We would like to cordially invite you to attend a special seminar on Third Party Funding in Litigation & Arbitration for Vietnam-related International Disputes on 22 May 2019 in HCMC and 24 May 2019 in Hanoi, kindly sponsored by Bentham and Boies Schiller Flexner.
Litigation funding is essentially the practice where a third party unrelated to the dispute (lawsuit or arbitration) provides money to a plaintiff to fund some or all of the legal fees and cost of the dispute in return for a portion of any financial recovery from the dispute. The funder typically does not recover anything if the dispute is unsuccessful. Litigation funding is increasingly becoming popular worldwide, including in Asian jurisdictions such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
This is the first seminar in Vietnam about third party funding in litigation and arbitration. The speakers will start with an overview of third party funding in litigation and arbitration, including the origin of the practice, how it works, and the pros and cons of the practice. The speakers will then discuss the status and trends of third party funding in litigation and arbitration in the world, including the recent decisions by Singapore and Hong Kong to formally legalize litigation funding for international arbitration. Finally, the speakers will discuss the potential role of, and legal issues relating to, third party funding in litigation and arbitration in Vietnam, particularly given the recently-announced BSF-Bentham US$30 million investment to fund Vietnam-related international arbitration and U.S./U.K. litigation matters.
Details of the seminar as belows:
Time & Venue:
- Ho Chi Minh City
6.00 pm – 8.00 pm, Wednesday 22 May 2019 at Liberty Central Riverside Hotel, 17 Ton Duc Thang Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Hanoi
6.00 pm – 8.00 pm, Friday 24 May 2019 at Hilton Hanoi Opera, 1 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam
The Agenda is enclosed for your reference. More information about the program and registration, please feel free to contact Ms. Yen Nguyen, email info@vblc.com.vn no later than May 21 for the seminar in HCMC and May 23 for the seminar in Hanoi.
We look forward to welcoming you at the event.
Sponsored by: 
| Time | Topic | Speaker |
| 6:00 – 6:30 | – Reception drinks and networking | |
| 6:30 – 6:35 | – Opening remarks | – Luan Tran, Boies Schiller Flexner
– VBLC |
| 6:35 – 6:45 | – Introduction to third party funding in litigation and arbitration | – Tom Glasgow, Bentham |
| 6:45 – 7:00 | – BSF-Bentham $30 million investment for Vietnam | – Luan Tran, BSF |
| 7:00 – 7:30 | – Third party funding in litigation and arbitration in Vietnam: potential and legal issues
|
– Chung Le, Allens
– Hieu Nguyen, Allens – Tom Glasgow, Bentham – Luan Tran, BSF |
| 7:30 – 8:00 | – Q&A session | – All speakers |
Speakers’ bios
Tom Glasgow
As Chief Investment Officer (Asia), Tom Glasgow leads the Asian investment activities and business expansion for IMF Bentham, one of the world’s leading dispute resolution funders. He is located in Singapore and spends significant time in Hong Kong and other Asian jurisdictions. Prior to joining IMF Bentham, Tom was a senior member of Allen & Overy’s international arbitration and disputes practice in Hong Kong, where he handled complex multi-jurisdictional commercial matters for leading global businesses across a range of sectors, including international arbitrations under most leading sets of institutional rules. Tom holds dual degrees in law and international relations, and is a qualified lawyer in both New Zealand and Hong Kong.
Luan Tran
Luan Tran is a partner with Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP, a 300-lawyer dispute resolution law firm based in the U.S. and U.K. He has more than 20 years of experience in international arbitration. He has handled, both as counsel and arbitrator, some of the most significant Vietnam- related international arbitration matters. He has spoken and written extensively about Vietnam-related issues. Prior to BSF, Luan worked in Singapore and Vietnam as an international arbitration partner with YKVN. He was also an early member of the international arbitration practice at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. Luan is currently a member of the AAA-ICDR’s Council and Asia Advisory Committee, and of Law360 International Arbitration Editorial Board. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
Hieu Nguyen
Hieu Nguyen is a Senior Associate at Allens. He has almost 10 years of experience in projects and project financing. He has also attended to a number of arbitration matters in both Singapore International Arbitration Centre and Vietnam International Arbitration Centre.