Sheffield-headquartered SSB Group has hired a senior funding expert to launch a new division of the expanding business.

SSB Group, which runs leading dispute resolution firm SSB Law, has appointed Rick Gregory as managing director of SSB Funding. The newly established division of the business will manage litigation funding for legal clients, as well as develop new relationships between funders, work providers and insurers. In future, SSB Funding plans to also secure funding for external law firms. Gregory also joins as a board director, responsible for overseeing SSB Group’s funding.

Rick has more than 26 years of experience in legal funding and volume litigation working in FCA regulated companies, including with PM Law and Lexelle.

He said: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to support a fast-growing law firm with its future plans. My objectives centre around putting in place robust processes and workflows for the acquisition of new funding, allowing SSB to really thrive and offer an array of options for its growing client base.

“The funding market is continually changing and is buoyant at the moment, especially in the volume litigation market. SSB Group is not a traditional law firm in many ways, it’s a modern and forward-thinking business offering. Therefore, it’s important to recognise that funders and clients are often also looking to move away from traditional funding which might not be getting the returns they once did.”

Jeremy Brooke, co-founder and CEO said: “2021 is anticipated to be an important year of growth for SSB and I’m pleased that Rick is joining us to further boost our funding capabilities. He’s a respected senior funding expert in the industry, who will no doubt create lots of fantastic opportunities ahead.”

“Establishing SSB Funding is an exciting prospect for us. It will allow us to offer a greater breadth of support to our clients and, in time, become a source of funding for other law firms.”