
3rd annual
LF Dealmakers
MASS TORTS
SEPTEMBER 15-16, 2026
NEW YORK CITY
Get Updates
If you’d like to know as soon as more information is available, please join the Dealmakers email list below.
About The Event
BRIDGING MASS TORTS & LITIGATION FINANCE
Where Deals Get Done, and 2026 Plans Get Locked In.
Returning for its 3rd annual edition, LF Dealmakers Mass Torts brings the mass torts and litigation finance community back to New York City at a critical point in the year — when conversations turn into commitments.
Taking place September 15–16, this two-day forum is designed for senior funders, plaintiffs’ firms, strategic advisors, and key stakeholders who are actively deploying capital, building pipelines, and advancing deals that will carry into 2026 and beyond.
This is not a theoretical discussion. It’s a working forum built around real business where you can expect:
- Insight from market leaders: Practical, deal-relevant perspectives from senior executives at the forefront of mass torts and litigation finance.
- Strategic networking: Curated one-to-one meetings and a tightly vetted audience ensure every connection advances live opportunities.
- High-level deal focus: Expert speakers share strategies on capital allocation, case selection, and risk management.
Maximize your Dealmakers experience: LF Dealmakers Mass Torts runs alongside the 9th Annual LF Dealmakers Forum. Book the combined ticket for access to both events, plus expanded networking and cross-strategy insight.
Where Deals Get Done, and 2026 Plans Get Locked In.
Returning for its 3rd annual edition, LF Dealmakers Mass Torts brings the mass torts and litigation finance community back to New York City at a critical point in the year — when conversations turn into commitments.
Taking place September 15–16, this two-day forum is designed for senior funders, plaintiffs’ firms, strategic advisors, and key stakeholders who are actively deploying capital, building pipelines, and advancing deals that will carry into 2026 and beyond.
This is not a theoretical discussion. It’s a working forum built around real business where you can expect:
- Insight from market leaders: Practical, deal-relevant perspectives from senior executives at the forefront of mass torts and litigation finance.
- Strategic networking: Curated one-to-one meetings and a tightly vetted audience ensure every connection advances live opportunities.
- High-level deal focus: Expert speakers share strategies on capital allocation, case selection, and risk management.
Maximize your Dealmakers experience: LF Dealmakers Mass Torts runs alongside the 9th Annual LF Dealmakers Forum. Book the combined ticket for access to both events, plus expanded networking and cross-strategy insight.
100Percent
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
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
LF MASS TORTS by the numbers
200+
Decision
Makers
145+
ATTENDING
COMPANIES
100+
ONE-TO-ONE
MEETINGS
50+
expert
SPEAKERS
10+
sponsorship opportunities
Become a sponsor
2026 SPEAKERS
Get Updates
If you’d like to know as soon as more information is available, please join the Dealmakers email list below.
2026 KEYNOTE & FEATURED SPEAKERS

BRIDIE FARRELL
Director of Victim Rights Advocacy & Legislation
Weitz & Luxenberg PC
Bridie Farrell

