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Where Capital, Claims, and Strategy Meet

SEPTEMBER 15-17, 2026

Kimpton Hotel Eventi & SECOND | NEW YORK

STATS FROM OUR 2025 ANNUAL FORUM

LF Dealmakers by the numbers

300+

Decision
Makers

300+

one to one
mettings

53

EXPERT 
SPEAKERS

10+

Hours of dedicated networking

About The Event

For Legal Finance Leaders and Decision-Makers

LF Dealmakers Annual Forum brings together the senior leaders shaping the future of legal finance — from funders, law firms, and investors to corporates, insurers, and strategic advisors. Focused on execution over theory, the Forum provides a deal-driven environment where disputes, capital, and commercial strategy actively intersect.

Co-located with LF Dealmakers Mass Torts, the Forum creates a unique platform connecting the full legal finance ecosystem under one roof — from commercial litigation and plaintiff firms to institutional capital and strategic partners. The result is a highly connected environment built around originating relationships, accessing opportunities, and driving real commercial outcomes.

What’s Shaping The Agenda in 2026

21+ focused sessions

Tackling capital formation, liquidity, underwriting, AI, regulation, insurance, co-funding, and the evolution of law firms shaping the future of legal finance

Dedicated content streams

Tailored tracks for mass torts, litigation funders, and law firms designed to deliver a more personalised and relevant experience across the legal finance ecosystem

Market-leading plenaries and keynotes

Exploring the forces reshaping legal finance, capital deployment, regulation, and law firm strategy

New interactive formats

Including masterclasses, deep dives, Dealmakers’ rundowns, and practical case studies designed for actionable insight

New closed-door boardrooms

Designed for deeper, candid conversations among senior industry leaders and decision-makers

Dedicated 1:1 meetings platform

Facilitating targeted introductions, strategic partnerships, and business opportunities

100percent

ROI rated very good to excellent

100percent

Would highly recommend to a colleague

98percent

1:1 Meetings were rated very good to excellent

EVENT GALLERY

DealmakERS in action

sponsorship opportunities

Become a sponsor

2025 SPEAKERS

The 2026 program is in development. Get updates and Inquire about speaking in 2026 below.

2025 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Neil Dutta

Partner, Head of Economic Research

Renaissance Macro Research

 

U.S. Representative Vicente Gonzalez Jr.(TX-34)

 

 

 

Former U.S. Representative Filemón Vela Jr. (TX-34)

Principal

Valiant Strategies

2025 FORUM SPEAKERS

Suneal Bedi

Suneal Bedi

Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics

Indiana University

Roy Ben-Ami

Head of Capital Markets

Darrow AI

 

Shawn Blackburn

Partner

Susman Godfrey

 

QUIRIJN BONGAERTS

Quirijn Bongaerts

Advocaat

Birkway

 

Hugh Carlson

CEO

Three Crowns

 

Marc Carmel

Marc Carmel

Member

McDonald Hopkins

 

Nathaniel Catez

Executive Director

Moelis & Company

 

Davis Cooper

Founding Partner

Cooper Masterman

 

Diandra "Fu" Debrosse Zimmermann headshot

Diandra “FU” Debrosse

Partner

DiCello Levitt

Max_Doyle

Max Doyle

Chief Strategy Officer

CAMG

 

Joseph Dunn

Managing Director

Fortress Investment Group

 

Megan Easley

SVP, Contingent Risk

CAC Specialty

 

Paul Ellender Jr.

