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Law firms eye up the IPO market

Law firms eye up the IPO market

A survey of law firm partners commissioned by Harbour on post pandemic strategies revealed that:

  • 31% of those surveyed said their firms are actively considering an IPO in the next 12-18 months
  • 50% said the pandemic had presented new opportunities for their firm
  • 80% felt their senior leadership team should embrace innovation to deliver growth
  • Only 22% of respondents said their firms had ruled out credit facilities with third party funders over the next 12-18 month

30th NOVEMBER 2021: In a recent nationwide survey of over 200 law firm partners, 31% stated that their firm is actively considering a stock market listing in the next 12-18 months with a further 44% saying an IPO was under consideration.

Coupled with this, 78% of law firm partners said their firms were either in active discussions or considering whether to pursue a credit facility indicating that there is greater demand than ever before from partners at UK firms to seek external capital to complement their own equity.

Ambitious plans for growth are the catalyst for this sentiment change, with more than 50% of those surveyed saying the pandemic had presented new growth opportunities to expand existing practice areas or develop new business lines with several firms acquiring talented teams to spearhead growth.

Many law firm partners felt that adopting innovative practices was key to accelerating growth or maintaining market position, with 80% of respondents observing that senior leadership teams should incorporate innovation in the firm’s post pandemic strategies.

Whilst 86% of respondents highlighted some continued downward pressure from clients on costs for certain services, innovation and attracting external investment are expected to counteract this pressure and to meet the growth agenda.

Ellora MacPherson, Chief Investment Officer at Harbour said: “This survey shows a real desire by firms to access external finance to support their growth ambitions.  IPOs are one way of doing this but won’t be the best fit for all firms.

The survey reveals an expanding appetite amongst firms to source credit facilities from established litigation funders.

For more information, please contact harbour@thephagroup.com

About Harbour

Harbour is the largest privately-owned, dedicated litigation and arbitration funder in the world. Since its foundation in 2007, Harbour have become trusted advisors and providers of capital to law firms, corporates and claimants, supporting them in progressing high-value commercial disputes all over the world. So far, the organisation has funded 126 cases, with a total combined claim value of US$19billion, in both common and civil law jurisdictions, and in several arbitral forums.

About the survey

The survey was conducted by Censuswide and commissioned by litigation and arbitration funder Harbour. Through a survey of over 200 partners at law firms with 50 + layers, the survey sought to deduce the key challenges and opportunities law firms are facing, and what their priorities are post-pandemic.

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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.

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.

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.