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Former NPR General Counsel and CEO of Texas Public Radio Joyce Slocum Joins Board of Directors of Validity Finance

December 21, 2021

Former NPR General Counsel and CEO of Texas Public Radio Joyce Slocum Joins Board of Directors of Validity Finance

Litigation funder Validity Finance has announced that Joyce D. Slocum, currently President and CEO of Texas Public Radio, has joined its board of directors. Ms. Slocum began her career practicing law with prominent law firms based in Dallas, Texas.  She soon moved into an in-house practice, spending almost 10 years at The Southland Corporation, and later serving for more than 14 years as general counsel and head of global legal and business affairs for HIT Entertainment.  She joined NPR as General Counsel in 2008, continuing in that role until being appointed Interim President and CEO in 2011.  She culminated her time at NPR as Chief Administrative Officer from 2012 through 2013. Slocum has served President and CEO of Texas Public Radio for eight years.  Shortly after assuming that role, she was elected to the NPR Board of Directors, including as the chair of its Audit Committee, which oversees the company’s litigation and risk management matters. “I have known Joyce for over 25 years, and have observed her business acumen and innovation in all of her many legal and management roles.  She brings to Validity a keen understanding of how in-house counsel view litigation strategy, planning and budgeting.  Her views will be a valuable complement to the perspective of retained counsel that Allen Fagin, former managing partner of Proskauer Rose, brings to the board,” said Validity CEO Ralph Sutton. “Litigation finance is a significant tool to help increase access to the courts for companies that seek to bring affirmative litigation, in addition to dealing with matters they are obligated to defend,” Ms. Slocum commented.  “The mitigation of risk and additional control over budget and timing of expense can be immensely helpful to in-house counsel in crafting and obtaining management buy-in to a strategic plan to protect a company’s assets. I’m pleased to join the Validity board because I believe their client-centric approach to the opportunities provided by this emerging industry will appeal to in-house practitioners.” Ms. Slocum’s appointment to the Validity board followed shortly after its announcement that it has raised a new managed fund of $70 million – the firm’s second “sidecar fund – alongside its permanent capital. In addition to Slocum and Fagin, Validity’s board is comprised of Jonathan Bilzin, Co-President, managing director of TowerBrook Capital Partners; Michael Carpenter, former chair/CEO of Citigroup Alternative Investments; Dewey Shay, CEO/founder, Unison Site Management; and Ralph Sutton, CEO, Validity Finance.
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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.