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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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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.

Announcements Commercial People Moves

Victory Park Expands Legal Credit Leadership with Maleson Promotion

By John Freund |

Victory Park Capital (VPC), a global alternative asset manager specializing in private credit, has announced that Justin Maleson will expand his role to Managing Director, co-heading the firm’s legal credit investment strategy. The promotion underscores VPC’s ongoing investment in its legal finance capabilities and follows Maleson’s initial appointment in 2024 as Assistant General Counsel.

An announcement from Victory Park Capital details Maleson’s new responsibilities, which include sourcing, analyzing, and managing investments across legal assets, while maintaining oversight of the firm’s legal operations. He joins Chad Clamage in co-leading the strategy, working alongside team members Hugo Lestiboudois and Andrew Pascal, under the continued oversight of VPC CEO and founder Richard Levy.

Maleson brings a strong background in litigation finance and commercial law to the position. Before joining VPC, he served as a director at Longford Capital, where he specialized in originating and managing litigation funding transactions. His earlier tenure as a litigation partner at Jenner & Block further deepened his exposure to complex legal matters, equipping him with the expertise needed to navigate the nuanced legal credit space.

VPC’s legal credit team emphasizes an asset-backed lending model, prioritizing downside protection and predictable income streams. The firm aims to capitalize on inefficiencies within the legal funding market by leveraging its internal expertise and broad network of relationships. With Maleson’s appointment, VPC signals its intent to further scale its legal credit strategy, positioning itself as a key player in the evolving legal finance sector.

Maleson’s elevation comes at a time of increasing sophistication in litigation finance, where experienced legal minds are playing a pivotal role in portfolio construction and risk management. As VPC bolsters its leadership, the move may foreshadow further institutionalization of legal asset investing and heightened competition in a maturing market segment.