Validity Finance Welcomes University of Chicago Law Student for 2020 Equal Access Fellowship

Validity Finance Welcomes University of Chicago Law Student for 2020 Equal Access Fellowship

NEW YORK (June 24, 2020) – Leading litigation funder Validity Finance has selected University of Chicago Law School law student Amber S. Stewart for its 2020 Equal Access Fellowship. The program, launched last year, provides a 10-week paid summer fellowship to first-year law students of diverse backgrounds to spend the first half of their summer at Validity learning the basic principles of litigation funding before spending the second half working at the non-profit of their choice. Validity is one of the only funders to provide such a program for first-year law students.

Validity elected to maintain its full 10-week summer program, notwithstanding the logistical difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Stewart will work with the team at Validity for the first five weeks of her fellowship, beginning mid-July. She will assist in analyzing potential case investments, participating in meetings with claimants and lawyers, drafting articles and conducting legal research on topics related to litigation and dispute funding. Like the rest of the Validity team, she expects to be working remotely during these five weeks. For the second part of her fellowship Ms. Stewart has elected to work at the Corporate Accountability Lab, a Chicago-based international human rights organization that develops legal tools for holding corporations accountable when they commit human rights and environmental violations. “We’re looking forward to having Amber join us this summer as our 2020 Equal Access Fellow,” said Validity founder and CEO Ralph Sutton. “Despite constraints the pandemic has placed on businesses across the country, we’re happy to convene our program for a second year. Our team is enthusiastic about working closely with Amber, who has a remarkable academic resumé and background.” A Florida native, Ms. Stewart had stiff competition from over three dozen applicants from top-tier U.S. law schools. Candidates were asked to submit academic transcripts, and submit essays addressing their interest in litigation funding and describing how they have overcome personal challenges. As a rising 2L, Ms. Stewart is part of the University of Chicago Law School’s Doctoroff Business Leadership Program — a certificate-granting track for high-achieving students that blends an MBA curriculum into a three-year law school degree. She is also Vice President of the school’s Black Law Students Association (Earl B. Dickerson Chapter). Ms. Stewart obtained an A.B. in Art History and Gender & Sexuality Studies from Princeton University in 2015. “I was motivated to apply for the fellowship program in part because of Validity’s mission of making the civil justice system more accessible and equitable, which especially resonated with me,” said Ms. Stewart. “I’m hoping the summer will help me better understand the economic and business case for litigation funding, and what kinds of disputes can best benefit from third-party finance solutions.” Equal Access Fellows work an initial five weeks at Validity and have the option of spending the balance of the summer at the firm or a public service organization of their choice. Validity pays the fellows’ salary for the entire 10-week program. Last year’s inaugural fellows, Jarrett Lewis and Amanda Gonzalez Burton, remain in touch with the Validity Finance team, and will be connecting with Ms. Stewart as part of her orientation. Mr. Lewis is a rising 3L at Georgetown University Law School and managing editor of operations for the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics; he will be participating in Debevoise & Plimpton LLP’s summer associate program. Ms. Burton, a rising 3L at the NYU School of Law, will be summering at Cooley LLP. For more on last year’s fellows, visit: https://validity-finance.com/news/summer_fellowship_2019/ Mr. Sutton commented, “As our corner of the legal profession continues to evolve, we want to draw new entrants from diverse communities, who can bring important perspective on disparities in access to justice. Our fellowship program provides law students an excellent grounding in the fundamental best practices of litigation funding and an opportunity for our team to maintain a mentoring relationship as the fellows continue their path in the legal profession.”

About Validity Validity is a commercial litigation finance company that provides businesses, law firms and individuals with non-recourse financing for a wide variety of commercial disputes. Validity was founded in 2018 with $250 million in committed capital, one of the largest first-round capital raises in the U.S. market. The firm announced an additional $50 million in committed capital in 2019. Validity believes that capital and legal expertise combine to help solve legal problems on behalf of clients. Validity’s mission is to make a meaningful difference for clients by focusing on fairness, innovation, and clarity. Validity is committed to developing a diverse and inclusive workforce in its own offices and within the legal profession as a whole. Validity embraces a broad definition of diversity, encompassing race, gender, ethnicity, disability, and LGBTQ background, as well as individuals from underrepresented social, economic, religious, and geographic backgrounds. Equal access to justice; equal access to opportunity— this is what Validity believes is fair and right. For more, visit www.validity-finance.com.

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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.