9TH ANNUAL
LF Dealmakers
FORUM
SEPTEMBER 15-17, 2026
NEW YORK CITY
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If you’d like to know as soon as more information is available, please join the Dealmakers email list below.
About The Event
Advancing litigation finance
Deals Get Done. Connections Stick. Strategy Moves Forward – Registration opening soon!
Taking place September 15–17 at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi & SECOND in New York City, the 9th Annual LF Dealmakers Forum brings together funders, litigators, in-house counsel, investors, and financial leaders at a pivotal moment — when capital, cases, and partnerships are actively moving.
This is where the industry comes together for:
- Practical, deal-driven insight: Perspectives from senior leaders operating at the forefront of litigation finance.
- Targeted networking: Curated one-to-one meetings with a carefully vetted audience ensure every interaction drives impact.
- Strategic guidance: Expert speakers share approaches to capital allocation, case selection, and shaping strategic priorities.
Maximize your Dealmakers experience: LF Annual Dealmakers runs alongside the 3rd LF Mass Torts event. Book the combined ticket for access to both events, plus expanded networking and cross-strategy insight.
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ROI rated very good to excellent
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Would highly recommend to a colleague
98Percent
1:1 Meetings were rated very good to excellent
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
sponsorship opportunities
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2025 SPEAKERS
The 2026 program is in development. Get updates and Inquire about speaking in 2026 below.
Get Updates
If you’d like to know as soon as more information is available, please join the Dealmakers email list below.
2025 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Neil Dutta
Partner, Head of Economic Research
Renaissance Macro Research
Neil Dutta
PARTNER, HEAD OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, RENAISSANCE MACRO RESEARCH
As Head of Economic Research, Neil Dutta leads our macroeconomic research efforts, with an emphasis on analyzing the US economy, Federal Reserve, global trends, and cross-market investment themes. Neil is considered a market economist, looking at the economic data and trying to highlight the risks to the consensus as he sees them.
Prior to RenMac, Neil spent seven years at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch. There, he was a Senior Economist covering both the United States and Canada.
Neil appears frequently in the financial press, representing the firm on Bloomberg, CNBC, and Fox Business. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Associated Press, and has been featured in the New York Times for his out of consensus economic views on a host of topics including employment, consumption, inflation and housing.
A business economist with 2 decades of sell-side experience, Neil graduated Cum Laude from New York University with a bachelor’s degree, double majoring in Economics and Political Science.
In his spare time, Neil tries to entertain his three kids. When he is not at his desk, or with his kids, Neil is travelling somewhere with his wife, Puja. The couple currently resides in New Jersey after spending many years in Brooklyn.
U.S. Representative Vicente Gonzalez Jr.(TX-34)
U.S. Representative Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (TX-34)
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (TX-34)
Vicente Gonzalez is currently serving his fifth term in the United States Congress. He is the elected representative for the 34th District of Texas, which encompasses eastern Hidalgo County, and all of Cameron, Kenedy, Kleberg, and Willacy Counties.
Congressman Gonzalez earned his GED in 1985 before attending Del Mar College where he received an Associate’s degree in Banking and Finance in 1990. He worked his way through college at Embry Riddle University where many of his classmates were active duty military personnel. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Aviation in 1992 and later earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (now Texas A&M School of Law) in 1996. In 1997, Congressman Gonzalez opened his law practice, V. Gonzalez & Associates.
Congressman Gonzalez is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, where he sits on the Subcommittee on Capital Markets and the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions. He is also a member of the U.S. – Mexico Interparliamentary Group. Congressman Gonzalez is the current Communications and Outreach Co-Chair for the Blue Dog Coalition.
A lifetime resident of South Texas, Congressman Gonzalez is married to Lorena Saenz Gonzalez, a former teacher and school administrator in Edinburg and McAllen. They reside in the Rio Grande Valley.
Former U.S. Representative Filemón Vela Jr. (TX-34)
Principal
Valiant Strategies
Former U.S. Representative Filemón Vela Jr. (TX-34)
PRINCIPAL, VALIANT STRATEGIES
He served as a member of Congress from 2013 to 2022, representing the 34th Congressional District of Texas, and was a member of the Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Agriculture Committees.
From 2022 to 2024, he joined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as a Partner, where he helped clients leverage relationships and advance ambitious policy goals in areas such as commerce, energy, economic issues, agriculture, transportation, infrastructure, national security, and defense issues.
In 2023, he launched the super PAC BOLD America, alongside New Mexico’s Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and former California Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard to help elect Hispanic and Latino candidates to Congress.
Vela was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2021 to serve as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. He also served as vice chair of the U.S. Delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization—NATO—Parliamentary Assembly in 2022.
Prior to serving in Congress, Rep. Vela spent more than 20 years as a litigator in his private practice.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Georgetown University and a J.D. from the University of Texas.
2025 FORUM SPEAKERS
Suneal Bedi
Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics
Indiana University
Suneal Bedi
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS LAW AND ETHICS, INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Suneal Bedi is an Associate Professor of Business Law & Ethics and the Jerome Bess Faculty Fellow at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. His work focuses on the intersection of law and business strategy. He seeks to analyze how corporate entities can utilize public institutions (e.g. courts, legislatures, social norms) to gain strategic advantages in marketplace transactions. Suneal has written extensively on litigation finance, intellectual property, and marketing ethics. His work has been published in leading law and business journals including Cornell Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review, Southern California Law Review, and the Journal of Business Ethics, and has been featured in news outlets including The New York Times, Forbes, Washington Post, and US News. He has a PhD in Marketing and Business Ethics from The Wharton School and was formerly a private equity lawyer at Ropes & Gray, LLP.
Roy Ben-Ami
Head of Capital Markets
Darrow AI
Roy Ben-Ami
HEAD OF CAPITAL MARKETS, DARROW AI
Roy Ben-Ami is Head of Capital Markets at DarrowTM, the leading platform for legal intelligence, transforming fragmented legal data into actionable insights. Founded in 2020, Darrow combines advanced AI with legal expertise, to help legal professionals uncover hidden violations, assess risks, and drive faster, fairer resolutions.
The company has 150 employees across offices in Tel Aviv, New York, Miami, and Arizona, and is trusted by top legal firms across the United States.
Roy leads Darrow’s legal risk monetization with institutional partners across deal sourcing, execution, and investor relations. His team focuses on bridging the legal and financial markets to drive strategic growth and expand the company’s market reach.
He previously served as Vice President at Barclays Corporate and Investment Bank in New York, where he led M&A, equity, and debt transactions exceeding $35B.
Prior to this Roy worked for the Israeli Ministry of Finance and the IDF’s 8200 Intelligence Unit, where he served as a Project Manager.
Roy holds an MBA in Finance from The Wharton Business School and a Masters Degree in International/Global Studies from the Lauder Institute – University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and International Relations from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Shawn Blackburn
Partner
Susman Godfrey
Shawn Blackburn
PARTNER, SUSMAN GODFREY
Shawn D. Blackburn is a partner at Susman Godfrey L.L.P. in Houston, where he specializes in high-stakes commercial litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts. His practice encompasses intellectual property, patent infringement, antitrust, business disputes, energy, environmental matters, class actions, and probate litigation.
His notable achievements include securing a $166.3 million jury verdict for Finesse Wireless LLC in a patent infringement suit against AT&T and Nokia (2023), arguing the first-ever Federal Circuit recognition of patent agent privilege in Queen’s University v. Samsung, and contributing to a $900 million patent portfolio settlement in Rockstar v. Google. He has also obtained multi-million-dollar verdicts in construction disputes and handles complex estate and royalty cases.
Quirijn Bongaerts
Advocaat
Birkway
Quirijn Bongaerts
ADOVCAAT, BIRKWAY
Quirijn Bongaerts is one of the founding partners of Birkway, an Amsterdam-based litigation boutique with a strong focus on mass claims and collective redress. Quirijn litigates on behalf of representative groups in relation to the diesel emissions scandal, business to business claims against power supplier Vattenfall, and against listed entities in relation to shareholder claims. Some of these cases have led to landmark judgments, including the first ever appointment of a lead claimant in a collective damages claim in the Netherlands and a ground-breaking court decision binding all class members to the contingency fee owed to the lead claimant. He has also acted as counsel to shareholder representative groups in well-known securities litigation situations, such as Fortis and, Steinhoff, matters which led to ground-breaking settlements.
Hugh Carlson
CEO
Three Crowns
Hugh Carlson
CEO, THREE CROWNS
Hugh Carlson is the CEO and General Counsel of Three Crowns LLP, a specialist firm in international arbitration. He helps shape the firm’s strategic initiatives and leads its global operations.
A litigator by background, Hugh has represented large multinationals and sovereigns in their complex, high stakes disputes. He has been described by clients and peers in Who’s Who Legal as “absolutely phenomenal,” “a great strategist,” and “integral to the success of Three Crowns,” and has repeatedly been recognized in Lawdragon’s “Global Litigation 500” and Super Lawyers as a leading litigator. He has taught at Harvard Law School since 2019 and co-founded its international arbitration workshop.
Prior to practicing law, Hugh served as a software engineer. His experience in technology now extends to hands-on leadership in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure. Microsoft recently recognized his AI initiatives at the firm as “bending the curve on innovation.
Marc Carmel
Member
McDonald Hopkins
Marc Carmel
MEMBER, MCDONALD HOPKINS
Marc Carmel is a member of McDonald Hopkins’ Strategic Advisory and Restructuring Department and founder and Co-Head of McDonald Hopkins’ Litigation Finance Group.
Marc has extensive experience in the litigation finance industry and Chambers ranked in the U.S. as Litigation Finance Deal Counsel. He represents clients in all aspects of the industry, including plaintiffs and law firms seeking litigation funding and related insurance, traditional and non-traditional funders and insurance companies, and investors who provide capital to litigation funders. Before joining McDonald Hopkins, he led a commercial litigation funder’s involvement in the distressed sector. While there, he was responsible for investment sourcing, due diligence, and monitoring investments. Marc frequently speaks on topics involving litigation funding and has been a guest lecturer on litigation finance at universities.
Marc earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and his Masters of Accounting and Bachelor of Business Administration degrees from the University of Michigan.
Nathaniel Catez
Executive Director
Moelis & Company
Nathaniel Catez
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MOELIS & COMPANY
Nathaniel Catez is an Executive Director specializing in Dispute Advisory at Moelis & Company, an international investment banking and financial advisory firm, and is based in New York.
Mr. Catez has over fifteen years of trading and investment banking experience, focused on advising companies and / or their stakeholders in a wide range of risk advisory and dispute-related situations across a broad range of industries, including facilitating access to legal funding for single cases and portfolios of claims, assisting with litigation support, providing financial advice related to settlement negotiations and enforcement proceedings, and designing and executing claim monetization solutions.
Mr. Catez received a B.S. degree in Applied Mathematics from Ecole Centrale Paris in France, and a M.S. degree in Mathematics in Finance from New York University in New York.
Davis Cooper
Founding Partner
Cooper Masterman
Davis Cooper
FOUNDING PARTNER, COOPER MASTERMAN
