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McDonald Hopkins’ Litigation Finance Group welcomes seasoned attorney to its powerhouse team

By Harry Moran |

McDonald Hopkins is proud to welcome John J. Hanley as a Member in the Business Department and the Litigation Finance Practice Group. John brings with him years of experience, a proven track record of success and an innovative spirit that will play a pivotal role at the firm.

“McDonald Hopkins is a great brand in the litigation finance space.” said John. “The goal here is to capture market share. We will continue to be among the best and most active in the litigation finance space, and I’m excited to contribute to it.”

John specializes in litigation finance and complex financial transactions. He has over two decades of extensive experience from highly esteemed East Coast law firms in first and second lien financings, private debt and equity placements, acquisition and sale of loans, securities, trade claims, and other illiquid assets. His clientele includes a diverse array of financial entities, such as litigation funders, business development companies, specialty lenders, investment banks, hedge funds and others. He attributes his success in the field to his client-focus and the way he approaches complex matters.

“I identify as a part of the client’s team. I use terminology like ‘our position,’ ‘our claims,’ ‘our proceeds,’ and I mean it. It may seem small, but I think it strikes a chord and makes a difference,” John noted.

John’s arrival is a strategic step in building upon the success and influence the Litigation Practice Group has achieved. His addition bolsters a powerhouse team of attorneys, including Marc Carmel and Edward Reilly, who have deep experience in this field. This addition aligns with the group’s recent Chambers ranking, which recognized it as one of five firms ranked in the 2024 Chambers Litigation Support Guide for Litigation Support Deal Counsel (USA-Nationwide) and Marc Carmel as one of eight attorneys ranked individually.

“With John, we truly are positioned to offer unparalleled expertise and service in the litigation finance realm. This not only affirms our leadership in the field but also demonstrates our ongoing dedication to expanding and enhancing the support we provide to our clients. We believe no other middle-market practice matches the scope of our engagements, and John’s arrival shows that the best in the business want to be here. We are thrilled to have him on the team,” said Marc Carmel, Chair of the Litigation Finance Practice and Managing Member of McDonald Hopkins’ Chicago office.

David Gunning, the Chair of McDonald Hopkins’ Business Department echoed Carmel’s sentiment.

“John is an invaluable addition to our Business Department,” said David Gunning, the Chair of McDonald Hopkins Business Department. “His experience will not only strengthen our Litigation Finance Group but will also enhance our broader finance capabilities. We’re excited to have John on board as we continue to grow our department and provide exceptional service to our clients across all areas of finance.”

John will be mostly remote from his home in New Jersey, but will be working closely with McDonald Hopkins’ Chicago office.

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Harry Moran

Harry Moran

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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.

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.

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.