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Cormac Leech on Litigation Funding as an Investment

AxiaFunder is a new and innovative investment platform that focuses on litigation funding as an asset class. Founded by Cormac Leech, the UK startup caters to sophisticated investors.

UK Investor Magazine explains that as an asset class, the main strength of litigation funding is its lack of correlation to the larger market. For the most part, the need for litigation is not dependent on any specific economic conditions.

The following are some key takeaways from the podcast episode with Leech:  

Q: Are there [investment] solutions for people who are looking into funding?

CL: Absolutely, there are. Litigation funding is a relatively new asset class. As an industry it’s really only been active in the UK for around 15 years or so. It’s certainly grown strongly over the last five or ten years.

Most of the providers of litigation funding are operating on a traditional model where they have a permanent pool of capital…they’re really only catering to private equity firms, which means lots of sophisticated investors cannot get access to the asset class.

Q: How are cases vetted? 

CL: So far, we’ve funded 12 cases based on having looked at over 300 cases. We have a very high rejection rate in terms of the number of cases we accept. 

We talk through the process of how we vet cases. The first thing we look at are the legal merits of the case. The way we think about legal merits—there are two parts: we want to make sure that the claimants have the high moral ground. It has to be a case where you look at the story of the case, the claimants and the defendants, and there’s a clear indication that the defendants treated the claimants badly. You know it when you see it. The second question is to make sure the legal technical merits stack up.

Other aspects include whether the defendant has money, and the ability and willingness to pay if there’s a settlement or judgement. There’s no sense winning the case if the defendant doesn’t have any money. We also look at the case economics to make sure that the value of the claim is big enough compared to what it’s going to cost to litigate.

There needs to be a solution for adverse costs risk. 

Q: Litigation funding is classed as an alternative asset class. One of the attractions typically is the low correlation with traditional assets such as stocks and bonds. How is that seen in the real world?

CL: It’s interesting in terms of investor’s perceptions. It’s a very unusual period right now because equities have had a very strong run recently, and residential properties have had a strong run. Virtually every asset class has been increasing in value. Forward looking investors will probably realize that there’s limited upside for equities, and arguably limited upsides for property, at least on a real, inflation-adjusted basis. These asset classes have already had a tremendous run. I think smarter investors will be looking around for alternatives.

It does make sense for investors to make some allocation into litigation funding—2% up to 5% of their portfolio. It is non-correlated, and the returns are very substantial.

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Pogust Goodhead Targets BHP in £1.3B Conspiracy

International plaintiffs’ firm Pogust Goodhead has opened a fresh front in the marathon litigation over the 2015 Fundão dam collapse, dispatching a pre-action letter that accuses BHP, Vale and their joint-venture Samarco of orchestrating an unlawful plot to sabotage the English proceedings.

Acting through U.S. counsel Orrick, the firm says the miners induced claimants to sign cut-price settlements in Brazil, interfered with existing retainers and weaponised redress programmes run by the Renova Foundation to starve the London group action of participants. Pogust Goodhead pegs its damages at more than £1.3 billion—roughly the fees and uplifts it stands to lose if the 620,000-strong claimant cohort is picked off piecemeal.

An article in Reuters says the firm will argue three causes of action—unlawful means conspiracy, inducement of breach of contract and enforcement of its equitable lien—and blames the defendants’ constitutional challenge in Brazil (ADPF 1178) and the proposed “Repactuação” mega-settlement for the intensified pressure campaign.

The pre-action salvo lands just months after the close of a 13-week liability trial against BHP in London; judgment is due later this year, with a quantum phase already on the docket for 2026. Separately, Vale and BHP confront contempt allegations for allegedly funding satellite litigation to derail municipal claims. Should the new claim proceed, the miners could face parallel exposure not only for compensatory payouts—estimated at up to £36 billion—but also for the law firm’s lost fees and financing costs, which Pogust Goodhead says now exceed $1 billion.

Uncorrelated Capital Debuts With $53M for Litigation Finance

By John Freund |

A new entrant has jumped into the U.S. legal-finance arena.

National Law Review reports that Uncorrelated Capital has closed a $53 million seed round, backed by a private-credit fund and a leading plaintiffs’ law firm. Founder Miles Cole—a two-time tech entrepreneur—says the firm will “invest alongside law firms as partners” rather than lend against fees, aligning incentives to “drive better outcomes for plaintiffs.” The firm has already deployed “tens of millions” across thousands of claims, including high-profile mass-tort dockets such as Camp Lejeune.

Uncorrelated’s thesis is to marry software and data analytics with long-duration capital, targeting “uncorrelated” return streams that behave independently of broader markets. Cole argues that litigation finance remains “underserved by technology” and plans to build proprietary tooling to vet cases, monitor portfolios and streamline reporting. The launch comes as institutional money continues to flow into alternative credit strategies and amid renewed regulatory scrutiny of third-party funding structures on Capitol Hill.

For the legal-funding industry, Uncorrelated’s arrival underscores two trends: first, that smaller, tech-forward managers can still raise meaningful capital despite the dominance of well-funded incumbent players; second, that plaintiff-side firms remain eager for non-recourse capital partners who can shoulder risk without dictating strategy. Whether Uncorrelated’s data-centric model will gain traction—or push incumbents to up their own tech game—bears watching. Future fundraising rounds and case wins will reveal if the firm’s “software-first” pitch delivers outsized returns or simply adds another niche player to an increasingly crowded field.

LFJ Podcast: Stuart Hills and Guy Nielson, Co-Founders of RiverFleet

By John Freund |

In this episode, we sat down with Stuart Hills and Guy Nielson, co-founders of RiverFleet, a consultancy business specialising in the global Legal Finance market.  

RiverFleet works with clients to help navigate the complexities and idiosyncratic characteristics of the Legal Finance market and make the most of the financial opportunities and risk solutions the market has to offer for business and investment. 

RiverFleet has a highly experienced team, with specialist litigation, finance and structuring, and investment and portfolio management expertise.  They offer a broad range of legal finance services tailor-made for a global client base, including investors, litigation finance funds, claimants, corporates, insolvency practitioners and law firms.

Watch the episode below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb1ef7ZhgVw