Cardium Law has joined the Bridging & Development Lenders Association (BDLA) as an associate member, a move that matters to association and institute professionals as trade bodies widen membership beyond lenders to the legal and finance firms that support them.

The BDLA is the UK’s only trade association dedicated to representing the interests of bridging and development lenders and their customers. Its membership brings together lenders and associate firms, promoting high standards, responsible lending and best practice, and it engages with regulators and policymakers.

Cardium Law is a London based specialist litigation business founded in 2017, providing legal services across construction, business and finance. It has connections across insurers, brokers and litigation funders, supporting clients with litigation, access to finance and risk management.

Adam Tyler, CEO of the BDLA, said, “Legal expertise is an important part of the infrastructure that supports specialist property finance, particularly as lenders navigate increasingly complex transactions and manage risk throughout the lending process.”

Matthew Clark, chief executive officer at Cardium Law, said, “Specialist property finance increasingly relies on different disciplines working effectively together and there’s real value in bringing the right legal and finance expertise around a transaction or dispute rather than looking at each issue in isolation.”

The membership reflects a market where lenders increasingly need legal and dispute expertise alongside capital.

Bridging and development lenders reported 1.8 billion pounds of completions in the first quarter of 2026, down from 2.5 billion pounds in the previous quarter, according to Rapid Bridging. Unregulated refinancing rose from 5 per cent to 11 per cent of contributor transactions over the same period, the same analysis found, which points to maturing facilities and delayed exits.

For the sector, an associate tier gives a trade body a structured way to bring in professionals who handle disputes, enforcement and risk. For the sector’s lenders specifically, early access to litigation expertise within the association’s network can shorten the route from problem loan to resolution.

Whether the BDLA’s associate tier grows into a recognised route for legal, insolvency and advisory firms will indicate how far specialist finance associations rely on adjacent professions to deepen their standards work across the sector.

Source: The Intermediary / Rapid Bridging