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Validity Finance Strengthens Investment Team and Corporate Governance

NEW YORK (January 29, 2019) – Litigation funder Validity Finance has made a notable addition to its growing investment team with the arrival of portfolio counsel William C. Marra in New York. The firm also announced a prominent addition to its governance structure, with Allen Fagin, formerly chair of Proskauer Rose LLP, joining Validity’s board of directors.  Finally, Validity has retained former New York federal Judge John Gleeson, a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York, as outside counsel to advise on investment opportunities.


Launched last June with an initial $250 million in committed capital, Validity has built a substantial portfolio of investments in commercial disputes, partnering with business claimants as well as major law firms in helping finance and monetize their litigation matters.

“As we continue to ramp up our business and scale our portfolio, we’re pleased to announce an outstanding new member of our professional team and welcome a distinguished name to our board and a distinguished adviser to our investment committee,” said Validity CEORalph Sutton.

William Marra joins Validity from noted Washington, D.C. litigation boutique Cooper & Kirk, following judicial clerkships for Justice Samuel Alito of theU.S. Supreme Courtand Judge William Pryor of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. With a background litigating complex commercial, regulatory, and constitutional cases, Mr. Marra will help Validity review potential portfolio investments and advise clients and law firms on cases where funding may help ensure fair resolution. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he was Articles Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy.

“Will’s combination of high-stakes trial practice and experience advising on judicial opinions at the highest levels of the law is a decided advantage in helping our clients crack their toughest legal challenges with funding and strategic advice,” saidJulia Gewolb, Validity’s Director of Underwriting. Marra is the fourth Validity staffer to have served as a federal clerk and adds to the firm’s roster of former practicing trial lawyers which include former litigators from Kirkland & Ellis, Boies Schiller Flexner and Gibson Dunn, among other firms.

Judge John Gleeson will advise Validity in its consideration of investment opportunities. A partner at Debevoise and a former litigator with Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Mr. Gleeson served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, before being appointed a judge on the Eastern District by President Clinton in 1994. Stepping down from the bench in 2016, Mr. Gleeson continues to work on major trial and appellate matters, both civil and criminal, as a litigation partner at Debevoise.

“With over 22 years’ experience on the federal bench, Judge Gleeson’s perspective on trial strategy and mechanics is unparalleled. In advising Validity, he will bring this wealth of experience to enhance our investment decisions,” Mr. Sutton commented.

Allen Fagin joins Validity’s eight-member Board of Directors. One of the country’s leading labor and employment litigators, Allen represented a broad range of companies and organizations in workplace related matters. In 2005, Allen was elected Chair of Proskauer Rose, a position that he held for six years. Following his retirement from Proskauer, Mr. Fagin has served as Executive Vice President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

“It’s an honor to have Allen Fagin take a seat on our board – his insights as a lawyer and his experience overseeing one of the country’s preeminent law firms, would be welcome enough,” Mr. Sutton said “but Allen also has a strong social conscience and ethical fabric, and we welcome his contributions advancing best practices in dispute funding.”

Mr. Sutton said he expects Validity to introduce some new funding models in the coming year, including novel financing arrangements for law firms to undertake high-risk cases as well as initiatives for greater funding of defense-related matters.

About Validity: Validity provides businesses, law firms and individuals with non-recourse funding for a wide variety of commercial litigation. Founded by litigation finance pioneer Ralph Sutton, Validity believes that capital and legal expertise combine to help solve legal problems on behalf of clients. With a mission to make a meaningful difference in the legal system by focusing on client needs, Validity stands out with a relentless focus on fairness, innovation and clarity.  For more, visitwww.validity-finance.com.

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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.

Announcements Commercial

NorthWall Capital Hits €2.9 B AUM on Private Credit Momentum

By John Freund |

NorthWall Capital has rocketed past €2.9 billion in assets under management after pulling in an additional €1.6 billion of institutional capital in 2025 alone. The London-based alternative credit manager says the surge reflects allocators’ intensifying hunt for scaled, multi-strategy platforms as Europe’s banks retrench and borrowers seek bespoke sources of credit.

A press release from NorthWall Capital details first-close totals across four distinct strategies. The flagship Credit Opportunities fund secured €731 million—already eclipsing its prior vintage—while the newly launched Senior Lending vehicle raised $503 million, translating to roughly $750 million of deployable firepower once leverage is applied. Asset-Backed Opportunities collected €252 million for collateral-rich loans in sectors underserved by traditional lenders, and the specialist Legal Assets platform locked down $169 million to extend the firm’s law-firm lending programme.

Founder and CIO Fabian Chrobog said the fundraising validates “the consistency of our approach” and NorthWall’s ability to craft solutions that resonate with investors and counterparties alike. With headcount slated to hit 40 by year-end, the firm plans to lean further into complex, situational credit born of bank deleveraging, regulatory shifts and sponsors’ need for certainty of execution.

Announcements Commercial People Moves

Victory Park Expands Legal Credit Leadership with Maleson Promotion

By John Freund |

Victory Park Capital (VPC), a global alternative asset manager specializing in private credit, has announced that Justin Maleson will expand his role to Managing Director, co-heading the firm’s legal credit investment strategy. The promotion underscores VPC’s ongoing investment in its legal finance capabilities and follows Maleson’s initial appointment in 2024 as Assistant General Counsel.

An announcement from Victory Park Capital details Maleson’s new responsibilities, which include sourcing, analyzing, and managing investments across legal assets, while maintaining oversight of the firm’s legal operations. He joins Chad Clamage in co-leading the strategy, working alongside team members Hugo Lestiboudois and Andrew Pascal, under the continued oversight of VPC CEO and founder Richard Levy.

Maleson brings a strong background in litigation finance and commercial law to the position. Before joining VPC, he served as a director at Longford Capital, where he specialized in originating and managing litigation funding transactions. His earlier tenure as a litigation partner at Jenner & Block further deepened his exposure to complex legal matters, equipping him with the expertise needed to navigate the nuanced legal credit space.

VPC’s legal credit team emphasizes an asset-backed lending model, prioritizing downside protection and predictable income streams. The firm aims to capitalize on inefficiencies within the legal funding market by leveraging its internal expertise and broad network of relationships. With Maleson’s appointment, VPC signals its intent to further scale its legal credit strategy, positioning itself as a key player in the evolving legal finance sector.

Maleson’s elevation comes at a time of increasing sophistication in litigation finance, where experienced legal minds are playing a pivotal role in portfolio construction and risk management. As VPC bolsters its leadership, the move may foreshadow further institutionalization of legal asset investing and heightened competition in a maturing market segment.