Trending Now

Omni Bridgeway doubles U.S. team in 12 months, announces key promotions and new hires

Omni Bridgeway is pleased to announce expansion and key promotions within its U.S. team, which has grown by over 100% in the past 12 months. 

In New York, Sarah Tsou has been appointed Senior Investment Manager and assumes the role of Portfolio Manager – Global Intellectual Property overseeing Omni Bridgeway’s widely recognized IP business and team of dedicated IP professionals. This portfolio role underscores Omni Bridgeway’s unique global IP capabilities and worldwide footprint spanning key IP markets.

Fiona Chaney, who heads the company’s Los Angeles office, was also recently appointed to Senior Investment Manager and Legal Counsel. Fiona also serves as co-lead of the company’s insurance initiatives.

We also congratulate Chris Citro (New York), who has been promoted to Investment Manager and Legal Counsel, with a focus on patents and other intellectual property matters.

Further building out the company’s dynamic IP team is Phillip Goter who recently joined as Investment Manager and Legal Counsel. Phil’s arrival marks Omni Bridgeway’s continued expansion on-the-ground including new operations in the Midwest. Based in Minneapolis, Phil joins from Fish & Richardson with over a decade of experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes disputes involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, antitrust and competition law, and FDA clearance. Phil is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School and a member of the Expert Network for Lunar Startups, an incubator specializing in growth and innovation for diverse, high-potential entrepreneurs.

In Washington D.C. we welcome Matt Leland as Investment Manager and Legal Counsel. Matt joins us from King & Spalding LLP where he was a commercial litigation partner and successfully litigated diverse legal issues for corporate plaintiffs and defendants in the energy, manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and construction industries. Matt helped clients recover substantial damages in many of his cases, which often involved contract and commercial disputes, government reimbursement claims, unfair business practices, civil RICO, protection of trade secrets, and trademark infringement. Prior to this, Matt was a partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP.

On the business side, we welcome Joseph Cho as Corporate Counsel based in New York. Joe joins us from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP where he represented public and private companies in complex mergers and acquisitions. His previous experience includes private practice at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC.

The U.S. team has also grown its slate of associate investment managers, legal counsel, and business support, doubling Omni Bridgeway’s U.S. headcount to over 45 in the past year. 

Andrew Saker, Omni Bridgeway’s Managing Director & CEO and Chief Strategy Officer – US notes, “We are delighted to welcome Phil, Matt and Joe, and congratulate our investment team colleagues in their promotions. We are committed to attracting and retaining the top talent in the U.S. market who bring a unique combination of legal expertise and financial innovation, to result in the best outcomes for clients. Our model is more than financial – we are skills, plus capital. Companies and law firms in the U.S. are responding to our offering, and this is reflected in our continued growth.”

Announcements

View All

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.

Golden Pear Upsizes Corporate Note to $78.7M Amid Growth Plans

By John Freund |

Golden Pear Funding has extended and upsized its investment-grade corporate note to $78.7 million, further bolstering the firm's capacity to serve the expanding litigation finance sector. The New York-based funder, a national leader in both pre-settlement and medical receivables financing, said the proceeds will support working capital and fuel strategic growth initiatives.

A press release from Golden Pear outlines how the capital raise reflects continued investor confidence in the firm’s business model. CEO Gary Amos noted that the infusion is critical as Golden Pear seeks to scale alongside the “rapidly expanding litigation finance market.” CFO Daniel Amsellem added that the new funding aligns with the company’s capital allocation strategy, aimed at optimizing operational efficiency and executing strategic projects.

Brean Capital, LLC acted as the exclusive financial advisor and sole placement agent on the transaction.

Founded in 2008, Golden Pear has funded more than $1.1 billion to over 87,000 clients and remains one of the largest specialty finance companies in the U.S. Its business model spans legal case funding and medical receivables purchasing, with backing from a network of private equity partners that provide institutional support for continued expansion.

LionFish Updates Model Documents in Response to CJC Report

By John Freund |

LionFish Litigation Finance Ltd has released a new suite of model litigation funding documents, updating its original set from February 2021. The revision comes on the heels of the Civil Justice Council's (CJC) Final Report on Litigation Funding, issued on 2 June 2025, which calls for a regulatory structure informed by best practices, including key principles published by the European Law Institute (ELI) in October 2024.

A LionFish press release details that the updated suite incorporates several of the ELI Principles (notably 4-12) and broader CJC recommendations, except where doing so would require legislative or procedural reform. LionFish's goal, according to Managing Director Tets Ishikawa, is not to dictate market norms but to foster industry-wide standardisation and efficiency. This proactive move is also intended to spark further collaboration between funders, insurers, and legal practitioners to develop trade practices akin to those in mature financial markets, such as those promoted by the Loan Market Association and the International Swaps and Derivatives Association.

The new suite includes three core documents: a litigation funding agreement, a priorities deed to define proceeds distribution, and an assignment deed for insurance benefits. Notably, LionFish has also added documentation for co-investment arrangements, reflecting a growing trend in syndicated funding deals. The funder has already closed seven such transactions.

Managing Director Tanya Lansky emphasised that while litigation funding remains complex, making documentation public enhances transparency and facilitates quicker deal closings—an essential factor for sustaining market growth.

As litigation finance continues to mature, this move by LionFish highlights a shift toward professionalisation and standardisation. With regulators increasingly focused on transparency and fairness, such initiatives may set a de facto benchmark for others in the industry. The question remains: will other funders follow suit, or will regulatory mandates be needed to compel alignment?