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Announcements Commercial Deals

BridgePoint Financial closes $10 million funding to advance Indigenous legal claims

Canadian legal funding specialist BridgePoint Financial Services Inc. (“BridgePoint”) is pleased to announce the closing of a $10 million financing with Calgary-based Maurice Law, Canada’s first and only Indigenous-owned national law firm. The transaction is part of a broader financing program established by BridgePoint in association with Maurice Law to promote access to justice and to expedite the fair and just settlement of First Nations’ legal claims against Canada based on outstanding treaty obligations and other historic grievances. 

“Maurice Law has achieved a solid track record of success in advocating on behalf of our First Nations clients. Notwithstanding government promises for a more streamlined legal resolution process over the past decade, the wheels of justice continue to turn at a glacial pace for many First Nations communities who simply can’t afford to pursue these cases independently,” says Ron Maurice, Founder and Senior Partner at Maurice Law. “This funding commitment from BridgePoint follows a model of third-party financing for First Nations litigation that Maurice Law pioneered. It will be an invaluable resource to assist us in leveling the playing field for First Nations and pursuing fair compensation for our clients who have suffered enormous economic hardship and social injustice as a result of the myriad breaches of the Indian Act, treaties, and fiduciary duties of the Crown in administering reserve lands and other assets for First Nations.” 

Key to the program is a bespoke legal expense insurance policy that offers added security to provide Maurice Law with the funding it requires to advance claims for First Nations on a “no win, no pay” arrangement. This is critical to promoting access to justice because the costs of researching and litigating these historical claims on behalf of First Nations can be prohibitive. This tailored approach to litigation financing significantly reduces risk to lenders and provides peace of mind for Maurice Law and its clients.

“We are very pleased to extend our financial support to Maurice Law and its clients through this $10 million financing, which is modelled on various case-specific funding transactions we have provided to date. BridgePoint has enjoyed a long, supportive relationship with the firm, and our increased commitment to this program reflects our belief in their experience and leadership in the enormously impactful arena of Indigenous law,” says Stephen Pauwels, Co-founder and Principal at BridgePoint.

“We view ourselves as innovators in the legal finance market, and this was a sophisticated deal involving highly specialized legal expense insurance coverage.  We are very pleased with the result and the opportunity to further our support of Maurice Law and their clients. We hope the program will make a significant, positive impact for First Nations in their pursuit of justice for their meritorious claims,” concludes Pauwels.

About BridgePoint Financial

BridgePoint Financial has been the leader in Canada’s legal finance market since 2005, offering innovative and strategic funding solutions for lawyers and their clients. We have trusted relationships with over 1,500 law firms across the country, gained through our funding participation in over 60,000 cases to date. We continually develop our industry-leading products and services, providing an exceptional experience and favourable outcomes for our clients in the personal injury, wills & estates, family law, expropriation, and other legal practice areas.

To learn more, please visit bridgepointfinancial.ca

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Announcements Comercial 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 Comercial

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 Comercial 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.