New Burford Quarterly Highlights Strategic Shift: Litigation as a Driver of Corporate Value and Capital Efficiency

New York, July 10, 2025 – Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today releases its latest Burford Quarterly, a journal that explores the top trends at the nexus of law and finance. As legal finance increasingly serves as a transformative tool for corporations and law firms alike, this edition offers data-driven insights, in-depth analysis and expert commentary on key industry developments.

Issue No. 3 of the Burford Quarterly explores how legal finance is transforming litigation from a cost burden into a strategic business tool. In-house and law firm attorneys, alongside Burford’s senior leaders, offer expert insights on how legal finance is unlocking hidden value, empowering GCs to act as strategic value creators and helping businesses leverage patents and litigation recoveries to drive capital efficiency and growth. As legal finance continues to shape the future of commercial disputes, Burford remains at the forefront of this industry-defining shift.

Articles in the Burford Quarterly No.3 2025 include:

·       The strategic GC: Turning legal from cost center to value creator 

Burford’s own General Counsel Mark Klein explores the evolving role of GCs—from legal advisors to strategic partners tasked with boosting liquidity and driving enterprise value. Writing for his peers, he highlights how this shift is reshaping approaches to litigation.

·       Litigation is a strategic asset—not just a defensive necessity

With rising financial pressures, affirmative recovery programs—programs that enhance liquidity by pursuing recoveries through meritorious plaintiff-side litigation—are emerging as strategic initiatives to align legal claims with business goals and unlock hidden value. Insights from Steven Greenspan, former chief litigation counsel at RTX Corporation and Andrew Johnstone, former interim GC for US Foods, shed light on this evolving corporate strategy. 

·       New patent monetization data shows increased opportunities for law firm-funder collaboration 
New data shows that 73% of in-house lawyers report increased revenue from patent monetization over the past decade. To capitalize on this trend, businesses are increasingly turning to legal finance to unlock portfolio value through direct enforcement or through divestitures, in which businesses sell patents that may be redundant or no longer core to the business to a third party who may hold, license or enforce them.

·       At the table with leading lawyers: Key themes from discussions on the future of London disputes 

     London remains a global hub for commercial disputes, with legal finance playing an increasingly central role. At a recent Burford Capital roundtable, prominent legal practitioners explored key trends in the market and takeaways for law firms to consider when engaging with commercial litigants.

“At Burford, we continue to see a fundamental redefinition of how businesses think about litigation—from a sunk cost to a strategic asset, said David Perla, Vice Chair of Burford Capital. “Legal assets—often overlooked—represent a significant and underutilized financial lever, and legal departments are no longer just defending the enterprise but are driving financial outcomes. This Burford Quarterly shares perspectives from leaders from the business of law that demonstrate how Burford works with GCs and CFOs to unlock the latent value within their litigation portfolios to fuel broader business goals.”

###