Davis Cooper is the founding partner of Cooper Masterman PLLC, a Washington, D.C.–based litigation firm specializing in mass torts, appeals, and high-stakes briefing. He began his career at a nationally prominent litigation boutique with a constitutional focus, where he gained broad experience and notable success in commercial, regulatory, and constitutional disputes in both federal and state courts. That experience shaped his commitment to handling matters that combine legal complexity with broad public significance.
Motivated to rethink how a modern law firm serves its clients and partners, Davis founded Cooper Masterman with a model built on responsiveness, transparency, and excellence in written and appellate advocacy. Under his leadership, the firm has grown into a national presence in mass torts. The firm leverages technology to deliver real-time communication, efficiency, and collaboration—driving exceptional outcomes for clients and co-counsel. Cooper Masterman is also a trusted partner to litigation funders, who regularly engage the firm for strategic consulting on portfolio design, case assessment, and risk management.
Diandra “FU” Debrosse
Partner
DiCello Levitt
Diandra "Fu" Debrosse
PARTNER, DICELLO LEVITT
Diandra “Fu” Debrosse is a fearless plaintiffs’ attorney who fights unapologetically for individuals and public entities injured by wrongful conduct, whether by defective medical devices, drugs, or cosmetics, environmental contamination, corporate misconduct, or civil rights abuse. Nationally recognized as a powerhouse in mass torts, class actions, products liability, discrimination, and sexual assault claims, Fu has recovered nearly $1 billion in damages for her clients. Blending her exceptional talents in multidistrict and mass tort litigation with state-of-the-art tools, Fu uses sophisticated modeling to identify technology-based and other forms of discrimination, including environmental injustice, defective devices, and unfair insurance practices.
As the managing partner of DiCello Levitt’s Birmingham office and co-chair of both the firm’s Mass Torts Litigation Practice Group and its Civil and Human Rights Litigation Practice Group, Fu holds prominent leadership positions in numerous multidistrict litigations. She is co-lead counsel in the massive products liability MDL against two of the world’s largest infant formula manufacturers, Abbott Laboratories and Mead Johnson, and in the MDL against L’Oréal and other makers of disease-causing hair relaxer products marketed primarily to Black and Latina women. Fu also holds leadership positions in several other significant MDLs, including the litigation against Chevron and Syngenta for their marketing and sale of the disease-causing herbicide paraquat, as well as the social media MDL in which the plaintiffs are seeking damages against Meta Platforms, TikTok, YouTube, and others for creating defective products that encourage addictive behavior, resulting in various emotional and physical harms, including death.
Fu also leads many systematic civil rights and sexual assault cases; represents the City of Baltimore in legal actions addressing the catastrophic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse; represents Attorneys General in various actions and investigations; and represents over 50 municipalities in two separate nationwide prescription opiate MDLs.
Max Doyle
Chief Strategy Officer
CAMG
Max Doyle
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, CONSUMER ATTORNEY MARKETING GROUP
Max recently joined CAMG as Chief Strategy Officer, where he oversees capital sourced from institutional partners, funders, and family offices. With a long track record in litigation finance and mass tort financing, Max was previously CEO of New York-based LexShares and Head of North America for London-based Augusta Ventures. He has over 20 years of experience as an international investor in alternative assets, including structured credit, private equity, and other non-traditional investments. Max has held senior roles at two large family offices in Canada and is a seasoned investor across multiple asset classes, with extensive experience in banking, securitization, and insurance markets.
Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Max now resides in Toronto with his family. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Studies (Banking & Finance) from University College Dublin. In his spare time, he enjoys golf, fitness, and is a long-suffering Toronto Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan.
Joseph Dunn
Managing Director
Fortress Investment Group
Joseph Dunn
MANAGING DIRECTOR, CO-CIO LEGAL ASSETS, FORTRESS INVESTMENT GROUP
Mr. Dunn is a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group, and Co-CIO of the Fortress Legal Assets business. Mr. Dunn is based in New York and focuses on litigation and legal process related debt and structured equity transactions, including serving on the boards of several legal services companies. Prior to joining Fortress in 2016, Mr. Dunn was a litigator at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP and Dontzin Nagy & Fleissig LLP. At both firms, Mr. Dunn represented parties in disputes in U.S. state and federal courts, primarily in securities cases. Mr. Dunn received his B.A. in Economics from Stanford University and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.
Megan Easley
SVP, Contingent Risk
CAC Specialty
Megan Easley
SVP, CONTINGENT RISK, CAC SPECIALTY
Megan is a Senior Vice President on the Contingent Risk team, where she helps clients procure insurance solutions for a wide array of litigation-related risks.
Prior to joining CAC Specialty, Megan was at Omni Bridgeway, one of the largest corporate litigation finance groups in the world, where she diligence and monitored investments in multi-million dollar corporate legal disputes. After clerking in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Megan spent several years as a corporate litigator at Susman Godfrey in New York, specializing in complex commercial contract and business tort disputes. Megan was then seconded to GE Capital, where she managed hundreds of millions of dollars of litigation for four years as Special Counsel.
Megan’s diverse background as a litigator, corporate in-house counsel, and as an investment team member in litigation finance gives her an experienced perspective on the practical needs of clients who are party to or invested in a wide variety of legal disputes, and helps her think creatively about potential insurance and financing solutions.
Megan received her J.D. from Cornell Law School, where she graduated magna cum laude. She received her B.A. in English from Georgetown University.
Paul Ellender Jr.
Senior Product Manager
VoterVoice
Paul Ellender Jr.
SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER, VOTERVOICE
Paul Ellender Jr. is a Senior Product Manager at VoterVoice with more than 15 years of experience in grassroots advocacy and civic engagement. He began his career at VoterVoice, where he helped organizations mobilize advocates, and continued with FiscalNote to expand his impact at the intersection of technology and policy. Today, he is part of the product team shaping PolicyNote, an AI-powered legislative assistant that equips advocacy professionals with faster insights and stronger tools to engage in the policy process. Drawing on his background in communications, design, and organizing, Paul brings a deep understanding of how people and organizations can influence change — and how technology can amplify that power.
Ken Epstein
Co-founder and Principal
Backlit Capital Solutions
Ken Epstein
CO-FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL, BACKLIT CAPITAL SOLUTIONS
Ken Epstein is a co-founder and principal of Backlit Capital Solutions and brings 25 years of experience in bankruptcy law, commercial litigation, restructuring and finance. Prior to co-founding Backlit, Ken was a Senior Investment manager and Legal Counsel at Omni Bridgeway, a legal finance and risk management company, where he led the company’s U.S. insolvency litigation finance platform. In this role, he originated, structured, and managed a diverse portfolio of legal assets. Prior to his tenure at Omni Bridgeway, he was a managing director at MBIA, a public financial services company, where he led large-scale initiatives and crisis management efforts. Ken started his career as a lawyer at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, where he specialized in financial restructuring and corporate bankruptcy law. Ken graduated from Brooklyn Law School (cum laude) and holds an accounting degree from the University of Maryland. Ken has also served as an adjunct professor of bankruptcy law at Cardozo Law School.
Fred Fabricant
Managing Partner
Fabricant
Fred Fabricant
MANAGING PARTNER, FABRICANT
Alfred R. Fabricant (Fred) is an experienced first chair trial lawyer who focuses his practice on patent, copyright, trademark and unfair competition matters.
Fred has litigated patent infringement cases in district courts throughout the United States for both patent owners and defendants including cases in the most active courts in Delaware, Texas, California, Illinois and Florida. His cases have involved a large variety of technologies including automotive, semiconductor, audio processing, LED lighting and displays, smartphone handsets, medical devices, electronic ratings systems, copy protection and anti-piracy technology, NFC and radio frequency identification systems, robotic systems, memory and storage devices, software, internet-related method and system patents, universal remote control devices, and optical systems and methods. According to “The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners” published by the IAM1000: “clients say they cannot imagine working with anyone better, hailing (Fabricant’s) outstanding skills of presentation and persuasion in the courtroom.”
Fred has represented clients in patent matters before the International Trade Commission. He has also appeared in more than 100 inter partes review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeals Board. Fred has argued numerous appeals before the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Federal, Second and Fourth Circuits where he has represented both appellants and appellees in a variety of matters.
Since 2008. Fred has handled a large number of cases that have been financed, in whole or in part, by litigation funders. He has also represented litigation funds as outside diligence counsel and is frequently recommended by litigation funders to claimants for both lead counsel representation in litigation as well as for IPR work before the PTAB.
In addition to his litigation experience,
Fred routinely acts as a legal counselor and advisor in the negotiation and drafting of patent, trademark and copyright license agreements, joint venture and funding agreements, and other business contracts. Fred also specializes in IP due diligence, freedom to operate analyses and strategies for the management and monetization of IP portfolios, a topic on which he has lectured extensively over the past decade. He advises clients on portfolio acquisitions and development, licensing and enforcement strategies, and litigation financing options.
Education
The University of Illinois Chicago Law School, J.D. (with highest distinction)
The University of Miami (magna cum laude)
Admissions
- €New York
- €Arizona
Joseph Fantini
Managing Attorney, Mass Torts Department
Rosen Injury Lawyers
Joseph Fantini
MANAGING ATTORNEY, MASS TORTS DEPARTMENT, ROSEN INJURY LAWYERS
Joseph Fantini serves as the managing attorney of Rosen Injury Lawyers’ Mass Tort Department. His practice focuses on representing victims injured by dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, defective medical devices and unsafe consumer products. Joe’s background and understanding of complex medical, scientific and legal issues has positioned him to be a leader in national Mass Tort Litigations.
Joe obtained his law degree from the esteemed Widener University School of Law in 2009. While earning his degree, Joe was already active in the legal community, serving as a law clerk in Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas for the Honorable Arnold L. New. While in law school, Joe was the recipient of the Certificate of Achievement in Food and Drug Law, which is awarded to the top student in each section.
It was during this time that Joe was first exposed to the intricacies of FDA regulations and oversight. After learning of the devasting injuries suffered by consumers of defective products that were unsafe and inadequately tested, Joe knew he wanted to lend his voice to who were unable to fight these large corporations who placed profits over patient’s safety on their own.
Joe began his career as a lawyer at an international insurance defense firm, where he represented clients in personal injury and product liability matters. After just a few years, Joe moved to a nationally recognized plaintiff’s law firm to representing plaintiffs mass torts and class actions.
Joe found that his prior legal experience provided him with invaluable insight into how complex cases are handled from a defense and court perspective allowing him to use this knowledge to successfully obtain compensation for thousands of injured clients during his tenure with this firm. In 2018, Joe joined Rosen Injury Lawyers to manage the Mass Tort Department and oversee all product liability cases.
Over the course of his career, Joe has played a significant role in helping to secure millions of dollars on behalf of his clients in mass tort and class action litigations. As a result of his achievements, Joe has been included in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Publication as a Rising Star, a distinction given to only 2.5% of attorneys in each state who are forty years old or younger or have been practicing for 10 years or less, continuously since 2013.
