Trending Now
  • Consumer Legal Funding: A Quiet Force Driving Innovation and Economic Welfare
Commercial Deals

Turnmill Limited Expands Portfolio with Acquisition of Dealmakers Forums LLC

By Harry Moran |
January 28, 2025

Turnmill Limited Expands Portfolio with Acquisition of Dealmakers Forums LLC

Turnmill Limited, a leading global operator of large-scale events for the financial services sector, is pleased to announce the acquisition of a majority stake in Dealmakers Forums LLC, a premier organizer of high-level events in the legal, finance, and technology industries, based in Brooklyn, New York. This strategic acquisition marks the third company to join Turnmill’s expanding portfolio, which also includes GBM: Global Banking & Markets and Completely Events, reinforcing Turnmill’s commitment to facilitating deal flow and connectivity across complex markets.

Dealmakers Forums is renowned for curating high-impact events that bring together senior executives and thought leaders to foster connections, share insights, and drive deal flow. Their flagship events — LF Dealmakers, the premier conference for litigation finance, and IP Dealmakers, the leading forum for intellectual property transactions — are indispensable to industry insiders and recognized for exceptional content, top-tier speakers, and highly effective one-to-one meetings.

Alex Johnson, Group CEO of Turnmill Limited, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Dealmakers Forums into the Turnmill family. Their deep sector knowledge and expertise in creating impactful events complements our mission to support deal flow progression by bringing entire market ecosystems together. This acquisition enables us to broaden our reach within financial services to the legal and technology sectors, enhancing the value we provide to our clients and stakeholders.”

“Partnering with Turnmill is a transformative opportunity to amplify our impact and expand our global reach,” said Wendy Chou, founder and CEO of Dealmakers Forums LLC. “By uniting our expertise and shared dedication to excellence, we can elevate our event offerings, enhance the value we deliver to our participants, and create even stronger, more meaningful connections across industries globally.”

Adam Lewis, Partner at Horizon Capital, stated: “We are excited to continue to support Turnmill with this strategic acquisition. We believe this partnership will accelerate Turnmill’s growth trajectory and further establish its position as a leading operator of large-scale marketplace events.”

This acquisition underscores Turnmill’s dedication to expanding its global footprint and diversifying its portfolio to serve a broader range of sectors and geographies within the financial services industry. By integrating Dealmakers Forums’ expertise and established events, Turnmill aims to enhance its ability to facilitate high-level meetings and support deal flow progression across greater sub-sectors within global finance.

About Turnmill Limited: Turnmill Limited is a leading operator of large-scale events and services that support deal flow progression by curating entire market ecosystems and facilitating high-level meetings tailored to the financial services sector. Backed by Horizon Capital, Turnmill is established as a leading player, experiencing strong growth across its events portfolio in London, Dubai, Cape Town, Miami, Istanbul, and Riyadh. Turnmill’s portfolio includes GBM: Global Banking & Markets, which produces finance and investment conferences bringing together corporates, finance professionals, and investors, and Completely Events, known for organizing the UK’s leading retail property events.

About Dealmakers Forums LLC: Dealmakers Forums curates impactful event experiences for senior executives in the legal, finance, and technology industries. Renowned for its unwavering commitment to quality, Dealmakers Forums stand out with a results-driven approach that prioritizes one-to-one meetings and meaningful networking. By combining expertly crafted content, top-tier speakers, and a focus on building valuable connections, Dealmakers Forums delivers actionable insights and drives real business outcomes. Its flagship events include LF Dealmakers and IP Dealmakers.

About Horizon Capital: Horizon Capital is a private equity investor specialising in technology and business services. The firm was established by senior investment professionals who identified a significant market opportunity to invest in businesses in these sectors valued up to £100m. The partnership prides itself on its approach to helping business owners and managers realise their ambitions. Buy and build is at the heart of every Horizon Capital investment and the firm is a market leader in supporting companies pursuing this strategy. Horizon Capital has a proven track record in generating premium returns on investments. The unprecedented growth it delivers in its portfolio companies has been underpinned by deep and long-term investor relationships that span across two decades.

Secure Your Funding Below
Secure Your Funding Sidebar

About the author

Harry Moran

Harry Moran

Commercial

View All
Commercial

Parabellum Capital’s William Weisman Maps the U.S. Commercial Litigation Finance Player‑Roster

By John Freund |

William Weisman of Parabellum Capital uses a football metaphor to dismantle claims that commercial litigation funders wield excessive influence over the U.S. legal system. Opponents—like the Chamber of Commerce and Lawyers for Civil Justice—portray funders as shadowy power brokers manipulating outcomes. In reality, Weisman argues, the industry is tiny.