Senior Product Manager

VoterVoice

 

Ken-Epstein

Ken Epstein

Co-founder and Principal

Backlit Capital Solutions

 

Fred Fabricant

Fred Fabricant

Managing Partner

Fabricant

 

Joseph Fantini

Joseph Fantini

Managing Attorney, Mass Torts Department

Rosen Injury Lawyers

 

Ed Gehres

Edward Gehres

Managing Partner

Invenio

 

 

Maria Glover

Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law

Georgetown Law

 

M. Elizabeth “Beth” Graham

Partner

Grant & Eisnhofer

 

Alan E. Guy

Managing Director of Underwriting and Value Optimization

Kobre & Kim

Katherine Hoffman

Katherine Hoffmann

Founder & CEO

SMART Reviews

Iovieno_Philip

Philip J. Iovieno

Partner

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft

Sarah Johnson

Head of Litigation Investing

The D. E. Shaw Group

Jack Kelly

Jack Kelly

Managing Director

American Legal Finance Association (ALFA)

Paul Kong

Paul Kong

Executive Director

International Legal Finance Association (ILFA)

Michael E. Lackey, Jr.

Michael E. Lackey

Partner

Mayer Brown

 

Erika Levin

Partner

Fox Rothschild

 

Duane L. Loft

Partner

Pallas Partners

 

Geoffrey Louden

State Affairs Counsel

American Association for Jutice (AAJ)

Craig C. Martin

Chairman, Americas

Willkie Farr & Gallagher

 

Stephen Medlock

Partner

Vinson & Elkins

 

Chandra Metzler

Managing Partner & Co-Founder

CM Squared

 

Michael Nicolas

Co-Founder & Managing Director

Longford Capital

 

Dan O'Brien

Dan O’Brien

Head of Licensing

Quest Patent Research Corporation

 

Ryan Phair

Partner

Paul Hastings

 

 

Kenneth Price

Kenneth Price

Managing Director, Asset-Backed Securities

Nuveen

 

Princis_Chris

Christopher Princis

Managing Director

CAMG

 

Michael W. Robinson

Chairman & CEO

Montgomery Strategies Group

Kevin Rubinstein

Partner

Crowell & Moring

 

 

Shayna E. Sacks

Partner

Napoli Shkolnik

 

 

Ed Scanlan

Ed Scanlan

Founder & CEO

Bridge Legal

 

 

Eric_Schuller

Eric Schuller

President

Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding (ARC)

sangeeta_shah

Sangeeta Shah

President

Brooks Kushman

 

 

Emily_Siegel

Emily Siegel

Senior Reporter

Bloomberg Law

 

 

John Siris

John Siris

Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Esoteric & Energy Banking

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co

Daniel-Spendlove

Daniel Spendlove

Partner

Signature Litigation

 

 

Kelsey Stokes

Senior Attorney

The Lanier Law Firm

 

 

Simon Warr

Leader Underwriter, Legal Expenses

AmTrust International

 

Leanne Wilson Headshot

Leanne Wilson

Managing Director

Contingency Capital

 

 

Tiana Zhang

Partner & Head of International Business

Hozu Capital

 

Boris Ziser

Global Head of Structured Finance, CLOs and Alternative Assets

McDermott Will & Schulte

2026 agenda

Get updates and enquire about speaking below.

Please note: This event will be co-located with the 3rd Annual LF Dealmakers Mass Torts If you would like to attend sessions at both events, register with an all access ticket. 

OPENing day: tuesday, SEPTEMBER 15

DAY ONE: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

9:00 AM – 5:30 PM:
ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS

Participants have the option to schedule 30-minute meetings utilising our desktop or mobile app. Registered attendees will receive an invitation to login to the app the week prior to the event.

THANK YOU TO OUR

2026 SPONSORS & PARTNERS

The 2026 program is in development. Get updates and inquire about sponsoring in 2026 below.

gold sponsors

silver sponsors

bronze sponsors

media partner

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION

read more about OUR

2026 SPONSORS

Gold sponsorS

CAC Group

CAC is now part of The Baldwin Group. Together, we deliver greater specialization, expanded capabilities, and deeper expertise to help clients navigate today’s evolving risk landscape. By combining CAC’s industry and product expertise with Baldwin’s national platform and distribution network, we provide seamless access to a full suite of risk management solutions. Our unified team serves clients across retail, specialty, reinsurance (including London and Bermuda), and MGA platforms.

