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Burford Capital Releases Latest Quarterly Journal of Legal Finance

Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today releases its latest Burford Quarterly, a journal of legal finance that explores the top trends impacting the business of law.

The latest issue of the Burford Quarterly 4 2023 includes:

  • Data analytics and litigation: How Artificial Intelligence (AI) will (and won’t) change the economics of law
    Key takeaways from a recent discussion with leading players in integrated data analytics and AI, moderated by Co-COO David Perla.

  • Macroeconomic trends affect how GCs think about dispute costs and risk
    Burford Co-COO Aviva Will analyzes key considerations top in-house lawyers face around the world, leveraging new insights from a survey of 66 GCs, heads of litigation and other senior lawyers.

  • Best practices for building risk-based practices
    Senior lawyers from Gibson Dunn, Morgan Lewis, Mayer Brown and Proskauer Rose discuss best practices for law firms expanding their risk-based practices with Burford Director Evan Meyerson.

  • New data shows judgment and award enforcement remains a perennial problem
    Vanishingly few senior in-house lawyers (2%) recover the full value of their judgments and awards. Burford Vice President Victoria Fox explains how this problem is only exacerbated by difficult economic conditions.

  • Case study: $325 million corporate deal
    A recent portfolio financing arrangement with a Fortune 500 company demonstrates how businesses benefit from building—and financing—affirmative litigation recovery programs.

  • Arbitration data analytics
    Third-party funding of investor-state and international commercial arbitration is on the rise. Burford Director Jeffery Commission examines key arbitration dispute data.

  • As US bankruptcy filings increase, legal finance is set to play an important role
    Burford Managing Director Emily Slater explores recent US bankruptcy activity and explains how the legal finance industry is increasingly playing a role.

Setting a new standard for legal finance reporting and transparency

Burford’s CFO Jordan Licht describes Burford’s new industry-standard approach for valuing legal finance asset values, which gives clients and investors greater transparency into the performance of legal finance partners.

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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.

Announcements Consumer

Golden Pear Upsizes Corporate Note to $78.7M Amid Growth Plans

By John Freund |

Golden Pear Funding has extended and upsized its investment-grade corporate note to $78.7 million, further bolstering the firm's capacity to serve the expanding litigation finance sector. The New York-based funder, a national leader in both pre-settlement and medical receivables financing, said the proceeds will support working capital and fuel strategic growth initiatives.

A press release from Golden Pear outlines how the capital raise reflects continued investor confidence in the firm’s business model. CEO Gary Amos noted that the infusion is critical as Golden Pear seeks to scale alongside the “rapidly expanding litigation finance market.” CFO Daniel Amsellem added that the new funding aligns with the company’s capital allocation strategy, aimed at optimizing operational efficiency and executing strategic projects.

Brean Capital, LLC acted as the exclusive financial advisor and sole placement agent on the transaction.

Founded in 2008, Golden Pear has funded more than $1.1 billion to over 87,000 clients and remains one of the largest specialty finance companies in the U.S. Its business model spans legal case funding and medical receivables purchasing, with backing from a network of private equity partners that provide institutional support for continued expansion.

Announcements Regulatory Issues

LionFish Updates Model Documents in Response to CJC Report

By John Freund |

LionFish Litigation Finance Ltd has released a new suite of model litigation funding documents, updating its original set from February 2021. The revision comes on the heels of the Civil Justice Council's (CJC) Final Report on Litigation Funding, issued on 2 June 2025, which calls for a regulatory structure informed by best practices, including key principles published by the European Law Institute (ELI) in October 2024.

A LionFish press release details that the updated suite incorporates several of the ELI Principles (notably 4-12) and broader CJC recommendations, except where doing so would require legislative or procedural reform. LionFish's goal, according to Managing Director Tets Ishikawa, is not to dictate market norms but to foster industry-wide standardisation and efficiency. This proactive move is also intended to spark further collaboration between funders, insurers, and legal practitioners to develop trade practices akin to those in mature financial markets, such as those promoted by the Loan Market Association and the International Swaps and Derivatives Association.

The new suite includes three core documents: a litigation funding agreement, a priorities deed to define proceeds distribution, and an assignment deed for insurance benefits. Notably, LionFish has also added documentation for co-investment arrangements, reflecting a growing trend in syndicated funding deals. The funder has already closed seven such transactions.

Managing Director Tanya Lansky emphasised that while litigation funding remains complex, making documentation public enhances transparency and facilitates quicker deal closings—an essential factor for sustaining market growth.

As litigation finance continues to mature, this move by LionFish highlights a shift toward professionalisation and standardisation. With regulators increasingly focused on transparency and fairness, such initiatives may set a de facto benchmark for others in the industry. The question remains: will other funders follow suit, or will regulatory mandates be needed to compel alignment?