Pretium Launches Legal Investment Group

Pretium Launches Legal Investment Group

Pretium, a specialized investment management firm with more than $26 billion in assets, today announced that it has established a legal opportunities investment team. Pretium’s legal opportunities team will work with corporations and law firms to identify and invest in legal and commercial opportunities where its team has deep knowledge and experience and that offer attractive return potential for investors.  Areas of investment will include high value complex disputes between businesses, arbitrations, antitrust, patent and intellectual property, bankruptcy, distressed debt and insolvency and monetization of judgments and awards.  Pretium will not be investing in consumer litigation finance. Don Mullen, founder and CEO of Pretium, commented, “We are thrilled to further expand Pretium’s capabilities into this fast-growing area of the market, where we believe our combination of scale, an exceptional team, and financial sophistication meets a growing need.  As many of today’s fastest growing companies and industries mature, there will be increased demand for experienced and well-resourced firms to assist them in managing their legal risks particularly in areas of intellectual property, patents and technology.  With the expertise of our legal strategies team, we are excited to offer investors a diversifying investment with attractive returns that are minimally correlated to the broader economic cycle.” The strategy will be led by Matthew Cantor, a Senior Managing Director who joined Pretium in May 2020 and has more than two decades of experience of creating value for investors in complex legal situations. This experience includes his tenure leading the highly successful resolution of the Lehman Brothers estate and time spent as both an investor and as a practicing attorney at leading global law firms. Also joining Pretium as a Senior Managing Director is Charles (Chad) Schmerler, who will serve as the head of Litigation Finance. Prior to joining Pretium, he was the CEO of Yorkside Capital, a litigation finance firm he founded following his tenure as a litigation partner at Norton Rose Fulbright.  He has over a decade of experience representing funders and clients seeking funding and is a recognized expert in the field. Mr. Cantor and Mr. Schmerler are joined by several seasoned investment, legal and financial professionals who bring a unique and diverse set of subject matter expertise in litigation finance, legal risk monetization, intellectual property, and forensic accounting and damages analysis that will differentiate Pretium from others in the space. Mr. Cantor added, “We look forward to working with law firms, corporations, and other sophisticated parties to utilize our deep knowledge and substantial capital to provide them with bespoke financing solutions that help them efficiently and effectively manage their legal risks and pursue commercial claims that fit within our investment criteria.” About Pretium Pretium was founded in 2012 to capitalize on secular investment and lending opportunities arising as a result of structural changes, disruptions, and inefficiencies within the economy. Pretium has built an integrated analytical and operational ecosystem within the U.S. housing, residential credit, and corporate credit markets, and believes that its insight and experience within these markets create a strategic advantage over other investment managers. Pretium’s platform has approximately $26 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2021 and employs approximately 2,500 people across 29 offices. Please visit www.pretium.com for additional information.
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New North Litigation Capital Launches, Backed by £50 Million in Senior Secured Financing from Pollen Street Capital

By John Freund |

Pollen Street Capital ("Pollen Street") today announces a new senior secured credit facility of up to £50 million to New North Litigation Capital (“New North”). New North is a commercial litigation finance company and a direct subsidiary of Capital Law, a Cardiff based law firm founded in 2006.

Capital Law has a strong track record in commercial litigation, having closed over 400 claimant cases since 2001 with a 95% win rate. Drawing on its senior leadership and experienced disputes team, Capital Law launched New North to address the underserved small to mid-market segment of commercial litigation market. 

New North will be the only litigation financier in the UK owned and operated by practicing lawyers, bringing their day to day lived experience of handling mid-market litigation into pricing the risk and the funding investment decisions.

Christopher Nott, Founder and CEO of New North commented: “We are pleased to work with Pollen Street on this financing to launch New North Litigation Capital. The funding supports us to bridge a critical gap by funding claims that are often deemed too small by other players in the market. We are excited to work with the Pollen Street team as we create this new kind of litigation funding.”

Connor Marshall-Mckie, Investment Director at Pollen Street, commented:New North addresses an important gap in the litigation funding space, focusing on smaller mid-market commercial litigation. With the significant opportunity available and the deep experience of the leadership team from Capital Law we are excited to partner with the team to support their growth.”

About Pollen Street

Pollen Street is a fast-growing and high-performing private capital asset manager. Established in 2013, the firm has built deep capability across the real estate, financial and business services sectors aligned with mega-trends shaping the future of the industry. Pollen Street manages over €7bn AUM across private equity and credit strategies on behalf of investors including leading public and corporate pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, asset managers, banks, and family offices from around the world. Pollen Street has a team of over 95 professionals.

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.