Gerchen Keller Capital

What Gerchen Keller Capital does

Gerchen Keller Capital was a Chicago-based litigation finance firm founded in 2013, specializing in providing capital to fund the cost and risk of high-value commercial litigation and arbitration. Described as the largest investment and advisory firm focused exclusively on legal and regulatory risk, with $1.4B in assets and a team of 11-50 employees, the firm financed commercial legal disputes on an individually negotiated, case-by-case basis. Its business model centered on funding businesses and law firms engaged in complex commercial disputes, generating returns through the monetization of legal claims and litigation outcomes. The firm was among the earliest dedicated entrants in the legal finance industry, established as a specialized launch vehicle by founders including Travis Lenkner, who brought prior experience from Boeing and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Gerchen Keller Capital was acquired by Burford Capital in 2016 and no longer operates as an independent entity; its operations, team, and capabilities were integrated into Burford's multi-billion dollar legal finance platform. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Burford Capital (publicly listed on NYSE and LSE), Gerchen Keller Capital's deal flow and capabilities now contribute to Burford's broader portfolio spanning antitrust, asset recovery, bankruptcy, international arbitration, patent/IP, and securities litigation across the Americas, Asia, Australia, Continental Europe, the UK, and the Middle East.

Name

Gerchen Keller Capital

Website

https://gerchenkeller.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gerchen Keller Capital was a Chicago-based litigation finance firm founded in 2013 that funded high-value commercial litigation and arbitration for businesses and law firms. It was acquired by Burford Capital in 2016 and now operates as a subsidiary within Burford's multi-billion dollar legal finance platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Litigation Finance

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Finance & Litigation/Claims Credit (FSAHAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Litigation / Claims & Bankruptcy-Related Trading (FSAHACAG), Specialty Finance / Structured Credit (FSANADAE)

Keywords

• Litigation finance
• Legal funding
• Commercial arbitration
• Investment advisory
• Regulatory risk

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

Gerchen Keller Capital is an investment and advisory firm that provides financing for commercial litigation and arbitration matters, allowing clients to shift the cost and risk of high-value legal disputes. The firm focuses exclusively on legal and regulatory risk and invests capital on a case-by-case, negotiated basis across areas including general commercial litigation, international arbitration, antitrust, patent/IP, securities, and asset recovery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Certum Group: Specialist funder of mass tort and complex commercial litigation, competing for institutional-quality legal risk capital.
• Calunius Capital: London-based litigation funder focused on commercial disputes and arbitration; comparable in scale, mandate, and institutional client base.
• Longford Capital Management: US-based commercial litigation funder serving corporate plaintiffs and law firms, with a portfolio financing model directly comparable to Gerchen Keller's.
• Augusta Ventures: UK-based commercial litigation funder offering portfolio and single-case financing to businesses and law firms, directly overlapping Gerchen Keller's proposition.
• Burford Capital: The publicly listed parent and largest dedicated legal finance firm globally; Gerchen Keller operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary within Burford's multi-billion dollar portfolio.
• Omni Bridgeway: One of the largest publicly listed litigation funders globally, financing commercial litigation and arbitration across multiple jurisdictions — a direct competitor to Gerchen Keller's investment focus.
• Harbour Litigation Funding: Specialist third-party litigation funder providing single-case and portfolio financing for commercial disputes; directly comparable to Gerchen Keller's core funding activity.
• Therium Capital Management: Litigation and arbitration funder investing across commercial claims and class actions; comparable in offering scope and target client base to Gerchen Keller.

Emerging players

• LexShares: Litigation finance platform providing portfolio and single-case funding with a tech-enabled approach; an emerging participant in the same commercial legal funding niche.

Regional players

• Bench Walk Advisory: Boutique advisor and capital-raiser for litigation funders and law firms seeking portfolio financing; comparable as a specialist capital intermediary within the legal finance ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/burfordcapital
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burford-capital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gerchen Keller Capital