Kenneth R. Feinberg
Mediator & Arbitrator
Law Offices of Kenneth R. Feinberg
Kenneth R. Feinberg
Kenneth R. Feinberg is one of the Nation’s leading experts in alternative dispute resolution. He was the former Court-appointed Mediator in both the Imerys/Cyprus talc bankruptcy in Delaware and the Hess-Honx asbestos bankruptcy in Texas. He previously served as the voluntary Mediator in the Georgia Pacific/Bestwall bankruptcy in North Carolina, was co-Mediator in the successful Owens Illinois/Paddock asbestos bankruptcy proceeding in North Carolina and was formerly the Court-ordered Estimation Expert in the Johnson & Johnson/LTL Management bankruptcy in New Jersey.
He has served as the Court-appointed Mediator in the successful resolution of the Purdue and Mallinckrodt opioid bankruptcies in the Southern District of New York and Delaware.
Mr. Feinberg has been designated by the Federal Government to serve in a variety of public compensation and related funding programs over the past 40 years. He previously served as Special Master of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, the Department of Justice Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism Fund, the Department of Justice Boeing 737 Max Crash Victim Beneficiaries Compensation Fund, the Department of the Treasury’s TARP Executive Compensation Program and the Treasury’s Private Multiemployer Pension Reform program.
He was also appointed by the Obama Administration to oversee compensation of victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
In addition to his acting as Mediator and Administrator in a wide variety of federally related compensation programs, Mr. Feinberg has also served as Administrator of 24 Catholic Church Dioceses’ Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Funds designed to compensate the victims of Church sexual abuse. He also served as Administrator of the One Orlando Fund following a terrorist attack at the Pulse nightclub, the General Motors Ignition Switch Compensation Program, and the One Fund Boston Compensation Program arising out of the Boston Marathon bombings. He was also the Mediator in the successful effort to return an original Chagall painting from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City to its original family owners in Europe.
He previously served as the Court-appointed Settlement Master in the Fiat/Chrysler Diesel Emissions class action settlement in San Francisco and is currently the Court-appointed Special Settlement Master in the national federal multi-district mass tort Roundup litigation.
Mr. Feinberg has been appointed mediator and arbitrator in thousands of complex disputes over the past 40 years.

Steven Molo
Founding Partner
MoloLamken
Steven Molo
FOUNDING PARTNER, MOLOLAMKEN
Steven Molo, one of the country’s leading courtroom advocates, is a founding partner of the national litigation boutique MoloLamken LLP. He represents corporations, boards, funds, investors, inventors, and individuals in complex business litigation, white collar criminal matters, and IP litigation. His client base is international.
Chambers and Partners calls him “fantastic in the courtroom,” “with lots of charisma,” a “fabulous courtroom litigator who lights up the room with his presence,” “very bright, imaginative, and creative in his approach to problems,” and “one of the most talented lawyers in the (New York) city.” Benchmark Litigation – which named him one of the top 100 Trial Lawyers in America – calls him “revered,” “an outstanding advocate and fearless in court,” who “delivers the goods.”
Legal 500 includes Mr. Molo on its elite list of Leading Trial Lawyers and calls him “a rockstar litigator; a great lawyer,” with “terrific knowledge of the courts and the law,” “a force to be reckoned with” who “really excels in the courtroom.” It says he is “smart, creative, responsive, knowledgeable, and engaging; he has an excellent mix of traits that set him apart from his peers.” For the past thirteen years he has been named to Lawdragon’s list of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America.
Mr. Molo began his career as a prosecutor in Chicago, and then practiced with Winston & Strawn, where he was a senior litigator and member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He spent five years as a litigation partner with the Wall Street firm Shearman & Sterling before founding MoloLamken in October 2009. He is also a solicitor on the Roll of Attorneys of the Law Society of England and Wales, and an Honorary Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple.
2026 FORUM SPEAKERS

Bryan F. Aylstock
Founding Partner
Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLC
Andy Birchfield, Jr.
FOUNDING PARTNER, AYLSTOCK, WITKIN, KREIS & OVERHOLTZ, PLC
Mr. Aylstock founded his firm (Aylstock Witkin) in 2001, which is now comprised of more than 35 attorneys and 400 staff members who have directly handled the claims of more than 100,000 individual clients and class representatives over the past 20+ years.
Mr. Aylstock graduated number one in his law school section from the University of Florida College of Law and served as a senior editor of the Florida Law Review. Following law school, Mr. Aylstock clerked for the Honorable Roger Vinson, Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
He has specialized in multi-district and class action litigation for more than 25 years and has developed substantial experience in handling complex litigation in both MDLs and state court consolidated proceedings. He has been appointed to multiple leadership roles by Courts across the Country on behalf of Plaintiffs.

Asim Badaruzzaman
Partner
Sbaiti & Company
Asim Badaruzzaman
PARTNER, SBAITI & COMPANY
Asim M. Badaruzzaman is a partner at Sbaiti & Company, where he co-chairs the firm’s Mass Tort Practice Group. Over nearly two decades of representing plaintiffs in complex pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer product, and environmental litigation, he has secured substantial recoveries for injured clients nationwide and built the operational infrastructure to support and litigate high-volume dockets. Asim is also the CEO of Certum Legal Solutions, a legal MSO that provides the operational backbone for mass tort and personal injury firms, where he is building tools on an AI-native platform to transform how those cases are managed. With a focus on ethical compliance, data security, and information privacy, Asim believes in building AI-powered solutions that are verified and auditable before humans rely on them. Asim has been recognized as a finalist for the Innovator Award at the 2024 New Jersey Legal Awards and for the 2025 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law.