Writing in the National Law Review, Weisman notes that U.S. commercial litigation funding represents just $2.3 billion in annual commitments, with only about $759 million going directly to litigants. The workforce across roughly 33 funders totals only 337 people, over half of whom work at firms with five or fewer employees. Burford Capital alone accounts for about 20% of that headcount.

Of those 337 employees, only 204 hold law degrees, and most are focused on origination or operations—not trial oversight. Roughly 80% of funders employ fewer than 10 lawyers, making it implausible that they could “quarterback” litigation. Compared to the 1.3 million U.S. lawyers, 450,000 law firms, and 85,000 attorneys at Am Law 100 firms, the entire funding sector barely registers in size. Even individual corporate law departments often employ more attorneys than all U.S. funders combined.

Weisman concludes that funders aren’t calling plays—they’re providing capital to level the field for smaller businesses that couldn’t otherwise litigate against deep-pocketed opponents. Allegations of undue influence, he writes, are a strategic “ball fake” meant to preserve the advantage of entrenched corporate interests.

Commercial Deals

Funders Court Private Credit Investment

By John Freund |

A sharp pivot is underway in litigation finance as funders increasingly court the private credit market amid waning interest from traditional backers.

An article in Law Gazette details how funders, faced with reduced appetite from pension and endowment funds due to rising interest rates and macroeconomic volatility, are now tapping into the $1.7 trillion private credit sector—comprising non-bank lenders known for backing complex, high-yield opportunities. At Brown Rudnick’s European litigation funding conference last week, executives from Rocade, Therium, and others dissected the sector’s evolving funding landscape.

Brian Roth, CEO of Rocade LLC, emphasized that litigation finance offers the kind of complexity private credit thrives on. “We’re looking for assets that are complex or hard to source… [that offer] a ‘complexity premium,’” Roth said, adding that insurance-wrapped and yield-segmented portfolios could make the space even more appealing to credit investors.

Therium Capital Management co-founder Neil Purslow—whose flagship fund is now in runoff—recently launched Therium Capital Advisors to help bridge the gap between funders and private credit. Purslow noted that while capital is plentiful, accessing it requires sophisticated structuring to meet private lenders’ expectations. “It’s very bespoke,” he said. “This pool of investors… think very specifically about their strategy.”

Not all industry voices are convinced. Soryn IP’s Michael Gulliford warned that litigation finance must deliver returns consistent with private credit norms, or risk being shunned. Meanwhile, Balance Legal Capital’s Robert Rothkopf and Harbour Litigation Funding’s Susan Dunn raised alarms over new players using questionable financial structures and attracting inexperienced investors.

The shift toward private credit could redefine how litigation finance structures deals, raises capital, and manages risk. But the influx of new money—especially if poorly vetted—may also invite instability. As private credit steps into the void, funders must weigh innovation against the risk of diluting industry standards.

Commercial Deals

Yield Bridge Asset Management Launches into Litigation Finance

By John Freund |

The London‑based asset manager Yield Bridge Asset Management (Yield Bridge) has announced its entry into the litigation financing arena, marking a strategic shift into the private‑credit sector of the legal‑funding landscape.

According to a press release in OpenPR, Yield Bridge has entered into several strategic partnerships in the international arbitration space, granting the firm ongoing access to “vetted, insurance‑wrapped Litigation and Private Credit asset programs.”

In detailing the strategy, Yield Bridge highlights litigation finance as a rapidly growing asset class. The release states that high costs in international arbitration often create an uneven battlefield—where financial strength outweighs merits. Litigation funding, the firm argues, offers a counterbalance. It points to “Litigation Finance Bonds” as their preferred investment vehicle—emphasizing 100% capital protection, attractive yields, and short-duration liquidity windows for accredited investors. The firm claims to target structured portfolios of multiple claims (versus single-case investments) to diversify risk and leverage economies of scale. Cases “displaying pre‑determined characteristics and a potential 8–10× multiple” are cited as typical targets.

Yield Bridge positions itself as a “leading international financial services intermediary … bringing together multi‑asset expertise with targeted investment propositions.” While the announcement is light on detailed track record or specific claim‑portfolios, the firm is formally signalling its ambitions in the litigation finance space.

Yield Bridge’s pivot underscores a broader trend: litigation finance moving deeper into structured, institutional‑grade private‑credit models. By packaging multiple claims and targeting returns familiar in alternative‑credit strategies, firms like Yield Bridge are raising the bar—and potentially the competition—for players in the legal‑funding ecosystem. This development raises questions about how deal flow will scale, how returns will be verified, and how risk will be managed in portfolio‑based litigation funding.