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Omni Bridgeway announces EMEA leadership and investment management promotions in Amsterdam and London

February 6, 2023

Omni Bridgeway announces EMEA leadership and investment management promotions in Amsterdam and London

Omni Bridgeway is pleased to announce the appointment of Hannah van Roessel as Co-Chief Investment Officer – EMEA, and the promotions of Kees de Visser and Alistair Croft. Based in Amsterdam, Hannah will work closely with Raymond van Hulst (Executive Director and Co-CIO EMEA) to jointly lead all aspects of Omni Bridgeway’s EMEA operations. With 10 years of experience at Omni Bridgeway, Hannah brings a unique global perspective to her new role, having served as Senior Investment Manager and Director Enforcement first for EMEA and then the US, when she relocated to New York to launch the company’s US judgment enforcement business in 2022. Throughout her tenure in the legal finance industry, Hannah has achieved a notable record of success, managing complex multijurisdictional enforcement cases and securing recoveries in contested settings. Before joining Omni Bridgeway, she practiced at leading law firms NautaDutilh and Loyens & Loeff, gaining significant experience with the cross-border recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards in many jurisdictions, in particular against sovereigns and semi-sovereigns. Commenting on Hannah’s appointment, Omni Bridgeway Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Saker said, “Hannah is an exceptional talent, with an impressive track record of successfully expanding our business lines into new regions. She has a keen eye for strategy and client development that is the perfect complement to Raymond’s experience and expertise in sourcing and structuring complex deals. We could not be better positioned for continued growth with Hannah and Raymond leading our team and business in EMEA.” Also in Amsterdam, the company is pleased to announce Kees de Visser has been promoted as Chair of the Investment Committee for EMEA, in which he oversees funding requests as a member of the company’s global investment committee. Before joining Omni Bridgeway in 2016, Kees practised law, admitted at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek where he handled large and high-profile cross-border litigation and enforcement matters and led the firm’s private international law team. In London, Alistair Croft has been promoted to Senior Investment Manager with a focus on enforcement, contentious trust and insolvency matters. Prior to joining Omni Bridgeway in 2015, Alistair practised law for over a decade, becoming a barrister and a partner at a leading law firm with a broad practice advising on complex cross-border litigation, fraud, enforcement, and contentious trust matters for UHNWI and insolvency. Raymond van Hulst, said, “I am thrilled to have Hannah on board as Co-CIO, and with the promotion of Kees and Alistair we are poised for continued success in EMEA. In combination with our recent hires in Dubai and Germany as well as our expansion into France we are proud to attract and promote the top talent in the industry. This is core to our strategy of continuing to establish operations in more jurisdictions and markets than any other legal finance provider, in order to best serve our clients with local knowledge and experience.”
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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.