Woodville Litigation Funding enters administration with £249 million loan book

Woodville Consultants Limited, a litigation funder with almost £250 million advanced to law firms pursuing consumer claims, has entered administration after investors secured a contested court order against the company.

Robert Goodhew and Andrew Stoneman of Kroll Advisory were appointed joint administrators on 16 July 2026. The application was brought by investors whose Woodville loan notes had fallen due but remained unpaid, while directors Peter Legge and Ann Marie Bell reportedly opposed the administration order.

The Pontypridd-based company, trading as Woodville Litigation Funding, said it had financed more than 300,000 cases since 2019 through a group of Solicitors Regulation Authority-regulated law firms. Much of its portfolio related to claims alleging unfair commission arrangements in motor finance agreements.

Woodville raised capital from investors through loan notes carrying fixed interest payments and repayment dates, then advanced the proceeds to law firms to finance their claims. The model depended on recoveries from the underlying litigation being sufficient and timely enough to fund investor returns and redemptions.

That timing mismatch became acute as the resolution of motor finance claims was delayed. Parts of the Financial Conduct Authority’s industry-wide redress scheme were suspended by the Upper Tribunal on 1 July pending legal challenges, and lenders are not currently required to calculate or pay compensation under the suspended provisions. Hearings are expected in December 2026 or February 2027.

The administrators said Woodville’s cash resources were low and that they would engage with a potential external funder about financing continued operations. Any new funding would be intended to protect the company’s loan book and preserve the consumer claims from which repayments may ultimately be generated.

The administrators are working with the law firms to establish the number, status and value of the claims funded by Woodville, assess the collectability of the advances and determine what steps are required to prevent value from deteriorating. The administration may affect approximately six firms, although the portfolio remains under review.

Woodville’s accounts for the year ended 26 December 2024 recorded turnover of £56.1 million, pre-tax profit of £4.3 million and debtors of approximately £249 million. Total assets were reported at about £253 million. The company employed an average of 10 people during the year.

The administrators will also investigate Woodville’s fundraising, its payment of interest and redemptions before the administration, the application of investor money and the conduct of its directors, associated parties and introducers. Allegations of wrongdoing remain unproven.

Crowell & Moring, which acted for the investor group that obtained the administration order, has been retained by Kroll to assist with the insolvency, engagement with the FCA and recovery of amounts advanced to law firms.