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£110 million Comet Group judgement in favour of funded party largest ever claim successfully brought under the UK’s 1986 Insolvency Act

December 20, 2022

£110 million Comet Group judgement in favour of funded party largest ever claim successfully brought under the UK’s 1986 Insolvency Act

LitigationCapital Management Limited (AIM:LIT),an alternative asset manager specializing in dispute financing solutions internationally, is pleased to announce positive progress on two investments within its portfolio. Successful Judgment in investment in English court litigation As announced on 23 June 2021, LCM entered into an agreement to provide a finance facility to Geoffrey Carton-Kelly, a partner of FRP Advisory (“FRP”), additional liquidator of CGL Realisations Ltd (In Liquidation), formerly known as Comet Group Ltd (“Comet”). This investment forms part of LCM’s Fund I portfolio of investments. In November 2022, judgment in the High Court was awarded in favour of Mr Carton- Kelly (the funded party) for approximately £110m. This judgment is understood to represent the largest ever (by value) preference claim successfully brought under the UK’s 1986InsolvencyAct. The Defendant to the proceeding has obtained permission to appeal the judgment, which will delay the maturity of the investment, but will be paying the judgment amount into court. This investment has been significantly de-risked from both a merits and recovery risk perspective. The financial performance of this investment is protected against the passage of time by way of an increasing multiple of invested capital. The size of the investment made by LCM is within the median range for an investment within Fund I. Clarification of press report on an LCM investment Following recent press speculation, the Company is providing an update on a further Fund I investment involving claims against Poland under both the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) and the Australia-Poland Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), which has now been heard by an Arbitral Tribunal. Following completion of the hearing, the Arbitral Tribunal will render an Award in due course. There is no specified date for an Award to be rendered and there is no certainty as to what the outcome of that Award will be. Revenue recognition In line with LCM’s revenue recognition, the Company will only recognise revenue associated with these matters at the point in time it has more certainty on the final outcome, including following any appeal where relevant, or when there is more clarity around the recovery of funds. We remain confident that with respect to the awards set out above these will generate returns in line with management expectations, notwithstanding that, the timing within which each award will be realised remains uncertain. The Company generally expects the duration of investments to increase to between 36 – 42 months. Patrick Moloney, CEO of LCM, commented: “We are pleased with the significant progress on these key investments. The successful judgment in the High Court of England demonstrates LCM’s strength in project selection and we look forward to reporting further once each of these investments has reached a conclusion.” About LCM Litigation Capital Management (LCM) is an alternative asset manager specialising in disputes financing solutions internationally, whichoperatestwobusiness models. The first isdirectinvestments madefromLCM’s permanent balance sheet capital and the second is third party fund management. Under those two business models, LCM currently pursues three investment strategies: Single-case funding, Portfolio funding and Acquisitions of claims. LCM generates its revenue from both its direct investments and also performance fees through asset management. LCM has an unparalleled track record driven by disciplined project selection and robust risk management. Currently headquartered inSydney, with offices in London, Singapore, Brisbane and Melbourne, LCM listed on AIM in December 2018, trading under the ticker LIT.
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Announcements Commercial

Burford’s Q2 Profits Surge on New Capital

By John Freund |

Burford Capital has delivered its strongest quarterly performance in two years, buoyed by a swelling pipeline of high-value disputes and a fresh infusion of investor cash.

A press release in PR Newswire reveals that the New York- and London-listed funder more than doubled revenue and profitability in the three months to 30 June 2025. CEO Christopher Bogart credited “very substantial levels of new business” for the uptick, noting that demand for non-recourse financing remains “as strong as we’ve ever seen.”

The stellar quarter follows a lightning-quick, two-day debt offering in July that raised $500 million—capital Burford says will be deployed across a growing roster of commercial litigations, international arbitrations, and asset-recovery campaigns. Management also highlighted significant progress in portfolio rotations, underscoring the firm’s ability to monetise older positions while writing new ones at scale. Investors will get a deeper dive when Burford hosts its earnings call today at 9 a.m. EDT.

Burford’s results arrive amid heightened regulatory chatter in Washington and Westminster, yet the numbers suggest the industry’s largest player is unfazed—for now—by talk of disclosure mandates and tax levies. The firm emphasised that its legal-finance, risk-management and asset-recovery businesses remain uncorrelated to broader markets, a pitch that continues to resonate with pension funds and endowments hunting for alternative yield.

For litigation-finance insiders, Burford’s capital-raising prowess and improving margins could have ripple effects: rival funders may face stiffer competition for marquee cases, while law-firm partners might leverage the firm’s deeper pockets to negotiate richer portfolio deals.

Announcements Commercial

International Legal Finance Association (ILFA) Announces End of Year Gala and Inaugural Legal Finance Awards

By John Freund |

 The International Legal Finance Association is pleased to announce its annual End-of-Year Gala Dinner on November 13, 2025.  The event will take place at The Law Society in London, bringing together leading figures from across the legal finance industry for an evening of celebration and reflection on the year’s achievements.  

The dinner will be accompanied by the inaugural Legal Finance Awards.  The awards are designed to recognize and honor excellence across the legal finance ecosystem. They will spotlight the achievements of funders, law firms, brokers, advisors, and other key contributors to the continued growth and innovation of the industry. Nominations for the awards are now open, with the nomination form available here. 

“The Gala Dinner is a chance for our members and guests to gather in person and celebrate the progress we've made over the year,” said Rupert Cunningham, Global Director of Growth and Membership Engagement at ILFA. “We are especially excited to launch the Legal Finance Awards, which will shine a light on the outstanding work and impact of professionals across our field.”

Tickets for the Gala are on sale now, with discounted pricing available for ILFA members.  More information can be found here.

Announcements Commercial Legal Innovation

Sentry Expands Free Funding Market Search for Litigators

By John Freund |

Sentry Funding’s free tool enabling litigators to instantly search the funding market on behalf of clients has been expanded.

Sentry’s free ‘decision in principle’ feature enables lawyers to evidence to clients that they have conducted a broad market search, even if funding is not ultimately taken out.

Having deployed £125m in funding across a range of case types, Sentry now has access to an even broader funding marketplace, covering 34 global jurisdictions. Finance is provided by 13 funders, five of which are members of the Association of Litigation Funders.

With the recent addition of Sentry’s first US-based funder, the US offering will now be expanding over the next few months. 

A faster process

Sentry has deployed the latest technology to make the search for funding even easier. 

  • The intuitive application process now only asks questions relevant to previous answers, saving lawyers time.
  • The commercial marketplace has been redeveloped with 63 new data points added to the funder criteria matrix - improving the accuracy of case / funder matching
  • Sentry has also begun building out its AI capabilities, starting with an automated auditing tool for live case progression audits. 

Tom Webster, chief executive officer at Sentry Funding, said:

‘By broadening our reach and speeding up the process, we’re making it even easier for lawyers to raise funding. We’re also giving litigators an easy way to show clients they have fully researched the market, rather than just approaching one or two funders. 

‘The service is free to use, so even if clients decide they do not ultimately want funding or if none is available for that case, for the lawyer, it makes sense to use our “decision in principle” feature, so they can put evidence on file that they did check the market.’

Sentry Funding is an SaaS (software as a service) technology provider that gives solicitors access to a diverse marketplace of litigation funders. It works with solicitors, funders and third-party providers to ensure claimants are getting the most efficient service for their funding needs. 

The Sentry Portal also acts as a case management system that runs a transparent digital case file for solicitors, funders, after-the-event insurance providers, barristers, cost lawyers and other relevant third parties.