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Legal claim launched against Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink after millions double-pay for fares in London

A hearing has been set by the Competition Appeal Tribunal (“CAT”) to take place on the first available date after 20 February 2023 (the “CPO Hearing”).

The CPO Hearing is in respect of a claim launched on 24 November 2021 by Justin Gutmann, formerly of Citizens Advice, on behalf of millions of passengers who have allegedly paid twice for part of their journeys whilst travelling with Govia Thameslink Railway (“GTR”), (the “Proposed Claim”).

The Proposed Claim is against GTR (and its parent companies) which operates the following franchises:

i.                     Thameslink

ii.                   Southern

iii.                 Great Northern

Following a case management conference which took place on 15 November 2022, the CAT has confirmed a further hearing should take place so that the CAT can consider the following:

i.                     if Mr Gutmann (the person proposing to be the class representative) is suitable to act on behalf of the proposed class and should be certified to bring the claim; and

ii.                   if the Proposed Claim itself is suitable to be brought as a collective action and whether it should proceed to a full trial.

The CPO Hearing is to take place on the first available date after 20 February 2023.

Background to the Proposed Claim

Mr Gutmann alleges that GTR, as the operator of the Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink franchises has breached competition laws by charging TfL Travelcard holders too much for travel  on their routes.

Travelcard holders have already paid for their travel within the relevant TfL zones, so a Travelcard holder would only need to purchase a (cheaper) ‘boundary’ fare or ‘extension’ fare for the remainder of their route, to get to their destination. Mr Gutmann alleges that GTR does not make boundary fares sufficiently available for purchase. The claim is estimated to be worth around £73.3 million in damages.

Who is eligible?

Passengers who owned a Travelcard at any time from 24 November 2015 and also purchased a rail fare from a station within the zones of their Travelcard to a destination outside of those zones may be eligible for compensation.

What next?

The CAT will now determine whether or not Mr Gutmann’s claim is allowed to proceed to trial. If the claim is permitted to go forward, then those affected will not have to pay any legal fees, nor contact lawyers. 

Affected passengers who live in the UK will automatically be included in the claim, although they can choose to opt-out in due course.

Affected passengers who do not live in the UK will also be eligible to join the claim but must proactively opt-in.

As the case progresses, we will provide more detail as to what rail users will be required to do to either opt-in or opt-out. 

Further information 

The claim’s website and social media channels are available from the day of launch at BoundaryFares.com,  where affected passengers can sign up to receive further information regarding the legal proceedings. Justin Gutmann is also available for interview.

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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.

Announcements Commercial

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.