Joe has also been recognized as The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40 and is a member of The National Trial Lawyers: Top 25 Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Association. Additionally, Joe is a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Philadelphia Bar Association, and the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, where he serves as a member of the Young Lawyers executive committee.
Edward Gehres
Managing Partner
Invenio
Edward Gehres
MANAGING PARTNER, INVENIO
Ed Gehres is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Invenio LLP, where he leads the firm’s legal underwriting and distressed asset recovery practice. Drawing on over 25 years as a trial attorney and organizational leader, Ed brings a unique 360-degree marketplace perspective to litigation finance. His career spans roles as both defense and plaintiffs’ counsel in mass torts and complex commercial litigation, global legal department leadership at a major investment platform, and borrower-side representation in the most sophisticated legal asset transactions. Ed and the Invenio LLP team are among the only lawyers and advisors in the litigation finance marketplace who bring national counsel litigation leadership experience, decades of transactional execution, and operational leadership roles to bear for clients under one roof. A former political professional and strategist, Ed is a regular commentator on politics and strategy regarding regulatory and legislative challenges facing the litigation finance sector.
Maria Glover
Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law
Georgetown Law
Maria Glover
CARMACK WATERHOUSE PROFESSOR OF LAW, GEORGETOWN LAW
Maria Glover is the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Glover is a leading expert in the fields of civil procedure and civil justice; complex litigation; and private litigation and dispute resolution. Her writing has appeared in the Stanford Law Review, the Yale Law Journal, the N.Y.U. Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and elsewhere. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute.
Her work has been quoted by numerous courts, including the United States Supreme Court. She has testified before Congressional committees regarding class actions, multi-district litigation, procedural justice reform measures, and litigation finance.
Glover’s work on litigation finance appears in the NYU Law Review; Vanderbilt Law Review; the NYU Journal of Law and Business; and the Journal of Theoretical Inquiries in Law. Glover has been featured speaker about litigation finance at Yale Law School, the University of Chicago School of Law, the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, New York University School of Law, and Tel Aviv University. In 2026, Glover will co-host a symposium about the global legal finance industry with the New York University Law Review.
M. Elizabeth “Beth” Graham
Partner
Grant & Eisnhofer
M. Elizabeth "Beth" Graham
PARTNER, GRANT & EISENHOFER
Elizabeth (“Beth”) Graham is a principal at Grant & Eisenhofer. She leads the firm’s complex and mass tort litigation practice and has spent most of her career as a plaintiffs’ lawyer advocating for the rights of individuals, families and small businesses harmed by large corporations.
Ms. Graham’s expertise includes mass tort, consumer fraud, product liability, environmental, business torts, and sexual assault and retaliation claims. She has served as Lead Counsel in multi-million dollar cases such as In re Essure Product Cases; In re East Palestine Train Derailment Cases, Gilead Tenofovir Cases and Coordinated Actions, and In re Columbia Gas Explosion Cases, and has acted as a member of various Plaintiffs’ Executive Committees in complex actions. She has prior experience as national defense coordination counsel in product liability and environmental litigation.
Ms. Graham is an accomplished speaker and author, and has been recognized for her achievements by Lawdragon, Law360, and America’s Top 100 Attorneys®.
Alan E. Guy
Managing Director of Underwriting and Value Optimization
Kobre & Kim
Alan E. Guy
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF UNDERWRITING AND VALUE OPTIMIZATION, KOBRE & KIM
Alan E. Guy is the Managing Director for Underwriting and Value Optimization and is based in the New York office. Mr. Guy has experience underwriting, negotiating, and managing litigation finance and alternative fee arrangements, developing strategic partnerships, and practicing as a litigator at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer US LLP. He also clerked for the Honorable James R. Spencer in the United States Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Before joining Kobre & Kim, Mr. Guy was a Managing Director at Vannin Capital, where he helped to launch the US office of the global litigation funder.
Mr. Guy earned his JD at Northwestern University and his BA at NYU.
Katherine Hoffmann
Founder & CEO
SMART Reviews
Katherine Hoffmann
FOUNDER & CEO, SMART REVIEWS
Katherine is a respected authority and innovator at the forefront of ensuring validity and viability in law firm dockets. With a background cutting across healthcare, defense, and plaintiff litigation, she brings a rare and comprehensive perspective on the challenges law firms face today. Over the past decade, she has built SMART Reviews into a trusted leader in the industry, ensuring the integrity of every case that moves forward. Her mission is to elevate standards, combat fraud, and build lasting transparency across the mass tort ecosystem.
Philip J. Iovieno
Partner
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
Philip J. Iovieno
PARTNER, CADWALADER, WICKERSHAM & TAFT
Phil Iovieno is the Co-Chair of Cadwalader’s Global Litigation Group. He is also co-head of the firm’s Antitrust Litigation Group. His practice is focused on representing plaintiffs and defendants in antitrust and other complex commercial litigation. Phil has extensive experience in federal and state courts throughout the country, including having led or co-led multiple jury trials through verdict. Phil’s current clients include, among others, the following companies: Costco Wholesale, Kraft Heinz, Target, McDonald’s, Fortress, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Wendy’s, AngioDynamics, Aramark, Restaurant Depot,Darden Restaurants, and Papa John’s.
Based on his undisputed track record of success on both sides of the “v,” Phil is consistently ranked as one of the leading lawyers in America by multiple publications, particularly in the areas of antitrust and litigation. He is also a frequent speaker and author, contributing insights into trends in multi-district litigation, contingency fee practices and an array of private antitrust litigation topics.
Sarah Johnson
Head of Litigation Investing
The D. E. Shaw Group
Sarah Johnson
HEAD OF LITIGATION INVESTING, D. E. SHAW & CO.
Sarah Johnson serves as head of the Litigation Investing team within the D. E. Shaw group’s Private Credit investment unit. The Litigation Investing team provides financing solutions to law firms, plaintiffs, and other parties involved in commercial litigation. Ms. Johnson joined the D. E. Shaw group in 2006 as an analyst primarily working on distressed credit-related investments, including restructurings, opportunities in stressed equities, litigation plays (including monetizing litigation assets), and bankruptcy liquidations. She has led the Litigation Investing team since its formation in 2018. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Johnson was an associate in the restructuring and finance group of the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. She began her career as an investment banking analyst at Salomon Smith Barney Inc. Ms. Johnson graduated cum laude from Duke University with a B.A. in economics and received her J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was a managing editor of the Columbia Law Review and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and James Kent Scholar.
Jack Kelly
Managing Director
American Legal Finance Association (ALFA)
Jack Kelly
MANAGING DIRECTOR, AMERICAN LEGAL FINANCE ASSOCIATION (ALFA)
Jack Kelly serves as Managing Director of the American Legal Finance Association (ALFA), the leading trade association for consumer litigation funding companies. Mr. Kelly, a Partner in the McPherson Group LLP, is a highly regarded adviser on the management of public policy risk to national and multinational corporations. During the past two decades, he has been at the center of public policy, regulatory, and legal debates involving specialty finance products, including structured settlements, life settlements, and various factoring transactions. Mr. Kelly also serves as an adjunct professor for the Fordham School of Law, teaching Crisis Management in Litigation and Investigations. Previously, he has served as a political aide to two U.S. Presidents, served in professional staff positions in Congress, and in the New York and Federal courts. For 28 years until his retirement‚ Mr. Kelly served in active and reserve components of the U.S. Army and was the commander of a Special Forces unit. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit. From 2004 until 2018, he served as a member and Chairman of the U.S. Advisory Committee on National Cemeteries and Memorials, and later as a member of the U.S. Advisory Committee for Arlington National Cemetery.
Paul Kong
Executive Director
International Legal Finance Association (ILFA)
Jack Kelly
MANAGING DIRECTOR, AMERICAN LEGAL FINANCE ASSOCIATION (ALFA)
Paul Kong is the executive director of the International Legal Finance Association (ILFA), where he leads the industry association for global commercial litigation finance. Previous to ILFA, Paul worked as director for the International Division of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary and served as a senior aide to two U.S. Senators.
Michael E. Lackey
Partner
Mayer Brown
Michael E. Lackey
PARTNER, MAYER BROWN
Mike served on Mayer Brown’s Management Committee, Partnership Board, led the Firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice and the Washington, D.C. office. Mike has represented clients for more than 30 years in some of the country’s highest profile matters, involving disputes involving billions of dollars in potential liability. He has also represented clients in grand jury proceedings and governmental (and congressional) investigations. According to Chambers, clients describe him as “fantastic, with an intellectual approach ” and that he “carries himself well in the courtroom” and “commands respect from both peers and clients.”
Before Mayer Brown, Mike clerked for Jacques Wiener, Jr. of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and worked as an Associate Independent Counsel. Before the law, Mike was a Naval officer and graduated from the “Top Gun” school.
Erika Levin
Partner
Fox Rothschild
Erika Levin
PARTNER, FOX ROTHSCHILD
Erika is a leader of the Litigation Finance team as well as a member of the firm’s International Arbitration group and focuses her practice on resolving high‐stakes commercial disputes with an international component.
A former executive for a litigation finance company, she offers invaluable perspectives into the needs of clients seeking funding as well as the goals of the companies and investors providing the financing. Pairing her legal experience with an investor mindset, she offers a nuanced understanding of this burgeoning industry. Her comprehensive approach to due diligence relating to litigation finance provides clients with a thorough risk analysis and determination of whether funding is optimal for the dispute at hand. Additionally, her extensive network within the litigation financing community helps her seamlessly connect clients with funding sources. She serves as counsel for borrowers and helps negotiate the litigation funding transaction, including those involving nontraditional financing structures. She represents attorneys, funding sources and investors seeking guidance on the legal, ethical and regulatory implications of litigation funding transactions. In addition, she represents clients in disputes related to litigation finance agreements. For every client, Erika believes in getting to the right result as quickly and cost‐effectively as possible. She uses early and aggressive case assessment and creative problem solving to chart the most expeditious paths to the finish line by developing potential exit ramps and identifying and exploiting key leverage points.
Erika often serves her clients in the role of outside general counsel, partnering with executives and company leadership to advance their business goals, identify the impediments, and connect them with the smartest solutions.
Born in Brazil, Erika has developed a network of contacts throughout the world. She represents financial institutions, private equity funds, hedge funds, pension funds, distressed funds and high‐net‐worth investors in a wide variety of matters. A significant part of her practice is dedicated to disputes and monetization opportunities relating to Brazil and Latin America.
Duane L. Loft
Partner
Pallas Partners
Duane L. Loft
PARTNER, PALLAS PARTNERS
Duane leads Pallas’s New York practice. He represents clients in complex commercial litigation, with a particular focus on restructuring disputes, contested issues in bankruptcy, and cross-border litigation.
Duane is recognised as a leading lawyer in both General Commercial Litigation and Bankruptcy Litigation by Chambers USA. Legal 500 has named him among New York City’s “Elite” for Commercial Disputes. In addition, Duane is listed in Lawdragon’s 500 Global Plaintiff Lawyers Guide and has been named a “Rising Star” by both the New York Law Journal and Law360.
In the area of restructuring litigation, Duane has represented ad hoc groups of creditors in a number of significant corporate bankruptcies, including the Chapter 11 cases of Intelsat S.A. and LBI Media, in each case serving as trial counsel in multi-week hearings on contested plans of reorganisation.