Fabricant LLP is a dynamic IP litigation boutique with unparalleled success enforcing or defending patent infringement claims involving the most important and cutting-edge technologies. We are experts representing plaintiffs and defendants in all high-tech industries including, audio processing, smartphone, semiconductor, automotive, payments, computer hardware and software, LED displays and lights, GPS location services among many others. Fabricant LLP is regularly ranked among the most active U.S. law firms representing patent owners in the courts and before the PTAB where it has achieved win rates for defeating validity challenges far above the national average.

Longford Capital Management LP Logo

Longford Capital is a leading private investment company providing capital to law firms, public and private companies, universities, and others involved in large-scale, commercial legal disputes. Longford was one of the first litigation funds in the U.S. and is among the world’s largest litigation finance companies with more than $1.2 billion in assets under management. Longford offers a range of solutions to fund litigation costs and manage the financial risks of litigation. The firm invests in a variety of areas, including, contract breaches, antitrust/trade regulation, intellectual property (patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret), bankruptcy, arbitrations, insurance matters, and mass/class actions.

silver sponsorS

Contingency Capital Logo

Contingency Capital is a global asset management business focused on credit oriented legal assets. Contingency Capital invests in a broad spectrum of legal assets where the primary driver of value is related to a legal, tax or regulatory process. The firm’s investment strategy combines litigation expertise with a fundamental credit approach to build diversified pools of legal assets and structures them to create non-binary outcomes with sustainable credit-like returns.

Burford Capital is the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law. Its businesses include litigation finance and risk management, asset recovery and a wide range of legal finance and advisory activities. Burford is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUR) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: BUR), and it works with companies and law firms around the world.

McDermott Will & Schulte

Leading organizations turn to global law firm McDermott Will & Schulte for a better way to address legal challenges, connect with those at the forefront, and drive stronger outcomes. Working across more than 20 offices globally, our 1,750+ lawyers act on data-driven insights, deep relationships, and unmatched industry experience to deliver on our commitment of Always Better.

BRONZE SPONSORs

Saul Ewing

Saul Ewing is a full-service, law firm with specialized practices in IP and Litigation Finance. Our attorneys advise litigation funders, investors, insurers and other clients by underwriting and analyzing litigation risks surrounding potential litigation claims, jury verdicts, case merits, and appeals of intellectual property, patent, trade secret, and commercial cases.

Curiam-Logo-Final (1)

Curiam Capital LLC is a private investment firm that provides financing for law firms and high-value litigation. Curiam invests in most types of commercial litigation in areas such as commercial business disputes, securities, antitrust, intellectual property, international arbitration, and bankruptcy and insolvency. Curiam’s team has decades of experience evaluating litigation claims and takes pride in making quick but well-informed investment decisions. Curiam funds both individual cases and portfolios of cases.

Media Partner

Litigation Finance Insider

Litigation Finance Insider is an independent media company focused exclusively on the global litigation finance market. Our aim is to deliver timely insights to litigation funders, lawyers and investors on the key trends, developments and stories that are shaping the industry. Through separate publications, we also cover the UK, Canadian and Australian insolvency markets (Insolvency Insider UK / Insolvency Insider Canada / Insolvency Insider Australia).

supporting organization

WOLF Women of Litigation Finance

WOLF is a network that promotes, connects and advances the professional development of women in the field of third party dispute finance.

sponsorship opportunities

Become a sponsor

Insight. Access. Commercial Outcomes.

LF Dealmakers Annual Forum is where the legal finance market comes together to do business. Bringing together senior leaders from law firms, funders, investors, corporates, insurers, and the wider disputes ecosystem, the Forum is designed to drive the relationships, partnerships, and commercial conversations that move deals forward.

As the market matures and capital becomes more selective, LF Dealmakers goes beyond theory to focus on how capital is actually being deployed, partnerships structured, and opportunities executed in practice.

