Cambridge Forum on European Collective Redress

Maria José Azar-Baud is an Associate Professor at Paris-Saclay University and an internationally recognised expert in collective redress. A dual-qualified lawyer at the Paris and Buenos Aires Bars, she advises European institutions, NGOs, litigation funders and claims administrators on complex mass litigation and comparative procedural frameworks.

In 2017, she founded the Observatory of Group Actions and other forms of Collective Redress, an international platform dedicated to the dissemination and analysis of collective litigation mechanisms. She has held prominent governance roles, including as President of Ius Omnibus (Portugal), a designated Qualified Entity under EU law, and currently serves as Board Director of the Diesel Emissions Justice Foundation (Netherlands).

Holding a double PhD from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and the University of Buenos Aires, she is the author of over 150 publications in French, English and Spanish on class actions, representative actions, and group litigation across multiple substantive fields. She actively contributes to European Commission projects relating to the Representative Actions Directive (namely as its Senior Legal Advisor) and has been heard by national and international institutions, including the French Parliament and Senate.

She regularly provides advanced training to judges, lawyers, and qualified entities at both national and European levels.

A dual-qualified Spanish and English lawyer, and a Doctor in Law, Paul is an internationally reputed competition litigation specialist, the first to be recognized as such in Spain (GCR 2017, Lexology 2022-2025). He was lead counsel on the first successful competition damages case before the Spanish Commercial Courts in 2005, has litigated mass competition claims in various jurisdictions around the EU (including, Spain, England, France and Italy) and directed the legal team which prepared the EU Pass-on Study (2016). He is currently legal director of one of the main claimant groups in the Spanish milk cartel case and lead counsel on the first pay-for-delay claim in Spain. He was also lead counsel for Daimler in the Spanish trucks cartel litigation in (2017-2020).

Paul was a partner at Cuatrecasas for 12 years where, in 2008, he created the firm’s Private Enforcement practice. He left Cuatrecasas to form boutique firm Hitchings & Co. in 2020 and, five years later, has launched its successor with ex Commercial Court magistrate, Blas González. Hitchings & Gonzalez is specialized in EU & Competition Litigation and collective actions.

Paul is also director of the Madrid Competition Litigation Seminar, now in its 6th edition.

Lara is the Co-Head of Litigation Finance at Orchard Global and has responsibility for the entire Litigation Finance life cycle from deal origination and underwriting to deal execution and case monitoring. Lara’s focus is the UK and Europe where she has expertise in single claimant investments (both litigation and arbitration), group actions, law firm financing and portfolio investments. She also supports the fundraising and investor relations teams at Orchard Global.

Prior to joining Orchard Global in 2020, she was a Managing Associate at Mischon de Reya LLP in their litigation practice, where she handled complex and high value commercial and financial disputes. Previously, she worked in the Commercial Litigation department at Addleshaw Goddard LLP and started her career at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP.

Lara has been recognised by Who’s Who as a Third Party Funding Thought Leader (2022, 2023), Law Dragon 2024 100 Global Leaders in Litigation Funding and won the Lexology Client Choice Award in 2023.

Lara holds a BA in Law with French from Nottingham University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Law from Nottingham Law School. She is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales. 

Emily holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Queen’s University. Since joining Cambridge Forums in 2020, she has developed and overseen specialized forums for elite senior professionals navigating complex regulatory landscapes and advancing responsible business practices. Prior to Cambridge Forums, Emily spent a decade as an event manager, orchestrating high-profile fundraisers in Toronto and managing destination weddings worldwide. Her extensive expertise in relationship management and event logistics has been key to delivering exceptional participant experiences. Outside of work, Emily enjoys traveling in search of the ultimate live music experiences, the best ski conditions, world-class golf courses, and exquisite cuisines and wines.

Lisa Haney is a communications and events professional specializing in executive-level networking and peer-to-peer engagement. As a Forum Director at Cambridge Forums, she curates high-level discussions that bring together industry leaders to explore complex business challenges, foster meaningful connections, and drive impactful conversations across professional communities.