Harbour Litigation Funding

Co-founder Susan Dunn and Managing Director Ellora MacPherson lead the firm's investment committee. The committee reviews potential claims for legal merit, damages quantum, enforceability risk, and budget-to-award ratio before committing capital. Harbour's underwriting team includes lawyers with experience at major commercial firms who assess each case on its legal merits rather than relying solely on external counsel opinions.

Harbour typically receives a multiple of its invested capital or a percentage of the damages awarded, depending on the case and jurisdiction. The firm's funding is non-recourse — if a case fails, Harbour loses its investment and the claimant owes nothing. Returns flow back to Harbour's managed funds, which distribute to institutional limited partners after performance fees.

Harbour operates on a portfolio basis, raising closed-end funds that commit capital across a diversified pool of litigation claims. This structure spreads risk across jurisdictions, claim types, and legal teams — insulating the fund from single-case failure. Later vintages have targeted larger claim sizes and expanded into group action proceedings.

Harbour primarily funds claims in the UK, Continental Europe, Australia, and offshore financial centers such as the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands. The firm selects jurisdictions with established legal frameworks for third-party funding and predictable enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards.

Harbour's core focus has historically been UK and European disputes rather than US class actions. The firm may participate in international arbitration matters seated in the US but does not market itself as a primary funder of US domestic litigation, where the competitive landscape differs substantially from the UK and European markets.

Harbour raises institutional equity from limited partners into closed-end fund structures, rather than relying on insurance capacity or underwriting to cover adverse costs risk. This equity-funded, portfolio approach aligns Harbour with private capital models — institutional investors commit capital, pay management fees, and share in carried returns — rather than the premium-funded model common in insurance-linked litigation finance.

Harbour generally avoids small-value claims, family law disputes, defamation cases, and claims where enforcement against the defendant is likely to be impractical. The firm targets commercial matters with high damages potential, strong documentary evidence, and defendants with demonstrable ability to pay an award or settlement.