Tom Baker
William Maul Measey Professor
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Tom Baker
WILLIAM MAUL MEASEY PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA CAREY LAW SCHOOL
Tom Baker is the William Maul Measey Professor at Penn Carey Law School, with a secondary appointment at the Wharton School of Business, and a member of the Board of Directors of the liability insurer, Bowhead Specialty. Tom teaches and writes about legal finance with a special interest in adjacent insurance markets. Tom was the Reporter for the American Law Institute’s Restatement of the Law Liability Insurance. He was awarded the 2024 Harry J. Kalven, Jr. Prize for “empirical scholarship that has contributed most effectively to the advancement of research in law and society” and the 2013 Robert B. McKay to honor his “commitment to the advancement of justice, scholarship and the legal profession, demonstrated by outstanding contributions to the fields of tort and insurance law.”

Salvatore Balada
General Counsel and Partner, Complex Commercial Litigation and Consumer Class Actions
Napoli Shkolnik
Salvatore Balada
GENERAL COUNSEL AND PARTNER, COMPLEX COMMERCIAL LITIGATION AND CONSUMER CLASS ACTIONS, NAPOLI SHKOLNIK
Mr. Badala represents clients in high-stakes disputes involving securities fraud, antitrust, RICO, business fraud, partnership and corporate liability, contracts, and trade secrets. He has extensive experience in regulatory enforcement and white-collar matters before agencies worldwide, including the SEC, CFTC, DOJ, and international financial regulators. His work spans complex investigations into foreign corrupt practices, securities offerings, market misconduct, and structured finance.

Cesar Bello
Partner, Director of Litigation Finance
Corbin Capital Partners
CESAR BELLO
PARTNER, DIRECTOR OF LITIGATION FINANCE
Cesar leads Corbin’s efforts in litigation finance, having deployed more than $800mm in litigation finance related strategies. After working at top-tier law firms (Skadden Arps), Cesar joined Corbin in 2010 and became Deputy General Counsel in 2013 and Partner in early 2017. Since 2018, he has led the litigation finance strategy, developing a deep litigation finance-related network including many of the most active GPs and LPs in the space as well as major law firms. Cesar received a BS in Finance (summa cum laude) from the University of Florida (2001), a JD from New York University School of Law (2004) and an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business (2010).

Max Bernstein
Senior Vice President
CAC, part of The Baldwin Group
Max Bernstein
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CAC, part of The Baldwin Group

Andy Birchfield, Jr.
Mass Torts Section Head
Beasley Allen
Andy Birchfield, Jr.
MASS TORTS SECTION HEAD, BEASLEY ALLEN
Andy Birchfield graduated from Thomas Goode Jones School of Law magna cum laude in 1991. He has significant trial experience in both state and federal court, and his practice encompasses a wide range of legal matters including personal injury and civil rights cases. For the past 25 years, Andy’s practice has focused primarily on mass tort product liability litigation.
Andy joined Beasley Allen Law Firm in 1996 and manages the firm’s Mass Torts Section, which has successfully resolved claims for thousands of clients in the Vioxx, Bextra/Celebrex, Actos, Xarelto, Baycol, Rezulin, PPA, Ephedra, Transvaginal mesh, and other litigations.
Andy is also a member of the American Association for Justice and the Montgomery Trial Lawyers Associations. He has served as president of the the Alabama Young Lawyers, as well as on numerous task forces and committees of the Alabama State Bar. Andy has served on the Committee for Character and Fitness of Alabama, which assesses those attributes with respect to applicants for admission to the Bar.