In cross-border disputes, Duane has helped recover billions of dollars for institutional investors, including through Section 1782 discovery proceedings that have led to precedent-setting decisions in district and appellate courts throughout the United States.
Geoffrey Louden
State Affairs Counsel
American Association for Jutice (AAJ)
Geoffrey Louden
STATE AFFAIRS COUNSEL, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE (AAJ)
Geoffrey Louden is a State Affairs Counsel for the American Association for Justice. He received his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law and B.A from the George Washington University.
Craig C. Martin
Chairman, Americas
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Craig C. Martin
CHAIRMAN, MIDWEST, WILLKIE FARR & GALLAGHER
Craig C. Martin is the Chairman, Americas of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Prior to founding the Willkie Chicago office in 2020, Craig was the Chairman of a national law firm. Recognized as a “courtroom to boardroom” lawyer, Craig regularly represents clients in their most important strategic, reputational and economic matters in virtually every substantive area of the law. Craig’s role in representing the United Airlines Board of Directors was recently chronicled in “Turnaround Time,” written by Oscar Munoz, former United Airlines Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and published in May 2023.
Widely recognized in the media, Craig is listed in Chicago Magazine’s “Power 100,” a list of Chicago’s most powerful people and Crain’s Chicago Business “Who’s Who” in Chicago civic, professional, and cultural leaders. He is ranked in Chambers Global and USA, as well as a number of legal publications as one of the nation’s top lawyers. Chambers noted that: “He’s an outstanding, go-to attorney, especially for complex matters requiring commercial awareness and astute judgment.” He is consistently highly ranked in Chambers Global in the Litigation: Trial Lawyer category, which states “Juries love him. He’s concise, direct and to the point as well as being one of the most creative cross-examiners I have ever seen,” and in Chambers USA, which states that “he is great from the courtroom to boardroom, is unflappable in difficult situations and his skills as a trial lawyer are extraordinary.” Chambers has previously highlighted Craig’s “impressive intellect and great demeanor,” which are “very helpful in high-stakes contentious matters.” In the current edition, Craig is ranked as a leading lawyer in four areas: Litigation: Trial Lawyers (National); ERISA Litigation (National); Litigation: General Commercial (Illinois); and Intellectual Property (Illinois).
A trial and investigations lawyer by training, Craig has tried approximately 50 cases across the country and arbitrations domestically and internationally, and has argued approximately 50 appeals. Over the course of his career, Craig has become one of the most trusted advisors to the Fortune 100, wealthy family offices and private investors as well as notable business, civic and political leaders. His practice ranges from advising corporate boards to trials to strategic, legal and business advice in transactions globally. Consistent with his professional roots, Craig is frequently asked to try cases of substantial economic, strategic and reputational substance, to represent boards of directors regarding investigations and sensitive matters, and asked to provide trusted advice to myriad prominent families and other private businesses.
Craig teaches at the Harvard Law School and the Stanford Directors College. Appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, Craig served a nine-year term as a Commissioner on Character & Fitness, the Committee which adjudicates whether individuals are fit to serve as attorneys in Illinois, where adjudicated and presided over trials of more than a hundred cases. He is a member of the American Law Institute, the American Bar Association, as well as many other legal organizations. Craig received the Judge Learned Hand Award for legal excellence form the American Jewish Committee.
Craig is a member of the Board of Henry Crown & Company, which manages the investments of the Crown family, and also a member of the Aspen Institute (Executive Committee; Chair, Audit and Risk Committee), the Civic Committee, the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Economic Club of Chicago, and the National Association of Corporate Directors. He serves on the boards of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, the Lyric Opera of Chicago (Executive Committee; Chair, Nominating and Governance Committee), the Chicago Urban League, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, World Business Chicago, Henry Crown & Company, and the Arie and Ida Crown Memorial at Crown Family Philanthropies. For nearly two decades, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, including serving as secretary, vice-chairman and as chairman from 2011 to 2014, where he Life Trustee.
Craig represents a virtual who’s who of Fortune 100 corporations, boards, audit committees, private entities, wealthy families and prominent individuals, including the family offices.
Craig earned his J.D. from the Harvard Law School and his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
Stephen Medlock
Partner
Vinson & Elkins
Stephen Medlock
PARTNER, VINSON & ELKINS
Steve Medlock is an experienced antitrust litigator who brings dedication, intensity, and commercial common sense to his representations of Fortune 500 clients, whether navigating through complex multidistrict class actions or successfully defending clients in grand jury investigations. Clients place their trust in Steve to develop unique and complex antitrust arguments for both defendants and plaintiffs. Steve’s unique mix of plaintiff and defense-side experience allows him to see the issues that exclusive defense-sided practitioners miss in a full range of antitrust matters, including corporate counseling, internal investigations, civil non-merger and criminal cartel investigations, and litigation. In these areas, Steve is known for providing practical advice that business executives can digest. Steve has secured victories for clients in major antitrust class actions and B2B antitrust cases alleging monopolization and attempted monopolization at critical stages, including winning dismissal prior to discovery and prevailing at summary judgment. His depositions and briefs have been quoted in the The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Politico.
Steve is a recognized as a part of the next generation of leadership in the antitrust bar. He currently serves as a Vice Chair on the Exemptions and Immunities Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust Law. He is also the co-editor of the third edition ABA’s Noerr-Pennington Handbook.
Behind the scenes, Steve is a trusted antitrust advisor and advocate in antitrust compliance matters, with a particular focus on clients in the food, beverage, consumer packaged goods, automotive, and high technology industries.
Chandra Metzler
Managing Partner & Co-Founder
CM Squared
Chandra Metzler
MANAGING PARTNER & CO-FOUNDER, CM SQUARED
Chandra Reddy Metzler co-founded CM Squared in 2017. She a Managing Partner with responsibility for all aspects of the business. As a family office and an independent sponsor, CM Squared distinguishes itself by structuring creative transactions that encourage optimal outcomes, align incentives and mitigate undesired risks. Litigation funding is a core strategy for the firm.
Prior to CM Squared, Ms. Metzler was Head of Strategic Development for QVT Financial, a multi-billion dollar global alternative investment firm. In this role, she had overall responsibility for investor relations, capital raising and product development. She was also a member of the firm’s Risk Committee. Before joining QVT in 2013, Ms. Metzler was president of the financial lines division at AIG for the U.S. and Canada, leading a business with over $2 billion in revenue and over 500 employees. Prior to AIG, Ms. Metzler had various roles of increasing responsibility and revenue generation in capital markets, banking and investment research at Bank of America, Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan.
Ms. Metzler earned her bachelor’s degree at Brown University in Economics, with honors, and Development Studies. She has a master’s degree in Economics from New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. While a graduate student, Ms. Metzler was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship.
Michael Nicolas
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Longford Capital
Michael Nicolas
CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR, LONGFORD CAPITAL
Mike is responsible for the portfolio management of Longford Capital, including underwriting, investment selection, and overseeing the efforts of independent attorneys and other professionals as part of Longford Capital’s due diligence process. He is an accomplished attorney with more than 15 years of experience representing a wide array of corporate clients involved in complex litigation throughout the United States, including trial experience in the commercial litigation departments of two prominent national law firms, Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg, LLP and Gardner, Carton & Douglas, LLP (n/k/a Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP). Mike is a frequent speaker on commercial litigation finance, and has presented at numerous industry conferences and events. He is an honors graduate of Northern Illinois University College of Business and Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Dan O’Brien
Head of Licensing
Quest Patent Research Corporation
Dan O'Brien
HEAD OF LICENSING, QUEST PATENT RESEARCH CORPORATION
I am the Director of Licensing for Quest Patent Research Corporation. Prior to joining Quest Patent Research Corporation, I served as General Counsel for Ultravision International. In that role, I regularly provided advice regarding litigation strategy, case management, IP valuation, portfolio development, alternative dispute resolution, contracts, corporate governance, and risk assessment and mitigation.
I spent 12 years in private practice representing leading technology companies involved in challenging litigation matters in district courts across the country, including 10 years in the intellectual property department of Jones Day. I have represented a wide array of clients involved in complex litigation matters related to patent infringement and validity, trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract, breach of joint venture and partnership agreements, and employment disputes.
Ryan Phair
Partner
Paul Hastings
Ryan Phair
Partner & Co-Chair, Antitrust and Competition Practice, Paul Hastings
Ryan Phair is co-chair of the Antitrust and Competition practice of Paul Hastings. He is an experienced trial lawyer and appellate advocate whose practice focuses on complex antitrust litigation and investigations. On behalf of plaintiffs, he has successfully recovered over $1 billion for his antitrust clients. On behalf of defendants, Ryan has an equally remarkable track record of success spanning dozens of complex cases, investigations and enforcement actions.
Kenneth Price
Managing Director, Asset-Backed Securities
Nuveen
Kenneth Price
MANAGING DIRECTOR, ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES, NUVEEN
Ken Price is a Managing Director on Nuveen’s private placements team where he is focused on the origination and portfolio management of the Private ABS portfolio.
Ken has held several roles at the firm since joining in 2010. Prior to his current role he held various roles in TIAA/Nuveen’s Risk Management group. He moved into the private placements group in 2017.
Ken graduated with a B.S. in Financial Economics from Binghamton University and is also a CFA charterholder.
Christopher Princis
Managing Director
CAMG
Christopher Princis
MANAGING DIRECTOR, CONSUMER ATTORNEY MARKETING GROUP
Chris Princis is Managing Director at Consumer Attorney Marketing Group (CAMG), where he leads investor and law firm partnerships through the firm’s Capital Connect Program. He specializes in bridging elite plaintiff firms with family offices, hedge funds, litigation funders, etc. structuring high-value opportunities across mass torts and single-event litigation.
Michael W. Robinson
Chairman & CEO
Montgomery Strategies Group
Michael W. Robinson
CHAIRMAN & CEO, MONTGOMERY STRATEGIES GROUP
Michael W. Robinson draws on four decades in advocacy communications as a trusted public affairs, government relations, and political counselor with deep expertise in high-stakes corporate, financial, and litigation campaigns.
Based on his experience at The White House; Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); The Department of Justice; FINRA; The NASDAQ Stock Market; a leading investment bank; in-house senior roles at several Fortune 100 companies and global consultancies; and national media, he has driven hundreds of winning integrated communications, lobbying, and grassroots efforts.
Michael has been recognized as Public Affairs Executive of the Year by PR News, a leader in crisis communications by Provoke Media, and at The New York Times in the 1980s worked with the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion.
He has a Bachelor of Arts from Syracuse University with degrees in Newspaper Journalism and Political Science.
Kevin Rubinstein
Partner
Crowell & Moring
Kevin Rubinstein
PARTNER, CROWELL & MORING
Kevin Rubinstein is a partner in the New York office of Crowell & Moring. He regularly represents investment banks, private equity funds, hedge funds, and other financial institutions in connection with a variety of direct lending transactions, as well as investments in syndicated loans in the secondary market. Kevin has experience representing both borrowers and lenders in a broad range of debt financings, including senior secured, first and second lien, unsecured, subordinated, and acquisition financings.