Our value lies in convening the full legal finance ecosystem in one place — connecting those originating claims, deploying capital, structuring opportunities, and driving disputes forward. The result is a highly focused environment for meaningful conversations, strategic alignment, and real dealmaking.

How do we do this:

Pre-arranged 1:1 meetings with relevant participants

8+ hours of dedicated networking time designed for real conversations

A highly curated audience of senior decision-makers across law firms, funders, investors, corporates, insurers, and advisors

21+ focused sessions tackling capital deployment, liquidity, underwriting, AI, regulation, insurance, co-funding, and the evolution of law firms

Why Should you Attend as:

Law Firms

Secure capital, scale your cases, and compete more effectively in a capital-driven disputes market.

  • Secure funding partnerships to originate, scale, and de-risk cases and portfolios
  • Understand how funders assess risk, structure deals, and price opportunities in a more selective market
  • Benchmark your funding and growth strategy against leading claimant firms across Europe
  • Explore alternative fee arrangements, portfolio models, and firm-level financing strategies
  • Access investors and advisors to support expansion, case development, and balance sheet management
  • Stay ahead of how capital is reshaping litigation strategy, firm economics, and competitive positioning

Access high-quality opportunities, refine your deployment strategy, and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive capital market.

  • Source high-quality opportunities across jurisdictions, sectors, and claim types
  • Benchmark your underwriting, portfolio construction, and deployment strategies against leading funders
  • Understand how law firms are structuring, packaging, and presenting opportunities in today’s market
  • Access origination partners, co-investment opportunities, and new distribution channels
  • Explore emerging asset classes, including ESG, securities, and cross-border collective actions
  • Stay ahead of regulatory developments, capital flows, and structural shifts impacting returns
  •  

Understand the legal finance asset class, access deployment opportunities, and connect with those structuring and managing risk.

  • Understand how legal finance is evolving across cases, portfolios, and firm-level strategies
  • Access funders, law firms, and platforms originating and managing opportunities
  • Evaluate risk, return profiles, and structuring approaches across jurisdictions and asset types
  • Explore entry points into legal finance, including co-investment, private credit, and secondary markets
  • Benchmark allocation strategies against other institutional investors
  • Stay ahead of how capital is flowing into and shaping the legal finance market
  •  

Position your capital within the evolving legal finance ecosystem and access opportunities in structured risk and claims portfolios.

  • Understand how litigation funding and insurance are converging across complex disputes
  • Explore opportunities to partner with funders and law firms on risk transfer and capital solutions
  • Benchmark underwriting approaches, pricing models, and emerging insurance products
  • Access key stakeholders originating and structuring large-scale claims and portfolios
  • Explore how insurance can enhance capital efficiency, mitigate downside, and support deal structures
  • Stay ahead of trends in claims, portfolios, and structured risk across jurisdictions
  •  

Unlock claims, manage risk, and access the capital and partners needed to pursue high-value disputes.

  • Understand how legal finance can unlock claims while managing cost and balance sheet exposure
  • Explore strategies for pursuing complex, cross-border, and high-value disputes
  • Access funders, law firms, and advisors to structure and execute claims effectively
  • Benchmark your approach against leading corporates and claimant groups across Europe
  • Understand how funding impacts control, governance, and outcomes
  • Stay ahead of how disputes are being originated, financed, and executed in today’s market
  •  

Secure Your Seat

Companies Attending Include:

Court of Appeals of Lisbon

Stuttgart Regional Court

UK High Court

VENUE & Accommodations

eventi & second

Experience the 9th Annual LF Dealmakers in Manhattan’s Chelsea district.

This year, the forum returns to the sophisticated Kimpton Hotel Eventi (851 6th Avenue) and the adjoining SECOND event space (849 6th Avenue), together occupying an entire NYC city block. With sleek modern design, soaring ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows, both venues offer breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline — the perfect setting for high-level networking, dealmaking, and strategic discussion.

