The Path Forward
The boutique law firm known as IPG Law Group offers an innovative approach to helping clients seek justice.
Most law firms, by and large, share a reasonably similar model: A prospective client comes in with a problem in need of solving, and the firm responds to that individual case by marshaling the appropriate resources within the firm to help the client attempt to find the resolution he or she seeks. The principals of IPG Law Group Inc. believe there may be another way, and possibly even a better one.
“We’re focused on the path forward to find the best possible outcome for our clients,” says a spokesperson for the Washington, D.C.-based firm, which has ties to the Philadelphia area. “Being a boutique type of firm, we don’t try to be all things to all people. Our expertise is in developing the case, doing the research, and finding the most qualified litigation firm to partner with so that the people who were harmed can have the justice they deserve.”
IPG may serve as a prototype for law firms of the future, according to the spokesperson. With this forward-looking model in mind, IPG recently made two moves to accelerate its growth. First, the firm expanded its new client acquisition program, and it also added a Director of Business Development with 20 years of successful experience in the field.
One example of the kinds of cases the firm undertakes involves The Boy Scouts of America. The storied organization, whose roots stretch back to 1910, has always aimed to help young men (and, more recently, young women) become better prepared to navigate the road ahead. Despite that mission, The Boy Scouts of America now finds itself facing widespread allegations of sexual abuse perpetrated by adults who were supposed to have served as guides and mentors to young Scouts.
The weight of hundreds of lawsuits alleging abuse led to The Boy Scouts of America filing for bankruptcy protection earlier this year. The number of lawsuits is expected to grow considerably in the near future, due in large part to the efforts of IPG. The firm recently began a far-reaching campaign to give victims the courage they need to come forward and seek justice.
“We worked with a firm to generate the first major Class Action suit against the Vatican for sexual abuse [in the Catholic Church],” the spokesperson adds. “That same IPG legal team will litigate these cases against the Boy Scouts of America. Some of these cases date back to the ’70s and go up until recently. These are very sad cases, considering what happened to these children, many of whom are adults now.”
IPG now seeks to partner with well-funded organizations that can provide the financing needed to “level the playing field,” the spokesperson says. This is what’s known as litigation financing—third-party entities providing capital to a law firm in exchange for a portion of the proceeds from the resulting litigation. A number of larger law firms have been engaging in litigation financing for some time, and sources suggest interest in the practice is likely to accelerate. Considering situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced some firms—and their clients—into short-term cash shortfalls, the appeal of longer-term capital coming in from outside sources becomes more apparent.
At least one prominent litigation-finance firm has expressed keen interest in lending its support to IPG’s cause, according to IPG’s spokesperson. Even so, IPG is seeking additional litigation-finance funds in order to maximize its ability to help former Scouts whose lives have been upended. IPG suggests investors can expect a significant return in a relatively short amount of time, as all cases will be settled through the bankruptcy courts.
IPG intends to acquire potential plaintiffs with a comprehensive outreach campaign to former Scouts, including social media and radio, as well as email and database marketing. The spokesperson suggests the outreach is likely to yield 700 to 1,500 new cases by the Nov. 16 filing date, on top of the more than 300 cases already filed.
For more information on IPG Law Group, including litigation-finance opportunities involving IPG’s efforts to seek justice for former Scouts, visit ipglawgroup.com.
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Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, July 2020.