$2.3 Billion of Capital Deployed Over 12-Month Period Across U.S. Commercial Litigation Finance Industry, According to First-of-Its-Kind Study

November 19, 2019—NASHVILLE— The first-ever detailed analysis of the U.S. commercial litigation finance industry places its size at $2.3 billion, leading U.S. litigation finance advisor, Westfleet Advisors, reported today in its inaugural Westfleet Advisors Litigation Finance Buyer’s Guide. Driven by data collected directly from litigation funders, the Guide represents the first reliable calculation of the size of the U.S. litigation finance industry and offers the most complete and revealing picture ever painted of the sector. This study includes data on the size, scope and focus of U.S. commercial litigation finance, as well as detailed profiles of many of the 41 litigation funders active in the space.

Litigation finance has remained to many—including the corporate legal departments that are its customer base—a market shrouded in mystery but filled with tremendous opportunity for users and funders alike. Through its canvassing of individual providers, Westfleet Advisors was able to “pull back the curtain” on the industry, finding that financiers have $9.5 billion of capital dedicated to financing commercial litigation in the U.S. During the 12-months from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019, $2.3 billion was committed to commercial litigation finance transactions in the U.S. market, quite possibly indicative of a current oversupply of capital. “[T]hese industry dynamics create favorable conditions for those potential users of litigation finance who can successfully navigate the market,” the guide concludes.

“Despite all the industry’s advances and virtues, litigation finance remains mostly opaque to its potential users, to the courts, and to other stakeholders in the civil litigation system,” said Charles Agee, founder of Westfleet Advisors and co-author of the buyer’s guide. “The industry will benefit from a broader understanding of its many benefits and from greater transparency generally. This has long been among our core objectives, and we are hopeful that this guide represents an important step in that direction.”

The guide includes one-page snapshots of major litigation financiers, identifying their preferred financing ranges, assets under management (AUM), financing criteria, and key personnel, among other information. Funders included in the guide vary from those with AUM in excess of a billion (including Bentham IMF and Therium), to those with hundreds of millions in AUM (like Validity, Parabellum, and Curiam), to small boutiques with less than $10 million under management.

Additional significant findings from the guide include:

• The commercial litigation finance industry employs nearly 300 people in the U.S.;
• Portfolio deals with law firms make up 47% of capital deployed; and
• 70% of financing supports litigation being handled by law firms outside the AmLaw 200.

The full report is available at this link.