He advises clients on all aspects of the structuring, negotiation, and documentation of financing transactions, from the initial commitment or engagement to the closing of the transaction and perfection of security interests. He is involved in all stages of the transaction lifecycle, including refinancing and restructurings.
Kevin routinely represents fund clients in an array of financing transactions including capital call facilities, NAV facilities, management fee credit lines, and portfolio-level financings. He also advises hedge funds and litigation finance firms in connection with commercial litigation funding to law firms and plaintiffs.
Prior to joining the firm, he was a partner with Kibbe & Orbe LLP.
Shayna E. Sacks
Partner
Napoli Shkolnik
Shayna E. Sacks
PARTNER, NAPOLI SHKOLNIK
Ms. Sacks provides experienced representation to individuals, communities, local and state governments in multiple mass torts, including healthcare litigation, defective pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, the opioid crisis, and complex environmental & emerging contaminant litigation. She has served as Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel and a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee on product liability multi-district litigations.
Ed Scanlan
Founder & CEO
Bridge Legal
Ed Scanlan
FOUNDER & CEO, BRIDGE LEGAL
Ed Scanlan is a serial entrepreneur and litigation technology pioneer who transforms plaintiff-side legal portfolios into scalable, high-yield, risk-adjusted investments for capital partners.
As Founder & CEO of Bridge Legal, Ed built a proprietary, AI-driven operating system that gives law firms and funders complete transparency from lead inception to filing—integrating case validation, workflow automation, and analytics to deliver 10x productivity gains and faster time-to-liquidity on funded matters. The platform empowers firms to capture market share at scale while enabling funders to deploy capital with unprecedented precision and control.
Previously, Ed founded Total Attorneys, scaling it from startup to $30M+ recurring revenue without outside capital, earning spots on the Inc. 500, Crain’s Fast 50, and induction into the Chicagoland Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. His work has been featured in The New York Times and Inc..
Ed partners with leading litigation funders to co-create portfolios with exceptional merit profiles, predictable outcomes, and durable returns—aligning capital efficiency with access to justice.
Eric Schuller
President
Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding (ARC)
Eric Schuller
PRESIDENT, ALLIANCE FOR RESPONSIBLE CONSUMER LEGAL FUNDING (ARC)
Eric K. Schuller serves as President of the Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding (ARC), a national trade association representing companies that provide consumer legal funding. Mr. Schuller is a former member of the Board of Directors for the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC) and currently chairs its Public Outreach Committee. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Dispute Financing Library at the Center on Civil Justice at New York University School of Law and has been actively engaged with the Council of State Governments (CSG), the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the Attorney General Alliance (AGA), and the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG).
Mr. Schuller is a retired veteran of the United States Army, with a background in military intelligence, counterintelligence, and military police operations.
Sangeeta Shah
President
Brooks Kushman
Sangeeta Shah
PRESIDENT, BROOKS KUSHMAN
Sangeeta Shah is the President of Brooks Kushman, where she leads the firm’s shareholders and drives its strategic vision and operations. In her first year, she expanded the practice by adding new attorneys and strengthening the firm’s infrastructure to support long-term growth. With more than 20 years of experience, Sangeeta maintains an active practice focused on patent portfolio management, PTAB matters, litigation, and opinions. As Co-Chair of the firm’s post-grant practice, she has been a leader in inter partes review proceedings and works closely with Fortune 500 clients on complex global IP strategies. Her expertise has earned national recognition from Managing IP, Best Lawyers, IAM Strategy 300, AIPLA, and the PTAB Bar Association. Previously, Sangeeta served as CEO of Brooks Kushman, where she advanced client initiatives, expanded the firm nationally and internationally, implemented new technologies, and launched DEI programs recognized by ChIPs and Diversity Lab.
Emily Siegel
Senior Reporter
Bloomberg Law
Emily Siegel
SENIOR REPORTER, BLOOMBERG LAW
Emily Siegel is a senior reporter with Bloomberg Law. She covers litigation finance and writes about anything affecting or intersecting with the industry. She previously worked for NBC News as an investigative reporter. She earned a master’s degree from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.
John Siris
Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Esoteric & Energy Banking
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co
John Siris
SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR, CO-HEAD OF ESOTERIC & ENERGY BANKING, CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO
John Siris has 25 years of experience in the structured products space working on a number of non-traditional ABS transactions.
Mr. Siris specializes in creating new asset classes and bringing first time issuers to market with transactional experience including power & energy, intellectual property, commercial real estate, agriculture, entertainment, equipment, receivable financing, consumer and business loans and other financial assets.
Prior to joining Cantor in 2022, Mr. Siris was a Senior Managing Director at Guggenheim Securities and led esoteric origination efforts at Citigroup. Mr. Siris began his career as a lawyer at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft and has a JD from Fordham Law School and BA from Bucknell University.
Daniel Spendlove
Partner
Signature Litigation
Daniel Spendlove
PARTNER, SIGNATURE LITIGATION
Daniel is a Partner in the London office of the leading European disputes law firm Signature Litigation. He specialises in complex and high value commercial disputes, usually with an international focus. Daniel represents both claimants and defendants, and his clients include corporations, investment banks, investment funds, bondholders, industrial groups and high / ultra high net worth individuals. He is recognised as one of the UK’s leading commercial litigators, and is described in Chambers & Partners as a lawyer who “cuts to the case”, is “really tough yet pragmatic” and “absolutely brilliant”. In September 2024 Daniel was shortlisted for Partner of the Year at Legal Week’s British Legal Awards 2024. Outside of client work Daniel sits on the Litigation Committee of the City of London Law Society and is a Steering Committee member of the English-American Litigation Forum.
Kelsey Stokes
Senior Attorney
The Lanier Law Firm
Kelsey Stokes
SENIOR ATTORNEY, THE LANIER LAW FIRM
Kelsey Stokes is recognized as a national leader in mass personal injury litigation. Kelsey practices primarily in the areas of mass tort litigation, products liability, and complex commercial litigation.
As Co-Lead Counsel for the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in multiple Hernia Mesh MDLs (Multi-District Litigation) at the federal level and 3 MCLs (Multi-County Litigation) in New Jersey, the home of Johnson & Johnson, Kelsey has spent countless hours fighting for victims of defective medical devices, ensuring their voices are heard and their suffering acknowledged. Her leadership in the litigation against C.R. Bard and Johnson & Johnson has not only changed lives but has also set a precedent for women in leadership roles within the legal industry.
Kelsey is currently serving as Co-Lead Counsel for the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the second largest MDL in the country (MDL No. 2846, In re Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylene Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio). Appointed as Co-Lead Counsel in 2018, the MDL has over 23,000 cases consolidated there. Kelsey served as lead trial counsel for the three bellwether cases tried in MDL 2846. In 2024, as Lead Settlement Counsel for the Bard Hernia Mesh MDL, Kelsey Stokes successfully negotiated a path to resolution for over 30,000 plaintiffs. Kelsey currently serves as Administering Counsel for the Bard resolution and spends countless hours guiding plaintiffs’ lawyers across the country.
In addition to her leadership roles at the federal level, Kelsey Stokes was appointed to lead three New Jersey state court consolidated actions against Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon, Inc.: MCL 627, In re Physiomesh Litigation; MCL 630, In Re: Proceed Mesh Litigation; and MCL 633, In re Prolene Hernia System Mesh Litigation. Kelsey was also elected Co‑Chair of the American Association for Justice Hernia Mesh Litigation Group by her peers, where she has served for over seven years.
In addition to her responsibilities with the hernia mesh litigation, Kelsey was also appointed to the Phenylephrine Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee. She serves as Science & Expert Committee Co-Chair, as well as a Discovery Co-Chair for the litigation.
Prior to leading the hernia mesh docket, Attorney Kelsey Stokes played an integral role in litigating transvaginal mesh cases to a successful resolution. Her work in the various transvaginal mesh MDLs gave her a wealth of knowledge overlapping with the knowledge required to successfully litigate hernia mesh cases.
Kelsey has regular speaking engagements, sharing the knowledge she has gained managing MDLs as well as studying the science and legal issues applicable to medical device and pharmaceutical litigation.
Through the course of her career, Kelsey has taken hundreds of depositions, including depositions of corporate witnesses, expert witnesses, and treating physicians. Kelsey has also defended the leading experts in their fields as well as hundreds of plaintiffs injured by various medical devices and pharmaceutical drugs. She regularly argues at hearings throughout the country and coordinates large-scale briefing on behalf of the MDLs she leads.
Early in her career, Kelsey managed a large GranuFlo docket from case filing to resolution, successfully navigating clients through the settlement claims process. In addition to the above litigations, Kelsey Stokes performed considerable work on the Wright Hip and Accutane Litigations as well as Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT), in which she was trial counsel in the first TRT trial in Cook County, Illinois in 2017.
Kelsey’s practice also includes complex commercial litigation in federal and state court, and arbitration, resulting in multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts. Examples include arbitrations where she represented healthcare providers in contractual and payment disputes with insurers; a massive Ponzi scheme; and an off-shore commercial oil dispute. Attorney Kelsey Stokes’s experience also extends to catastrophic aviation accidents.
Education & Memberships
Kelsey Stokes earned a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Mathematics and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. She received her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center, where she served as Chief Managing Editor of the Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law.
Kelsey is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Northern, Western, Eastern, and Southern Districts of Texas, as well as the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, and Sixth Circuits. She is a member of the American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and Houston Trial Lawyers Association.
Simon Warr
Leader Underwriter, Legal Expenses
AmTrust International
Simon Warr
LEAD UNDERWRITER, LEGAL EXPENSES, AMTRUST INTERNATIONAL
Simon has been working in legal expenses insurance since 1989, building extensive expertise across underwriting, business development, and management in both insurer and Lloyd’s syndicate environments. Since 2010, he has brought strategic leadership and innovation to AmTrust, where he continues to drive progress in the sector. Prior to joining AmTrust, Simon held senior positions at Brit Insurance, Capita Insurance Services, Eastgate Assistance, and Hambro Legal Protection. He also served as President of Legal Protection International (LPI) for seven years, fostering international collaboration and advocating for regulatory improvements. During his tenure, LPI led major initiatives on UK market data and EU-level lobbying around legal expenses insurance. Simon’s career reflects a lasting commitment to advancing the industry through knowledge, partnership, and purposeful change.
Leanne Wilson
Managing Director
Contingency Capital
Leanne Wilson
MANAGING DIRECTOR, CONTINGENCY CAPITAL
Leanne Wilson is a Managing Director at Contingency Capital and member of the Investment Committee. Contingency Capital applies a credit focused approach to investing in legal assets, looking for downside and duration protection across diversified pools of assets. Contingency focuses on four main verticals: priming and rescue finance, law firm lending, special situations, and portfolio finance.
Leanne sources, underwrites, and manages investments across all of Contingency’s business lines. She joined Contingency Capital in 2021 from Sculptor Capital (formerly known as Och-Ziff), where she was an analyst on the litigation-finance desk. Prior to Sculptor, Leanne practiced securities law, representing investors in litigation related to residential mortgage-backed securities and other structured products.
