Trending Now
Announcements Commercial

Less Than 12% of Federal and State Case Filings Present Strong Opportunities for Litigation Funding, According to First-of-Its-Kind Market Intelligence Study

September 21, 2022

Less Than 12% of Federal and State Case Filings Present Strong Opportunities for Litigation Funding, According to First-of-Its-Kind Market Intelligence Study

Though the U.S. litigation finance market continues to expand, less than 12% of federal and state cases filed in 2021 met the minimum threshold to be considered for investment, according to a new report issued today by tech-enabled litigation funder LexShares. This finding, detailed in the inaugural edition of LexShares’ special report, “The Litigation Funding Barometer: A Data-Driven Analysis of What Litigation Funders Want,” illustrates the high bar that law firms and plaintiffs must reach to attract valuable funding dollars for their cases.  The report analyzes more than 30,000 federal and state case filings from 2021, graded by LexShares’ proprietary Diamond Mine origination software, to provide lawyers with a unique window into how attractive their matters might be to litigation funders. The Diamond Mine algorithm assesses each case based on numerous factors, such as damages alleged and the track record of plaintiff’s counsel, before assigning a raw score ranging from 1-25.  In an industry first, “The Litigation Funding Barometer” breaks down cases across several claim types and dozens of jurisdictions, while also revealing which law firms filed the greatest number of cases with strong funding potential. Among the study’s high-level findings, in 2021: Trade secrets, antitrust, and contract disputes filed in federal court represented some of the strongest funding opportunities across all jurisdictions.  Federal cases presented a higher percentage of strong funding opportunities than state cases.  Law firms appearing in the NLJ500, which we categorize as “Big Law,” filed the cases with the strongest investment potential. In addition to this and other detailed insights, the report’s findings are accompanied by insider commentary from members of the LexShares investments team, offering lawyers and law firms key context around the characteristics of claims that typically lend themselves to third-party funding arrangements, and why. “Critics of litigation funding have long pointed to the industry’s lack of transparency,” said Cayse Llorens, CEO of LexShares. “By publishing this groundbreaking report, we address a critical, unmet market need for closure of the knowledge gap that still exists between lawyers, clients, and third-party funders. Providing the market with more meaningful information not only equips users of litigation finance to make better business decisions, but also supports LexShares’ mission of increasing access to justice for parties with meritorious claims.”
Secure Your Funding Below
Secure Your Funding Sidebar

Announcements

View All
Announcements Commercial

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.