Tina Bullock
Managing Partner
Bullock Legal Group
Tina Bullock
MANAGING PARTNER, BULLOCK LEGAL GROUP
Tina Bullock is a pioneer in addressing video game addiction and a strong advocate for children’s rights. With over a decade of experience in litigating complex mass tort and medical malpractice cases, she has been recognized by ALM as an honoree for Managing Partner of the Year. Her firm was also acknowledged by ALM for its Diversity Initiative.
In 2024, Tina was nominated by her peers as Best Lawyer in 2024. She was also selected as a Mid-South Rising Star by Super Lawyers. Additionally, her peers nominated her as a Top 100 Attorney and for Medical Malpractice – Top 25 by The National Trial Lawyers Association. She also serves on the editorial board for Georgia’s Law 360.
Tina is a former registered nurse with twenty-three years of clinical hospital experience in some of the most specialized fields of medicine. She also has a BS in Accounting.

Hon. Karen K. Caldwell
Judge
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
Hon. Karen K. Caldwell
JUDGE, U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY
Karen Caldwell is a United States district judge in the Eastern District of Kentucky, where she served as chief judge from 2012 to 2019. She is a member of the United States Judicial Council’s Budget Committee and is chair of the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Judge Caldwell has sat by designation with the United States Courts of Appeals for the Sixth and Ninth Circuits.
Before taking the federal bench in 2001, Judge Caldwell was a partner at Dinsmore, working at the firm’s Lexington, Kentucky office. Prior to entering private practice, she served as an assistant United States attorney and then as United States attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Judge Caldwell is an elected member of the American Law Institute.

Hugh Carlson
CEO
Three Crowns
High Carlson
CEO, THREE CROWNS
Hugh Carlson is the CEO and General Counsel of Three Crowns LLP. Since joining at the firm’s launch in 2014, he has helped build Three Crowns from a start-up boutique into one of the world’s premier dispute resolution practices.
A former software engineer, Hugh has made innovation a defining feature of the firm. Under his leadership, Three Crowns has become a recognized leader in legal AI. The Financial Times has repeatedly honored the firm’s AI innovations, including its deployment of Claude Code and ChatGPT Codex to build enterprise-grade software tailored to its practice. Microsoft has called Three Crowns an “AI-powered company … bending the curve on innovation.”
With Stanford’s Legal Innovation through Frontier Technology Lab (liftlab), Hugh co-led the development of Atelier, an AI-powered cross-examination training platform that won the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers award for best training innovation in 2025.
Hugh has lectured at Harvard Law School since 2019. He is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia, and holds the leading credential in information security, the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Alfonso Chan
Partner
Cahill
ALFONSO CHAN
PARTNER, CAHILL
Alfonso Garcia Chan is a trial lawyer who focuses on litigating and licensing complex intellectual property cases on behalf of universities, research institutes, and technology companies.
His matters are primarily focused on semiconductors and electronic technology-intensive matters, as well as biomaterials and medical devices. Alfonso represents plaintiffs and defendants in district courts nationwide and before the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
He is also registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and has experience in inter partes review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). His international practice includes handling matters in China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Europe.
Alfonso served as an adjunct professor of International Comparative Law at Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law. Prior to practicing law, Alfonso was an officer in the United States Navy and nuclear propulsion engineer at Naval Reactors Headquarters.

Brooke Cohen
Founding and Managing Partner
Cohen Hirsch
Brooke Cohen
FOUNDING AND MANAGING PARTNER, COHEN HIRSCH
Brooke Cohen has practiced law for almost 30 years, devoting most of her career
to representing individuals injured by defective products, dangerous medications, and corporate misconduct. She has handled complex product-liability and mass-
tort matters involving transvaginal mesh, Dow breast implants, Essure, and other medical products. Brooke also represents survivors in cases involving sexual assault and abuse.
Brooke’s work in mass torts and cases affecting women grew naturally from her
background in healthcare policy. Before attending law school, she worked as a
healthcare lobbyist in Washington, D.C., where she gained an understanding of the
ways public policy, medicine, and corporate decision-making can affect patients and consumers.
Brooke graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University, where she majored in women’s history. After working in Washington, D.C., she earned her law degree from Southern Methodist University School of Law in Dallas, Texas.
Throughout her nearly three decades of practice, Brooke has remained committed to advocating for people whose lives have been changed by injury, assault, or abuse. She approaches each client with empathy and integrity, guided by the belief that every client deserves to be heard, understood, and treated with dignity, respect, and care.