Leanne has a JD from Columbia University, an MBA from McMaster University, and a BSc from Queen’s University.
Tiana Zhang
Partner & Head of International Business
Hozu Capital
Tiana Zhang
PARTNER & HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, HOZU CAPITAL
Ms. Tianjing (Tiana) Zhang is Head of International Business at HOZU Capital, a litigation funder based in Asia. Prior to joining the litigation funding industry, Ms. Zhang served as managing partner of the Shanghai office of Kirkland & Ellis International for many years and led the firm’s Asia cross-border dispute resolution practice. Ms. Zhang’s career in private practice focused on complex multi-jurisdictional litigation and investigations involving financial fraud, antitrust, white-collar defense, mass tort, and crisis management. Ms. Zhang has been consistently recognized by Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500, Benchmark Litigation, and the LawDragon 500 as a leading practitioner in Asia-related cross-border disputes and global government investigations.
Boris Ziser
Global Head of Structured Finance, CLOs and Alternative Assets
McDermott Will & Schulte
Boris Ziser
GLOBAL HEAD OF STRUCTURED FINANCE, CLOS AND ALTERNATIVE ASSETS, MCDERMOTT WILL & SCHULTE
Boris advises on asset-backed lending and securitization, warehouse facilities, secured financings, specialty finance lending and esoteric finance transactions across a diverse array of asset classes.
With more than 30 years of experience, Boris works on a variety of asset classes, including life settlements, litigation funding, equipment leases, structured settlements, lottery receivables, timeshare loans, merchant cash advances and cell towers, in addition to other esoteric asset classes such as intellectual property, various insurance-related cash flows and other cash flow producing assets.
He also represents investors, lenders, hedge funds, private equity funds and finance companies in acquisitions and dispositions of portfolios of assets and financings secured by those portfolios.
Recognized as a leading lawyer in the industry, Boris is ranked in Chambers Global, Chambers USA and The Legal 500 US for his work in structured finance.
He serves as outside general counsel to the Institutional Longevity Markets Association (ILMA) and is a member of the Structured Finance Committee of the New York City Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association and the Esoteric Assets Committee and Risk Retention Task Force of the Structured Finance Association.
Boris has been interviewed for the article “Attorneys Must Tread Carefully in Litigation Funding’s Next Stage,” published in Law360, and the articles “SRZ’s Leading Litigation Finance Practice: Holistic Expertise for a Booming Asset Class” and “Life Settlements and Longevity Swaps: Opportunities for Investors, Individuals, Insurers and Pension Funds,” both published in The Hedge Fund Journal.
Boris has also been featured on Bloomberg’s “Wall Street Week” and Nasdaq’s “TradeTalks.”
2025 agenda
The 2026 program is in development. Get updates and inquire about speaking in 2026 below.
Get Updates
If you’d like to know as soon as more information is available, please join the Dealmakers email list below.
PRE-DAY: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH
Kick off with a combined Opening Reception, bringing both LF Dealmakers event audiences together.
DAY ONE: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH
Experience the crossover day—the final day of Mass Torts and the opening day of the Annual Forum. A shared morning program focused on policy and advocacy leads into two targeted afternoon tracks so you can customize your experience.
- How litigation finance funds performed over the past year, and where capital is flowing
- The evolution of fund structures and deal terms in response to investor and market pressures
- Outlook for growth: sectors, geographies, and macro trends that will define the next phase
Speakers:
- Emily Siegel, Senior Reporter, Bloomberg Law (moderator)
- Nathaniel Catez, Executive Director, Moelis & Company
- Craig C. Martin, Chairman, Americas, Willkie, Farr & Gallagher
- Michael Nicolas, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Longford Capital
- Simon Warr, Lead Underwriter, AmTrust International
- Understand why litigation finance has drawn increased scrutiny on Capitol Hill and what kinds of policy challenges could emerge next
- Learn from insiders how congressional priorities are shaped—and where litigation funding may become a target
- Take away strategies to identify blind spots early and mount effective defenses before the next bill lands
Speakers:
U.S. Representative Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (TX-34)
In Conversation with: Former U.S. Representative Filemón Vela Jr (TX-34)., Principal, Valiant Strategies
For the first time, leading industry organizations will share a stage to explore what’s happening now—and how the sector is responding. This session brings a “big-tent” perspective to the discussion, tackling where alignment exists, where differences remain, and how the industry can position itself for long-term growth and credibility.
Speakers:
- Boris Ziser, Partner & Co-Head of Structured Finance and Derivatives, McDermott Will & Schulte (moderator)
- Jack Kelly, Managing Director, American Legal Finance Association (ALFA)
- Paul Kong, Executive Director, International Legal Finance Association (ILFA)
- Geoffrey Louden, State Affairs Counsel, American Association for Justice (AAJ)
- Eric Schuller, President, Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding (ARC)
MOBILIZING POLITICAL POWER: HOW LITIGATION FINANCE CAN BUILD AND DEPLOY EFFECTIVE GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGNS
Political engagement is no longer optional for litigation finance—it’s essential. This interactive workshop will move beyond awareness to action, equipping litigation funders and law firm leaders with the practical tools to design and deploy effective grassroots campaigns.
Building on the LF Dealmakers x Invenio Advocacy Toolkit, this interactive workshop will provide both litigation finance professionals and law firm leaders with essential training on grassroots advocacy strategy, tactics, and execution.
Speakers:
- Edward Gehres, Managing Partner, Invenio (moderator)
- Paul Ellender Jr., Senior Product Manager, VoterVoice
- Michael W. Robinson, Chairman & CEO, Montgomery Strategies Group
2:30 – 3:15 PM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS
9:00 AM – 2:30 PM:
ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS
Participants have the option to schedule 30-minute meetings utilizing our desktop or mobile app. Registered attendees will receive an invitation to login to the app the week prior to the event.
Focused on the intersection of mass torts and litigation funding, offering practical insights for professionals navigating this evolving field.
- Driving effective client acquisition while avoiding ethical and regulatory pitfalls
- Balancing high-volume intake
- How to evaluate and select marketing partners who can deliver
Speakers:
- Christopher Princis, Managing Director, CAMG (moderator)
- Davis Cooper, Founding Partner, Cooper Masterman
- Joseph Fantini, Managing Attorney, Mass Torts Department, Rosen Injury Lawyers
- Katherine Hoffmann, Founder & CEO, SMART Reviews
Focused on the structure of funding deals, key strategies for successful execution, and valuable lessons from real-world experience.
- Balancing and protecting the interests of all stakeholders
- Where do things fall through the cracks?
- What to do when relationships break down
Speakers:
- Suneal Bedi, Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Indiana University (moderator)
- Fred Fabricant, Managing Partner, Fabricant
- Dan O’Brien, Head of Licensing, Quest Patent Research Corporation
- Leanne Wilson, Managing Director, Contingency Capital
3:55 – 5:25 PM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Focused on the intersection of mass torts and litigation funding, offering practical insights for professionals navigating this evolving field.
- How to package mass tort receivables into securitized products
- The strategic drivers for securitization
- When securitization is right or wrong: The prerequisites and viability
Speakers:
- Ed Scanlan, Founder & CEO, Bridge Legal (moderator)
- Kenneth Price, Managing Director, Asset-Backed Securities, Nuveen
- Shayna E. Sacks, Partner, Napoli Shkolnik
- John Siris, Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Esoteric/Energy Banking, Cantor Fitzgerald
When funders look at mass torts, what you don’t know can cost you. In this candid conversation, seasoned leaders on the plaintiffs’ side share their best advice on how funders can succeed in one of the most complex and dynamic areas of litigation. This discussion will cover:
- Untangling Complexity: Why mass torts aren’t a monolith—how aggregation mechanisms, case types, and leadership structures impact outcomes.
- Smarter Diligence: Key factors funders must weigh before investing, from scientific underpinnings and claimant populations to judicial oversight and leadership credibility.
- Practical Guidance: How to evaluate risk the way tort lawyers do, anticipate timelines, and align investment strategy with real-world litigation dynamics.
Speakers:
- Maria Glover, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law, Georgetown Law (moderator)
- Diandra “Fu” Debrosse, Partner, DiCello Levitt
- M. Elizabeth “Beth” Graham, Partner, Grant & Eisenhofer
- Kelsey Stokes, Attorney, Fleming, Nolen & Jez
Focused on the structure of funding deals, key strategies for successful execution, and valuable lessons from real-world experience.
- Hot spot jurisdictions outside the U.S.
- Opportunities emerging in multi-jurisdictional disputes, collective redress, and global settlements
- How funders should be positioning to capture the next wave of global opportunities
Speakers:
- Alan E. Guy, Managing Director of Underwriting and Value Optimization, Kobre & Kim (moderator)
- Roy Ben-Ami, Head of Capital Markets, Darrow AI
- Quirijn Bongaerts, Advocaat, Birkway
- Daniel Spendlove, Partner, Signature Litigation
- Tiana Zhang, Partner & Head of International Business, Houzhu Capital
A recent decision by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas voiding a $2.3 million funding agreement has sent a clear message: litigation finance in bankruptcy is under the microscope. This conversation will unpack the implications of the ruling and offer practical guidance on entering into funding agreements that are enforceable, transparent, and aligned with both fiduciary duties of funded parties and the interests of their constituents.
Speakers:
- Marc Carmel, Member, McDonald Hopkins (moderator)
- Ken Epstein, Principal, Backlit Capital Solutions
DAY TWO: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH
Wrap up with a day devoted to the Annual Forum, featuring opening sessions and afternoon concurrent breakouts designed to deliver valuable insights and actionable takeaways that drive the industry forward.
Gain a top-down perspective on today’s investment landscape. This keynote will explore current growth trends, risk dynamics, and capital flows, providing insight into how litigation funding and other non-correlated assets fit into the broader market.
Speaker:
Neil Dutta, Partner, Head of Economic Research, Renaissance Macro Research
In conversation with: Chandra Metzler, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, CM Squared
A group of seasoned experts will explore the most common mistakes and obstacles that can derail transactions. This session will highlight the top three pitfalls, offering practical strategies to avoid them and keep deals on track.
Speakers:
- Megan Easley, SVP, Contingent Risk, CAC Specialty
- Max Doyle, Chief Strategy Officer, CAMG
- Joseph Dunn, Managing Director, Co-CIO Legal Assets, Fortress Investment Group
- Kevin Rubinstein, Partner, Crowell & Moring (moderator)
- Sarah Johnson, Head of Litigation Investing, The D. E. Shaw Group
11:00 - 12:40 PM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS
These sessions will focus on law firm growth, the use of funding and options available, as well as strategies firms can use to gain a competitive advantage.
- How access to capital changes the way firms pitch, price, and win contingency work
- Strategies for balancing case selection, portfolio diversification, and client expectations
- Best practices for staffing, infrastructure, and aligning incentives to grow a sustainable contingent practice
Speakers:
- Sangeeta Shah, CEO, Brooks Kushman (moderator)
- Shawn Blackburn, Partner, Susman Godfrey
- Philip J. Iovieno, Partner, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
- Duane L. Loft, Partner, Pallas Partners
- What resonates most with executive committees—growth potential, client acquisition, diversification, or risk mitigation?
- What are the biggest misconceptions about funding inside firms, and how do you counter them?
- How can firms showcase early wins and measurable outcomes to accelerate adoption across practice groups?
Speakers:
- Erika Levin, Partner, Fox Rothschild (moderator)
- Hugh Carlson, CEO, Three Crowns
- Michael E. Lackey, Partner, Mayer Brown
- Stephen Medlock, Partner, Vinson & Elkins
- Ryan Phair, Partner & Co-Chair, Antitrust and Competition Practice, Paul Hastings
9:00 AM – 2:30 PM:
ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS
Participants have the option to schedule 30-minute meetings utilizing 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
2025 SPONSORS & PARTNERS
The 2026 program is in development. Get updates and inquire about sponsoring in 2026 below.
Get Updates
If you’d like to know as soon as more information is available, please join the Dealmakers email list below.
gold sponsors
silver sponsors
bronze sponsors
Advocacy Workshop Sponsor
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SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION
read more about OUR
2025 SPONSORS
Gold sponsorS

