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Manolete Partners Reports Increases in Case Completions, New Investments and Revenue in Half-Year Results

Manolete Partners Reports Increases in Case Completions, New Investments and Revenue in Half-Year Results

With the numbers of insolvencies on the rise in the aftermath of the pandemic, insolvency litigation funders are seeing the market begin to shift in their favour, as reflected in new financial reporting from one of the UK’s leading funders of insolvency litigation. Manolete Partners released its unaudited half-year results for the six months up to 30 September 2023, reporting that the business has seen significant increases in case completions, new case investments and total revenues. According to the H1 FY24 results, Manolete recorded 116 case completions during this period, which marked a 21% increase from the 95 cases completed during H1 FY23. Across these cases, the average duration dropped from 14.9 months in FY23 to only 11.5 months in FY24. Manolete suggested that ‘this signifies a return to the Company’s long established case duration of around 12.7 months, which had expanded temporarily due to the challenges presented by Covid.’ The funder also confirmed that it ended H1 FY24 with 417 cases that are still ongoing, which once again represented a significant increase of 58% over the same period in FY23. Moving on to Manolete’s investments, the funder reported a total of 179 new case investments in H1 FY24, representing a 116% rise from last year’s H1 total of 83 new investments. Manolete explained this increase, stating that ‘the higher level of insolvencies in the economy translated to higher new cases signed as well as the impact of the Barclay Bounce Back Loan Pilot (BBLs).’ Regarding the BBL pilot scheme, Manolete reported that since the start of the calendar year it has signed 80 of these cases and has already achieved completion on 27 cases. As LFJ reported in October, Manolete confirmed that it ‘is hopeful to shortly commence a separate BBL pilot with another well-known bank.’ Overall, Manolete recorded a 104% increase in total revenues, achieving £11.2m in H1 FY24 compared to £5.5m in H1 FY23 In his statement on the results, Steven Cooklin, Chief Executive Officer, highlighted the importance of the return of large company insolvencies “back to pre-pandemic levels”, which is now filtering down to create increased opportunities for funders focusing on insolvency litigation. He explained that “as the insolvency market develops through the current business cycle, the Directors anticipate a return to higher average case sizes, reflecting a greater mix of larger company insolvencies.”
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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.