The Burford

Quarterly

NO 1 | 2020

2020: Setting a new ambition for legal finance

As we continue to evolve the legal finance industry, we’d like to take the time to explain to the law firms and in-house legal teams that are our clients how our ambitious approach to legal finance can benefit them.

Top questions about legal finance: Conversations with GCs

As we head into 2020, we address some of the top questions we hear from GCs who are just starting to consider their financing options. We anticipate that continued concerns about a potential downturn will bring urgency to these conversations.

2020 Legal finance trends: Antitrust

Antitrust matters are among the most complex, costly and high-stakes commercial claims to litigate, making it an area of perennial need for risk-sharing and cost-sharing solutions. Increased activity in the past year suggests that 2020 will continue to see more (and more expensive) antitrust claims.

Legal finance trends: International arbitration

Jeffery Commission describes the most salient trends in international arbitration in 2019 and explains what to expect in the coming year.

Regional focus: APAC

There have been far-reaching developments in both the growth and regulation of legal finance in Asia Pacific in 2019. The outlook for legal finance remains overwhelmingly positive as the industry matures and becomes increasingly prevalent.

Legal finance trends: Bankruptcy

As industries grapple with a rising number of bankruptcies, stakeholders should seek innovative solutions like legal finance to ensure creditors are made whole.

Legal finance trends: IP & patent

2020 has just begun, and the cost and duration of IP litigation is at an all-time high. Research published last year by Morrison & Foerster revealed that annual spending on IP litigation reached $3.3 billion, up from $1.7 billion in 2005. While total spending has grown, however, the average number of patent disputes per company has decreased—signaling a sharp rise in the average cost of IP matters.

Legal finance trends: Securities litigation

As the volume and breadth of global securities litigation continues to grow, funders will need to address heightened expectations from their clients.

Trends in asset recovery

As markets fluctuate and more jurisdictions emerge as hubs of commerce, we expect greater demand for cross-border enforcement and asset recovery solutions.

Legal finance policy update

A review of recent trends suggests that policymakers recognize that commercial legal finance is simply another form of corporate finance and that more regulation is not the answer.