CAC Specialty’s Contingent & Litigation Risk Solutions Group is an integrated team of seasoned corporate litigators and senior investment bankers. Whether you are a litigation finance group, law firm, or corporate litigant, CAC’s industry-leading team can help you protect against downside litigation risk, lock in a core value to a legal asset, secure non-recourse financing to bring forward litigation proceeds, and decrease your cost of capital. CAC Specialty brings an innovative, proactive approach to insurance broking and structured solutions to solve your risk challenges – from the simple to the previously unsolvable.

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 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

Consumer Attorney Marketing Group (CAMG) is a full service Marketing Agency made up of experts in Direct Response Marketing. We are committed to helping law firms leverage this experience in order to create the most successful legal marketing campaigns possible. Our services include, but are not limited to, creative messaging, media buying, tracking and optimization, call intake services, and performance-based reporting.

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.

Crowell & Moring is an international law firm with operations in the United States, Europe, MENA, and Asia. Drawing on significant government, business, industry and legal experience, the firm helps clients capitalize on opportunities and provides creative solutions to complex litigation and arbitration, regulatory and policy, and corporate and transactional issues. The firm is consistently recognized for its commitment to pro bono service as well as its programs and initiatives to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.

Curiam Capital is a private investment firm that provides financing for high-value litigation. Curiam specializes in finding flexible and creative solutions that allow parties to hire the lawyers of their choice to pursue strong legal claims. The investment process with Curiam is thorough but straightforward and efficient. Curiam’s team has decades of experience working on some of the largest and most complex litigations in United States history.

