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Vannin Capital’s Ania Farren Appointed as New Chair of ICC’s Arbitration Program

John Beechey, one of the biggest names in international arbitration and former President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, is retiring from his position as Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC’s) Arbitration programme in the UK, passing the torch on to his successor, Ania Farren, Managing Director of Vannin Capital. Ania will take up the reins from 20th June, supported by Iain Quirk from Essex Court Chambers and Guy Pendell from CMS, whom we welcome as a new Vice Chair in the UK leadership team.

John has been pivotal in the transformation of ICC’s UK arbitration programme since 2015, appointing a raft of global arbitration experts to the UK committee, setting up a new Selections Subcommittee to improve UK nominations to the ICC International Court of Arbitration and appointing Iain Quirk as UK Arbitration Consultant. John has long been a driver for positive change and a champion of arbitration in the UK, helping to bring on a new generation of leaders into the field, promoting the role of women and ensuring that the UK remains the number one contributor of arbitrators to the ICC International Court of Arbitration.  He steps down as chair of the Arbitration programme, but will remain a member of the UK Board of ICC.

ICC’s UK programme provides a unique forum to build national consensus on international rules for arbitration, nominate representatives to ICC’s international fora, promote ICC products and services and manage the nominations of arbitrators to the Court.

Ania Farren – previously Vice Chair – has been appointed as John’s successor. A highly regarded lawyer internationally, Ania was appointed to the Arbitration & ADR Committee in 2015 and has been Vice Chair of the Committee since 2017. ICC looks forward to Ania carrying on John’s good work and bringing her own fresh approach and experience to the role. Guy Pendell (CMS) has taken up the position of new Vice Chair and will serve alongside Iain Quirk (Essex Court Chambers) as the second Vice Chair. Together, the UK will be led by next generation arbitrators under the leadership of the first female UK chair.

Also joining the Committee are Charlie Caher (WilmerHale), Kim Franklin QC (Crown Office Chambers), Milo Molfa (Cleary Gottlieb), Richard Smith (Allen & Overy), Ricky Diwan QC (Essex Court Chambers), Sara Masters QC (20 Essex Street) and Simon Rainey QC (Quadrant Chambers).

The Committee is busy building on the success of London International Disputes Week in May and working on the next ICC Arbitration & ADR Commission meeting in Paris in the autumn, to be followed by the annual ICC Arbitration Conference in London in November 2019.

ICC is the world’s largest business organisation representing 45 million companies and 1 billion employees from all sectors and company sizes in over 100 countries. We are the only business organisation with UN Observer Status. ICC United Kingdom is the representative office of ICC in the UK and works with British business groups worldwide to represent the voice of British business at inter-governmental level – the United Nations, G20 and World Trade Organization. For further information, please visitwww.iccwbo.uk

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Announcements Commercial Legal Innovation

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.

Announcements Commercial

NorthWall Capital Hits €2.9 B AUM on Private Credit Momentum

By John Freund |

NorthWall Capital has rocketed past €2.9 billion in assets under management after pulling in an additional €1.6 billion of institutional capital in 2025 alone. The London-based alternative credit manager says the surge reflects allocators’ intensifying hunt for scaled, multi-strategy platforms as Europe’s banks retrench and borrowers seek bespoke sources of credit.

A press release from NorthWall Capital details first-close totals across four distinct strategies. The flagship Credit Opportunities fund secured €731 million—already eclipsing its prior vintage—while the newly launched Senior Lending vehicle raised $503 million, translating to roughly $750 million of deployable firepower once leverage is applied. Asset-Backed Opportunities collected €252 million for collateral-rich loans in sectors underserved by traditional lenders, and the specialist Legal Assets platform locked down $169 million to extend the firm’s law-firm lending programme.

Founder and CIO Fabian Chrobog said the fundraising validates “the consistency of our approach” and NorthWall’s ability to craft solutions that resonate with investors and counterparties alike. With headcount slated to hit 40 by year-end, the firm plans to lean further into complex, situational credit born of bank deleveraging, regulatory shifts and sponsors’ need for certainty of execution.

Announcements Commercial People Moves

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.