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LexShares Launches $100 Million Litigation Finance Fund

LexShares, a leader in commercial litigation finance, today announced the launch of LexShares Marketplace Fund II (LMFII). With a $100 million target fund size, LMFII will invest in litigation-related assets offered on the LexShares platform. LMFII opens on the heels of the company’s 100th legal claim investment, making LexShares one of the most active litigation funding firms in the world.

The firm closed LexShares Marketplace Fund I in January 2018, which was fully subscribed for $25 million. Prior to this public launch, LMFII received commitments in excess of $30 million, which includes two cornerstone institutional investors. LMFII is now accepting commitments from both institutional and individual accredited investors at lexshares.com.

“Six years ago, we founded LexShares. Two years ago, we launched our first dedicated litigation finance fund. Today, underpinned by a proven track record and an increasingly strong pipeline of investment opportunities, we continue our mission of providing investors unparalleled access to high-quality investments in litigation finance–a traditionally hard-to-access asset class,” said Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jay Greenberg. “We are thankful for the support we have received from our community of investors who entrust us as stewards of their capital. Their confidence and enthusiasm have enabled us to establish this milestone Fund II.”

As of June 10, LexShares has invested in 103 case offerings. Of those, 43 investments have resolved, resulting in a 52% median IRR net of fees and expenses. Over the past year, LexShares’ average investment per case offering was $1,460,607, up from $845,250 the year prior. Investments as of January 1, 2019 represent 48% of all capital deployed since the firm was founded in 2014. LexShares’ proprietary origination technology platform, the Diamond Mine, has sourced more than one million case investment opportunities since the company launched the software in 2016. As a result, LexShares’ in-house investment team has collectively underwritten over $2.63 billion in funding opportunities–$855 million in the past year alone.

“Demand for litigation funding has grown dramatically since we founded LexShares,” explained Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Max Volsky. “To date, we have had a great deal of success in servicing the commercial litigation finance middle market. LMFII positions us to invest in a greater number of commercial cases as well as offer portfolio funding and other novel financial products to our growing network of law firms.”

Accredited investors are now able to access the LexShares Marketplace Fund II investor presentation, and invest directly on LexShares’ website.

About LexShares

LexShares is a leading litigation finance firm, with an innovative approach to originating and financing high-value commercial legal claims. LexShares funds litigation-related matters, primarily originated by its proprietary Diamond Mine software, through both its online marketplace and dedicated litigation finance fund. Founded in 2014, the company is privately owned with principal offices in Boston and New York City. For more information, visit lexshares.com.

About LexShares Marketplace Fund II

LexShares Marketplace Fund II (LMFII) is the company’s second discretionary fund dedicated to providing access to a portfolio of litigation-related assets. LMFII has retained Seward & Kissel LLP as its legal counsel, BDO USA, LLP for tax and auditing services, and SS&C Technologies Inc. as its fund administrator.

Additionally, LMFII has secured a principal protection insurance policy from AmTrust International Insurance, Ltd., an industry-leading global insurance provider. Investors can elect to cover all or a portion of their commitment to LMFII with this policy. LMFII is now open for investment directly on lexshares.com.

This release may contain “forward looking statements” which are not guaranteed. Investment opportunities posted on LexShares are offered by WealthForge Securities, LLC, a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA / SIPC. LexShares and WealthForge are separate entities. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy interests in the LexShares Marketplace Fund II (LMFII), which may only be made at the time a qualified subscriber receives the confidential investor packet (the “Investor Packet”) which includes the confidential private placement memorandum of LMFII, describing the offering. The interests in LMFII shall not be offered or sold in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or sale would be unlawful until the requirements of the laws of such jurisdiction have been satisfied. In the case of any inconsistency between the descriptions or terms in this release and the Investor Packet, the Investor Packet shall control. Each prospective investor should consult its own attorney, business adviser and tax adviser as to legal, business, tax and related matters concerning the information contained herein. Investment opportunities offered by LexShares are “private placements” of securities that are not publicly traded, are not able to be voluntarily redeemed or sold, and are intended for investors who do not need a liquid investment. Investors must be able to afford the loss of their entire investment without a change to their lifestyle. Historical performance information is not indicative of future performance or investment returns, and prospective investors should not view the performance information as an indicator of the future performance of LMFII. Investments in legal claims are speculative, carry a high degree of risk and may result in loss of entire investment. Returns are based on principal’s internal reporting for offerings through the LexShares platform reaching resolution as of June 10, 2020. Results reported reflect the simple median annualized rate of return per the xirr function, net of fees and expenses. The insurance protection policy is subject to terms and conditions which should be reviewed in full in the Investor Packet and considered before a decision is made to proceed with insurance protection.

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Announcements Commercial Fundraising

Pegasus Legal Capital Completes $74 Million Securitization to Fuel Growth

Pegasus Legal Capital, LLC ("Pegasus") (mylawfunds.com), a prominent pre-settlement legal funding company in the United States, announced today that it has successfully completed a $74 million litigation finance securitization. This achievement marks Pegasus' second securitization transaction in the asset class and another significant milestone in its capital market journey. The proceeds from this transaction will further propel Pegasus' growth across key markets in the United States.

