About Burford

Burford is the largest and most experienced provider of commercial legal finance in the world. We set the industry gold standard. 

Burford at a glance

11

11-year track record

Burford’s track record of profitability and client success sets us apart.
135+

Employees

The largest and most experienced team makes us a fast, professional and client-friendly partner.
4

Continents

Burford’s global team works from six offices on four continents.
1,000+

Matters in portfolio

Burford’s portfolio includes more than 1,000 commercial matters.
2out of3

Clients return

70% of clients return to do business again.
92%

Top 100 law firms

Burford’s team has worked with over 92% of the world’s 100 largest law firms.

History

Burford's CEO Christopher Bogart and CIO Jonathan Molot met at a RAND conference in 2009 and discovered a shared interest in developing new ways for companies and law firms to manage the cost of high-stakes commercial disputes. As Time Warner’s former general counsel, Chris had crafted the $35 million fee paid to Cravath for its work on the AOL/Time Warner merger—then the largest corporate contingency fee in history. As a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, Jon had investigated market solutions to address the impact of unequal financial resources on litigation outcomes.

Soon after meeting, Chris and Jon launched Burford with a modest $130 million IPO on the London Stock Exchange in October 2009.

Since then, Burford has worked with hundreds of law firms and corporations, including 91 of the world’s 100 largest law firms. Our team has grown from five people at the end of 2009 to over 125 people today, including some 60 lawyers, in offices in New York, London, Chicago, Washington, Singapore and Sydney. Since September 2020, Burford has been a founding member of the International Legal Finance Association, the global voice of the commercial legal finance industry.

  • 2009 // Burford IPO

    In the midst of the global recession, Burford raises $130 million IPO on the LSE AIM market.

  • 2010 // First-ever portfolio investment

    Recognizing the benefit to clients of financing multiple matters in one capital facility, Burford makes its first legal finance portfolio investment—a first for the industry.

  • 2011 // Burford opens London office

    With the acquisition of the UK’s leading ATE insurance provider, Firstassist Legal Expenses, Burford enters the UK legal finance market.

  • 2012 // Inaugural legal finance survey

    Burford launches its inaugural annual research survey; one in ten respondents say their organizations have used litigation finance.

  • 2013 // Trailblazers

    Burford founders Christopher Bogart and Jonathan Molot named among the National Law Journal’s inaugural list of Legal Business Trailblazers & Pioneers.

  • 2014 // Burford breaks half-billion-dollar mark of capital raised

  • 2015 // Burford launches in Hong Kong

  • 2016 // With Gerchen Keller Capital acquisition, Burford opens Chicago office

    Burford becomes the world’s largest provider of legal finance by a significant margin and the only provider with both public and private capital.

  • 2017 // Burford opens office in Singapore

    The first Singapore-seated arbitration funded by a third-party finance provider is financed by Burford.

  • 2018 // The Equity Project launches

    The Equity Project launches with a $50 million pool of capital earmarked for financing commercial litigation and arbitration matters led by women—creating an economic incentive to help close the gender gap in law.

  • 2019 // Burford continues growth

    With offices having been added in Sydney and Washington, DC, Burford continues to grow its team and business.

  • 2020 // Burford lists in NY

    Burford becomes the first legal finance firm to be publicly traded in the US (NYSE:BUR) and the first dual listed company in the legal finance industry.

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