter against Equatorial Guinea – a saga that has also led to an ICC award finding she was wrongly deprived of a success fee.

10 December 2021

Singapore has tabled legislation to allow conditional fee agreements in international arbitrations and refine the scope of foreign lawyers’ involvement in proceedings in the city-state’s international commercial court.

09 November 2021

London boutique Volterra Fietta has been ordered to repay US$1.6 million to a former client after its conditional fee agreement for an investment treaty arbitration was found to be unenforceable.

25 May 2021

Hong Kong's Law Reform Commission is to consider whether lawyers should be permitted to charge success fees for arbitrations seated there.

29 October 2019

Slovakian police have frozen the bank account of a local attorney as they investigate a state entity’s decision to promise him a €77 million success fee to appear in a case at the Vienna International Arbitration Centre.

24 November 2017