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Omni Bridgeway invests in Japanese legal business to provide access to justice for Japanese claimaints

Omni Bridgeway invests in Japanese legal business to provide access to justice for Japanese claimaints

SYDNEY, 16 July 2020: Omni Bridgeway Limited (ASX:OBL), announces a new legal finance facility and an equity investment in an exciting new Japanese business providing Japanese clients with access to justice, without the associated costs and risks of pursuing their claims. These developments extend Omni Bridgeway’s global footprint and allows Japanese citizens to experience a service others have come to know and trust around the world. They also draw on Omni Bridgeway’s expertise in providing innovative LegalTech solutions and enhance the company’s portfolio of LegalTech investments. Established in April 2015 by two highly-experienced lawyers, Japan Legal Network Co., Ltd (Japan Legal Network) offers finance service similar to After The Event (ATE) insurance for clients pursuing legal actions in the corporate and other sectors (such as employees seeking reimbursement of un-paid wages). The ATE finance covers claimants’ legal expenses and is novel for Japan. Mr Yasufumi Minamitani, Representative Director and one of the founders of Japan Legal Network (previously an Attorney at leading Japanese law firm Nishimura Asahi and a business consultant at Boston Consulting Group), said: “Japanese claimants have traditionally not had an avenue to progress their legal rights while outsourcing the costs and risks to a finance institution at the same time. Japan Legal Network is the first service of this kind in Japan and provides clients with the capital and expertise to pursue their rights.” Co-founder of Japan Legal Network, Mr Nobuhisa Hayano (previously an Attorney at leading Japanese Law firm Oh-ebashi Partners) added: “Thanks to Omni Bridgeway’s investment, we are assisting thousands of claimants in recovering their damages and advocating for a fairer society in Japan.“ Mr. Seiichiro Wada, Representative Director of Monex Ventures, Inc. who is a co-investor with Omni Bridgeway, said: “Although consultation services to lawyers and other experts have become widespread and access to justice has become easier in Japan, there are many cases in which victims have to give up filing a lawsuit due to the financial burden. We also believe that there are many people and corporations who have a legal problem, but are unable to take action due to their customs or beliefs. We hope that the finance service provided by Japan Legal Network will become widespread and facilitate the use of legal professional services and that it will help people and corporations struggling with legal issues to resolve them.“ Tom Glasgow, Chief Investment Officer – Asia at Omni Bridgeway, said: “Omni Bridgeway has the largest team of its kind in Asia and the world and we are delighted to support Japan Legal Network and be at the forefront yet again of introducing new finance services to another part of Asia”. ABOUT OMNI BRIDGEWAY Omni Bridgeway is the global leader in dispute resolution finance, with expertise in civil and common law legal and recovery systems, and operations spanning Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, the UK and the US. Omni Bridgeway offers dispute finance from case inception through to post-judgment enforcement and recovery. Since 1986 it has established a proud record of funding disputes and enforcement proceedings around the world. Omni Bridgeway is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX:OBL) and includes the leading dispute funders formerly known as IMF Bentham LimitedBentham IMF and ROLAND ProzessFinanz. It also includes a joint venture with IFC (part of the World Bank Group).
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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.