In September, former U.S. Department of Justice official Gary Barnett became the new executive director and general counsel of the International Legal Finance Association (ILFA), a global organization for the commercial legal finance industry.  

In his time at DOJ, Barnett held various positions, including senior counselor to the attorney general, acting director in the Office of Victims of Crime, and acting chief of staff to ex-attorney general Matt Whitaker. Before his tour with the Justice Department, Barnett worked as a staffer for then-U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake.

ILFA’s stated mission is to engage with legislative, regulatory and judicial bodies to foster the objective understanding and reasonable treatment of legal finance. The group believes its role is to combat false information about commercial legal finance propagated by well-funded defendants seeking to retain an unfair litigation advantage and hamper plaintiffs’ access to justice.  

Barnett expressed enthusiasm for joining the burgeoning legal finance field and educating others about commercial legal finance.

Since its inception in 2020, IFLA has maintained that legal finance makes an important contribution to the rule of law by supporting those seeking redress against powerful wrongdoers. It has opined on issues affecting the industry before various entities, including the Australian Parliament, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, and in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.  

Here at LevelEsq, we offer our own unique solutions to level the playing field against big defendants. Find out more at levelesq.com.  

Source material: Legal Finance Trade Group Brings in New Leader as ILFA Hits One-Year Mark; Gary Barnett Named Chief of Staff for Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker; International Legal Finance Association