Jeff Cohen
Partner and Managing Director
Contingency Capital
Jeff Cohen
PARTNER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR
Jeff Cohen is a Partner and Managing Director of Contingency Capital, which he joined at its inception in 2021.
Prior to joining Contingency Capital, Jeff was formerly a Partner and Managing Director at Southpaw Asset Management, a distressed credit opportunity investment firm, which he joined at its inception in 2005. Prior to working at Southpaw, Jeff was a Vice President and Analyst in the distressed securities fund at Ramius Capital Group LLC.
Jeff began his professional career as a bankruptcy and restructuring attorney in private practice and served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Bruce I. Fox in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Jeff received a BA in Political Science from Columbia University and a
JD from Temple University Beasley School of Law.

Jayne Conroy
Shareholder
Simmons Hanly Conroy
Jayne Conroy
SHAREHOLDER, SIMMONS HANLY CONROY
Jayne Conroy is a nationally recognized trial attorney and named partner at Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the largest plaintiff law firms in the U.S. With over three decades of experience, she is known for her strategic leadership in complex civil litigation, including mass torts, product liability, sexual abuse, environmental, and pharmaceutical cases. Jayne has held key roles in high-profile multidistrict litigations such as the National Prescription Opiate MDL, DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implants, and the East Palestine train derailment. She has also been instrumental in securing justice for survivors of sexual abuse through litigation against powerful institutions. Her work has helped recover billions of dollars in settlements for individuals and communities harmed by corporate negligence. Jayne’s dedication to justice has earned her numerous accolades, including induction into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame and recognition as one of the National Law Journal’s Outstanding Women Lawyers. She continues to lead with integrity, compassion, and resolve.

Megan Colville
VP, Corporate Counsel – Litigation Investing
D. E. Shaw & Co.
Megan Colville
VP, CORPORATE COUNSEL – LITIGATION INVESTING, D. E. SHAW & CO.
Megan Colville is a vice president of D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P. and serves as a member of, and corporate counsel to, the D. E. Shaw group’s Litigation Investing team, which operates within the firm’s Private Credit investment unit. Prior to joining the firm in 2021, Ms. Colville was a corporate associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, where she focused on leveraged and acquisition finance, private credit, capital markets, and project finance. She received a B.S. in industrial engineering, with highest honors, from Lehigh University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was an articles editor of the Virginia Law Review.

Melinda R. Coolidge
Managing Partner
Hausfeld
Melinda Coolidge
MANAGING PARTNER, HAUSFELD
Melinda serves as US Managing Partner, responsible for the successful management of the firm’s US offices. She leads by example, embodying the firm’s values of tenacity and pragmatism, and believes success lies in maximizing opportunities for the professional and personal development of every team member, empowering a culture of bold actions, pioneering cases, and unconventional thinking.
Deeply committed to the firm’s vision of global civil redress for those harmed by wrongdoing, Melinda also maintains an active legal practice focused on private enforcement of antitrust laws, representing clients ranging from Fortune 200 companies to classes of consumers with a common goal of maximizing recoveries from cartel price-fixing or monopolization. Her clients have obtained more than $1 billion in settlements and a US Supreme Court victory.
Melinda works to safeguard free and open markets and is proud to be named one of the Top 100 Women in Antitrust by Global Competition Review.

Davis Cooper
Founding Partner
Cooper Masterman
Davis Cooper
FOUNDING PARTNER, COOPER MASTERMAN
Davis Cooper is the founding partner of Cooper Masterman PLLC, where he leads a modern litigation practice focused on mass torts, appeals, and strategic consulting for litigation funders and other capital providers. He has overseen the firm’s integration of AI, building one of the field’s more technology-forward litigation firms.