Pegasus Managing Director, Alexander Khanas, expressed, "With the successful completion of this transaction, Pegasus will expand its business in the personal injury market while upholding its industry-leading service standards."

GreensLedge Capital Markets LLC played the role of Placement Agent for Pegasus. GreensLedge Senior Managing Director, Douglas Lipton, added, "We are delighted to continue expanding Pegasus' investor base through their second securitization issuance and assisting them in creatively developing their platform."

Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, Pegasus was founded in 2008 as a pre-settlement litigation finance company. Since its inception, the company's management team has successfully sourced, underwritten, and serviced over half a billion dollars through more than 30,000 advances. While Pegasus has traditionally focused on the New York market, it has established a strong presence in the Southeast and Texas markets as well.

Pegasus is a proud member of the American Legal Finance Association (ALFA), a national organization comprising companies that provide non-recourse funds to personal injury victims. ALFA's primary objective is to establish industry standards for transparency in legal funding transactions, ensuring upfront and clear disclosure to consumers.

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Announcements Commercial Deals

New Burford Capital Research Reveals How Businesses are Preparing for Likely Rise in Global Energy Transition Disputes

By Harry Moran |

Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today releases new research entitled “Energy transition disputes: GCs and senior lawyers on the business impacts of legal challenges to come,” which demonstrates how businesses are preparing for a likely rise in legal disputes related to the global energy transition. This transition―or the shift to renewable sources of energy―is likely to cause an increase in expensive commercial disputes.

Businesses are investing significant sums in this transition, and corporate commitments highlight the scale of economic engagement as they invest in the new technologies, infrastructure and other resources that will be needed. But multifaceted legal and commercial pressures present businesses with a myriad of potential challenges including contractual disagreements, regulatory compliance issues and the need for intellectual property enforcement or litigation. Burford’s research report aims to offer a unique perspective on how corporations foresee the expected rise in litigation and arbitration related to this energy transition, examining the areas of business impact related to this evolving landscape.

Burford commissioned this independent research by capturing insights from 300 GCs and heads of litigation across key industries impacted by the energy transition and spanning North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Key findings from the study include:

Disputes relating to the energy transition are rising

·       76% of GCs report they are already encountering disputes related to the energy transition and nearly half (47%) expect a further rise in the volume of such disputes in the next decade, driven by evolving laws, new technologies and infrastructure requirements.

Disputes relating to the energy transition are expected to be costly

·       Almost two in three GCs (63%) expect legal fees and expenses to exceed $4 million per energy transition case; a notable minority (29%) expect per case costs to exceed $10 million.

·       Over half (52%) view high costs as a significant factor in deciding not to pursue disputes.

·       Half (50%) of GCs agree that the energy transition will create the need for additional capital sources for the business.

Expected disputes span all types of business conflict

·       GCs are most likely to predict (77%) that the energy transition will result in more contractual disputes and commercial arbitration.

·       Joint ventures are expected to be particularly prone to disputes over profit allocation (76%) and intellectual property rights (65%).

·       Over half of GCs (57%) also expect their businesses to face arbitrations to resolve investor-state conflicts relating to the transition.

New tools are needed to manage the rising dispute costs

·       Legal finance is increasingly used to mitigate the financial burden of these disputes; three in four (75%) GCs have used or would consider using legal finance to offset the cost of disputes relating to this transition.

·       In particular, GCs value monetization―or advancing some of the expected entitlement of a pending claim, judgment or award― to generate liquidity from claims tied up in litigation and arbitration. With legal finance, companies can also offset the cost of pursuing affirmative litigation to generate liquidity, shifting legal departments from cost centers to value drivers.

Christopher Bogart, CEO of Burford Capital, said: “Businesses face significant challenges related to the global energy transition due to cross-border projects, differing legal frameworks and rapidly evolving policies. Additionally, long-term energy contracts may not keep pace with energy markets and technologies, resulting in conflicts among stakeholders. Burford’s latest research demonstrates the value of corporate finance for law, as legal finance helps companies manage the high costs of energy transition disputes and allows them to pursue meritorious claims without depleting resources.”

Burford’s research is based on a 2024 survey conducted by GLG and is supplemented by interviews with ten global energy transition experts conducted by Ari Kaplan Advisors.

The research report can be downloaded on Burford’s website.

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Announcements Commercial People Moves

Hannah Sadler Joins GLS Capital Patent Investment Team

By Harry Moran |

Hannah Sadler has joined the firm as a vice president and member of the patent investment team.

“We are very happy to welcome Hannah to GLS Capital as a vice president and member of our team focusing on patent investments,” said Adam Gill, a GLS Capital managing director, co-founder, and leader of the firm’s patent-related investing. “Attracting top-tier talent is essential for continuing to help our clients achieve success, and Hannah’s background in patent litigation will be invaluable for navigating the complexities of patent investments and helping to drive our mission forward.”

Sadler focuses on diligence around qualified underwriting opportunities and monitoring and managing the firm’s patent litigation investments.

Before joining GLS Capital, Sadler was a patent litigator at Global IP Law Group in Chicago. She has over a decade of experience with all aspects of patent portfolio management and enforcement, including prosecution, litigation, sales, licensing, and portfolio valuation.

Sadler earned her J.D. (cum laude) from DePaul University College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of San Diego.

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