Sophisticated Litigation Funding.
Made in Germany.
Pursue legal disputes without cost risks – locally and globally. With funding solutions by the German industry pioneer.
With our funding solutions, claimants conduct their legal disputes without any cost risks – whether from out-of-court negotiations, court proceedings, arbitration or mediation. Flexible and tailored to the claimants´needs.
Our funding bandwith is unrivalled in the market – with fundable dispute values anywhere between the equivalent of 100 k Euros and 1 bn Euros. FORIS is the One-Stop shop for all funding needs.
Geographically, we fund cases all over the globe. Traditionally having had a focus on the German-speaking countries, we have expanded our reach internationally, funding cases within and outside of Europe as well.
We are foremost lawyers, not bankers. All cases are vetted by our team of expert lawyers and funded on solid legal and commercial grounds, not on odds based on statistical data only. The only statistical data that speaks for itself is our success rate of >75% over the last 25 years.
Our cases are funded both on or off balance sheet, either directly by FORIS or through our specialized investment fund. Either way, you work with the same accomplished team at FORIS.
Meet the following conditions to improve your chances of securing funding for your case:
The value of your claim is at least Euros 100.000, preferably higher
Your case is based on good legal merits.
The defendant has a solid credit rating.
You have sufficient documentation for us to perform an efficient case evaluation.
Larger cases, usually with dispute values up to and beyond 100 million Euros, are funded through our new finance vehicle, FORIS Centris Litigation Finance Fund I.
Please find a compilation of FAQs and answers below. Alternatively, please feel free to reach out to us either by phone at +49 228 9575050 or by using our contact form.
How does litgation funding work and what benefits does it provide?
With litigation funding, a claimant outsources the financial burden and cost risks of a legal dispute to a third party (the funder) on a non-recourse basis. If the dispute is resolved sucessfully, the funder is paid a minor portion of the award as a success-based fee. Should the case end unsuccessfully, the funder looses his investment. From a claimants view, litigation funding therefore helps preserving liquidity, relieves balance sheets and budgets, and outsources the litigation risks to the funder.
Is there a difference between litigation funding and legal cost funding?
No, both terms mean the same thing.
Are there any costs involved in assessing my funding request?
No. Our review is free of charge for you.
At what stages of the process and in what legal areas does FORIS provide litigation funding?
Litigation funding by FORIS is possible at various stages of proceedings and in various areas of law. We usually receive funding requests for legal actions that are close to beeing filed. However, we also provide funding for out-of-court negotiations in order to assert justified claims at an early stage. In addition, we also provide funding for ongoing proceedings, provided that the case has its merits and funding makes sense from an economic point of view.
Funding covers numerous areas of law. For private individuals, for example, medical liability and inheritance law play a major role. For corporations, the typical disputes include contract, commercial and corporate law, compensation and antitrust law as well as international arbitration proceedings. Under certain circumstances, we also fund disputes about transferring ownership of real estate or other assets. Please feel free to contact us about your specific case.
What are the dispute values for which FORIS offers litigation funding?
This depends on the country of the litigation. In Germany, individual lawsuits are funded from a dispute value of EUR 100,000 onwards. In Austria, the minimum limit is EUR 250,000, and in Switzerland EUR 500,000. For proceedings abroad, a minimum amount of EUR 1 million generally applies. We will be happy to check individually whether your case meets these requirements.
With our FORIS Centris litigation financing fund, we have lately expanded our funding range significantly. This enables us to fund claims with values of up to and well over EUR 100 million – and thus offer a funding range that is exceptional in the market.
What amount will remain for you after completion?
You receive the lion’s share of the success of the case. In the event of success – and only then – FORIS receives a previously agreed financial share of the proceeds. The amount of the share depends, among other things, on the risk we assume and the costs to be covered and is therefore agreed with you individually.
What documents do you require for a case review?
We usually require a statement of the facts and the amount in dispute, a lawyer´s legal assessment of the merits of the case and, if applicable or useful, any supporting documentation. If available, any information about the respondent´s creditworthiness is generally helpful as well.
What costs will I incur as the claimant?
Unless you have explicitly requested partial funding, which we offer as well, there are no costs for you as the claimant. From the time of the funding commitment, you will not need to contribute any of your own financial resources to the funded proceedings. This applies even if an enforcement action against the respondent should be unsuccessful.
Why should I consider using a litigation funder in Germany?
While there are ongoing political discussions at EU level about regulating litigation funding in the future, compared with more recent developments in other countries Germany offers a relatively stable, reliable legal environment for litigation funders. There are no special taxes imposed or threatened to be imposed on funding proceeds, and no court rulings prohibiting specific contractual terms or declaring them unenforceable. A stabil legal environment for litigation funders provides long-term security for funded claimants as well.
Why FORIS?
With more than 25 years of litgation funding, we are not only the pioneer of litigation funding in Germany but also one of the most experienced funders globally with a track record of more than 1.000 cases funded. Our team comprises of lawyers specialized in individual legal areas and a keen understanding of how to identify promising cases. You will always have a directly responsible person of contact during the entire funding process, and our internal decision-making is quick with short response times. No need to translate documents, we got that too. And lastly, our broad dispute value bandwith is simply unprecedented.
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