A limited number of premium rooms at Kimpton Hotel Eventi are available at a special rate of $649++ per night. Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are expected to sell out quickly. Reservation details will be shared with confirmed registrants.

Eventi Hotel

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

GENERAL FAQs

The 9th Annual LF Dealmakers Forum will be held on September 15-17, 2025 at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi & SECOND event space. This event is colocated with our 3rd LF Mass Torts event. You may find additional information regarding the venue on our Venue page

Registration for the 9th Annual LF Dealmakers Forum will be open soon. 

All registered attendees will have access to the following:

  • Admission to main conference
  • Networking functions including breaks, lunches, and receptions
  • Online event platform and mobile app to schedule 1:1 meetings and direct messaging
  • Recorded sessions after the event to view on-demand

The LF Dealmakers Forum brings together a select group of leaders in the business community to address critical issues impacting the litigation finance and broader legal landscape. In order to ensure the event has balanced representation from market leaders and to maintain an optimal networking dynamic, we have instituted an approval process for all registrations.

We actively seek thought leaders and senior executives with experience and decision-making power within their respective organizations. We review individual registrations based on organizational profile, level of seniority as represented by job title, biographical information, and referral source.

We consider the type of organization, aiming to achieve a balanced representation of corporate IP owners, licensing company executives, law firm executives, investors, advisors, and other key stakeholders.

Additionally, we look to include perspectives from those that have not previously attended the event, as well as historically underrepresented groups.

Once you have completed your online registration, you will receive an email notification regarding the status of your application within 48 business hours.

Due to capacity limits at our event venue, along with our aim to achieve optimal dynamics for discussion and networking, we must be selective with registration approvals. If your registration was declined, we may have reached venue capacity, or it’s possible that you did not meet the criteria for attendance. We encourage you to reapply the following year.

Alternatively, you may be offered a place on the waiting list if we’ve reached our maximum capacity for your organization type (e.g., law firm, advisor, licensing company, etc.) Additionally, we limit the number of attendees per non-sponsoring organization to two individuals, so you may be offered a place on the waiting list if your organization has already registered two individuals.

Once you submit your registration, a hold will be placed on your card provided during registration. If your registration is approved, your payment will be processed using the credit card information you provide below.

If your registration is declined or you are waitlisted, your credit card will not be charged.

We welcome sponsorship inquiries and discussions regarding how to get involved in the event. Please contact us directly at info(at)dealmakersforums.com to request our prospectus which includes detailed information regarding sponsorship packages and opportunities to get involved in the event. We look forward to hearing from you.

We welcome speaking proposals from industry thought leaders and senior executives. Feel free to submit your proposal via this form. Please include as much detail as possible regarding your interest and relevant experience. Please note that we do not accept sales pitches or allow them at our events. 

Leveraging our experience examining complex markets, we engage in a rigorous market-based research process to develop our program content, including identification of session topics, discussion points, and speakers. We rely on the expertise and valuable insights of our community, including industry advisors, sponsors, and partners in this process.  

Registered participants will be invited to the 1:1 meetings platform via email approximately 1-2 weeks prior to the event start date, at which time all participants may begin scheduling their meetings.

Our 1-to-1 meetings feature is available to all registered attendees. You may request meetings with anyone attending the event, however, meetings are only confirmed and assigned a meeting location once the invited party accepts the request.

Cancellations received before 30 days prior to the event start date will receive a full refund minus processing fees. Cancellations received after this time will receive a credit with Dealmakers Forums that can be used toward a future event. No-shows will not be issued a refund or a credit.

To cancel your registration, contact us at registration(at)dealmakersforums.com with your request.

Substitutions are allowed at any time prior to the start of the event, but the substituting individual must be approved for attendance. If the individual is not approved, the registration will be considered a cancellation subject to the cancellation policy above.

Contact us at registration(at)dealmakersforums.com with your substitution request.

You may reach out to us at info(at)dealmakersforums.com or +1.914.365.7732. We look forward to hearing from you!