New Burford Quarterly Explores How Legal Leaders Are Rethinking Capital, Technology and Value Creation

New York, September 29, 2026 – Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today releases its latest Burford Quarterly, a journal of legal finance that explores top trends at the nexus of law and finance.

Across the legal sector, decisions once viewed primarily through a legal lens are increasingly becoming questions of capital allocation and value creation. Companies are applying greater financial discipline to disputes and looking for ways to realize value from legal and intellectual property assets, while law firms are investing in technology and artificial intelligence as they rethink how legal services will be delivered in the years ahead.

“Capital is playing an increasingly important role in how both companies and law firms make decisions about the future,” said David Perla, Vice Chair at Burford Capital. “Businesses are looking more closely at the economics of disputes and at how they can generate value from legal and intellectual property assets, while law firms are making significant investments in technology and AI. This issue of the Burford Quarterly looks at how that more commercial mindset is reshaping the business of law and creating new opportunities for legal leaders.”

Articles in the Burford Quarterly No.4 2026 include:

• The future of law firms is a capital question
  Managing Director Evan Meyerson considers how the law firm business model is evolving as firms respond to changing client expectations and invest in technology and artificial intelligence. The article examines what these investments could mean for the economics and delivery of legal services, and how law firm leaders can position their businesses for a future in which technology, capital and commercial strategy are increasingly intertwined.
  
  
• Monetization, explained: How companies can unlock capital from pending legal claims
  A valuable commercial claim, judgment or arbitral award can take years to translate into cash. This article explains how monetization enables businesses to accelerate a portion of an expected recovery through non-recourse capital, creating immediate liquidity while allowing claim owners to retain control and meaningful exposure to future upside.
   
• The economics of disputes: What UK GCs and law firms told us about litigation in 2026
  New Burford research conducted in association with The Lawyer reveals how commercial considerations are increasingly shaping litigation strategy. With cost emerging as the leading factor in decisions about whether to pursue disputes, the research explores why legal merits alone are no longer enough and how legal finance is becoming an increasingly established tool for managing capital and risk.
  
  
• Patents as capital: Asia's next chapter in IP monetization
  Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are emerging as increasingly important patent monetization markets. The article examines the growing use of licensing, divestiture and cross-border enforcement strategies—and why companies are increasingly treating patents not simply as defensive rights, but as strategic financial assets capable of generating enterprise value.