David Cunningham
Chief Innovation Officer
ReedSmith

Kelly Daley
Principal & Founder
Celsia Capital

Scott DeNardo
EVP, Mass Torts
ARCHER Systems
Scott DeNardo
EVP MASS TORTS, ARCHER SYSTEMS
Scott DeNardo is a 30 year practicing attorney. He started out as a litigator and worked in the District Attorney and Public Defenders offices in Northampton County, PA. He also served as a County Solicitor with a concentration on representing the Children Youth and Families division. He was a corporate law litigator for several years and then became a Global General Counsel for a multi national company that he helped lead growth from 1000 to 12,000 employees in ten countries over 14 years. An international General Counsel for 24 plus years he then became CEO of an international corporate law conference company. Throughout much of this time he was also Of Counsel to a personal injury firm.
For the last 11 years he has been an EVP for Mass Torts for Providio and now ARCHER leading settlement administration for most all major mass torts.

Mark DiCello
Co-Founder
DiCello Levitt LLP

Matthew Dolman
Founding Partner
Dolman Law Group
Matthew Dolman
FOUNDING PARTNER, DOLMAN LAW GROUP
Matthew Dolman is the Founding Partner of Dolman Law Group, where he grew the firm from a local personal injury practice into a national firm focused on complex litigation and mass torts. With more than 20 years of experience, Matt has led litigation against some of the world’s largest corporations, represented survivors in institutional sexual abuse cases, and built mass tort portfolios involving defective medications, dangerous products, environmental exposures, and other catastrophic litigation. Matt also serves as Head of Underwriting for GFO Asset Management, an alternative asset manager providing institutional investors access to litigation finance by evaluating the legal merits of cases alongside financial risk and return. In that role, he evaluates case portfolios, assesses litigation risk, and identifies quality investment opportunities. Through interviews, speaking engagements, and podcasting, Matt regularly speaks on litigation finance, mass tort strategy, law firm growth, and the intersection of law, business, and capital markets.

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.

Fred Fabricant
Managing Partner
Fabricant Rubino Lambrianakos
Fred Fabricant
MANAGING PARTNER, FABRICANT RUBINO LAMBRIANAKOS
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

Steve Faries
Partner
Pulaski Kherkher
Steve Faries
PARTNER, PULASKI KHERKHER
Steve Faries is a personal injury plaintiff attorney licensed in Arizona and Texas with experience in litigating mass tort product liability cases from intake to resolution. He has tried cases to jury verdicts in state and federal courts in Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania, and worked up numerous cases that resolved before trial.
Steve’s experience includes court appointment to the Plaintiff Steering Committee and direct support to the Plaintiff Executive Committees in mass tort proceedings. He helps create the liability and scientific strategies of the national case, conducts wide-ranging fact and expert discovery, and all types of case specific bellwether depositions. Steve’s efforts have contributed to successful settlements in multiple pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and product liability litigations.
Since 2022, Steve and his team are responsible for the firm’s Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune docket of thousands of veterans and civilians that suffered devastating injuries from exposure to toxic water on base. He also is the lead attorney responsible for resolving and completing the settlement processes in the multi-defendant Zantac/Ranitidine settlements. Steve insists on applying best practices strategies by integrating workflow processes and technology for efficient docket control.
Before practicing law, Steve was a financial analyst and project manager in space, energy, and financial services industries.

Yvonne Flaherty
Partner
Lawyer Lockridge Grindal Nauen
Yvonne Flaherty
PARTNER AT LOCKRIDGE GRINDAL NAUEN
Yvonne Flaherty is a partner at Lockridge Grindal Nauen and leads the firm’s national mass tort and product liability injury practice. Ms. Flaherty has held numerous court-appointed leadership positions in large-scale, complex litigation involving pharmaceuticals, medical devices, herbicides, and other products. She has served on trial teams for class action and complex, single-event cases and is nationally recognized for her experience navigating the nuances of complex litigation. She has also served as settlement counsel, successfully resolving thousands of claims for injured individuals throughout the United States, and on Court-appointed committees to determine the appropriateness of common benefit fees. Outside of the courtroom, Ms. Flaherty serves on the American Association for Justice Executive Committee and holds numerous leadership positions within AAJ.