Darrow is an AI-powered legal intelligence platform on a mission to fuel law firm growth and deliver justice for victims of class and mass action lawsuits. By leveraging generative AI and world-class legal experts and technologists, Darrow uncovers egregious violations across legal domains spanning privacy and data breach, consumer protection, securities and financial fraud, environment, and employment. Darrow is based out of New York City and Tel Aviv.

The D. E. Shaw group is a global investment and technology development firm with over $60 billion in investment and committed capital as of April 1, 2023. We have earned an international reputation for successful investing based on innovation, careful risk management, and the quality and depth of our staff.

HOZU Capital is a pioneering litigation funding firm rooted in Asia. As Asia’s dispute resolution markets expand and Asia-based businesses increasingly face global disputes, HOZU provides the expertise, network, and capital to support its clients. We assist multinational businesses, international law firms, and global litigation funders in pursuing or co-investing in Asia-related cases—including international arbitration, global judgment enforcement, complex commercial litigation and intellectual property disputes.

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.

Moelis & Company is a leading global independent investment bank that provides innovative strategic advice and solutions to a diverse client base, including corporations, governments and financial sponsors. The Firm assists clients in achieving their strategic goals by offering comprehensive integrated financial advisory services across all major industry sectors. Our experienced professionals advise clients on their most critical decisions, including M&A, recapitalizations and restructurings, capital raises, and other corporate finance matters from 23 locations globally.
BRONZE SPONSORs

Ignite Specialty Risk is a litigation specialist program administrator that enables plaintiffs, law firms and investors to transfer risk and confidently pursue justice with customized Litigation Capital Protection Insurance. Founded in the U.K., today Ignite maintains offices in the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. for our broker partners and clients.

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.
Media Partner

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).
Advocacy Workshop Sponsor

With decades of experience in legal and credit markets, we empower clients to navigate risk, seize opportunity, and realize superior results—whether investing in legal claims, executing structured finance transactions, or recovering value from challenged assets. Explore how we help clients transform potential into performance.
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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.
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!