Rachel S. Fleishman
Partner
Reid Collins Tsai
Rachel S. Fleishman
PARTNER, REID COLLINS TSAI

Wendy Fleishman
Managing Partner
Clancy Fleishman
Wendy R. Fleishman
MANAGING PARTNER, CLANCY FLEISHMAN
A partner in our New York office, Wendy R. Fleishman is a passionate and experienced lawyer for the injured and the loved ones of those who died due to the wrongful misconduct of others. With more than thirty years of courtroom experience to draw upon, a large part of Wendy’s practice today consists of representing patients prescribed drugs with undisclosed and dangerous side effects or who received defective medical devices.
Wendy has served in leadership roles in significant Multidistrict Litigation cases in federal and state courts involving pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, and personal health products, including a 2022 appointment by the District Court as Co-Lead Counsel in the Bovine Milk Formula MDL, a 2019 appointment by the District Court as Co-Lead Counsel in the NFL Concussion Injuries litigation, the 2019 appointment in the MDL lawsuit against the Riddell Helmet Manufacturing Co., and a recent appointment to the Plaintiffs Executive Committee in the Bard IVC Filter Injuries MDL pending in the District of Arizona.
Wendy’s leadership roles in other cases include the Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG-II hip implant litigation, Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Implant Litigation, Yaz and Yasmin litigation, DePuy hip implant litigation, Medtronic Sprint Fidelis heart lead, the Guidant cardiac defibrillator, the Ortho Evra Patch litigation, and contaminated contact lens solution litigation against Bausch & Lomb and Abbott Medical Optics. Wendy devotes a part of her practice to a wide range of individual catastrophic injury cases. Her expertise includes vehicle accidents based on design defects, as well as serious and complicated medical malpractice cases.
Since 2006, Wendy has been named a New York Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine. She is an AV+ rated by Martindale-Hubbell, which indicates she is regarded as preeminently qualified by her peers. She has been named in the top 100 trial lawyers in America. Wendy is an officer of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. She is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, the New York State Delegate to the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice, and past President of the American Association for Justice’s Section on Tort, Environmental and Product Liability Litigation.

David Gialanella
Editor-in-Chief
Business of Law and The American Lawyer
David Gialanella
EDITOR IN CHIEF, BUSINESS OF LAW AND THE AMERICAN LAWYER
David Gialanella is Editor-in-Chief of The American Lawyer and Business of Law team at Law.com, where he has spent 16 years in various content team roles. He oversees the Am Law 100/200 and other key Law.com content packages, and leads the Law.com Pro and Law.com Pro Mid-Market platforms. He previously wrote for the ABA Journal and Chicago Sun-Times News Group. He holds master’s degrees from Medill School of Journalism and Pritzker Law at Northwestern University.

Kiley Grombacher
Founding Partner
Bradley/Grombacher LLP
Kiley L. Grombacher
FOUNDING PARTNER, BRADLEY/GROMBACHER LLP
Kiley L. Grombacher is a co-founding partner at Bradley/Grombacher LLP, where she focuses her practice on complex litigation, including consumer and employment class actions, product liability, personal injury, and pharmaceutical mass torts. With a passion for representing vulnerable individuals wronged by corporate negligence, she has secured numerous seven- and eight-figure verdicts and settlements, with a strong focus on advocating for women and children. She has led high-profile lawsuits against major global corporations, including Amazon, Pfizer, Roblox, and Epic Games to protect employee rights, drug safety, and consumer privacy.Consistently recognized by her peers for legal excellence, Ms. Grombacher has been named a Southern California Super Lawyer. She is the founder of the Trial Lawyers of Mass Torts (TLMT) and maintains active memberships in the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) and the American Association for Justice (AAJ).

Paul B. Haskel
Partner
Crowell & Moring
Paul B. Haskel
PARTNER, CROWELL & MORING
Paul B. Haskel is co-chair of Crowell’s Financial Services group and a partner in the New York office. Paul is a highly regarded advisor in the area of litigation finance, and a sought after commentator on litigation finance market trends, including in Bloomberg, The American Lawyer, Litigation Finance Journal, andValueWalk. He regularly represents litigation finance leaders in some of the industry’s most significant matters, including complex international deals. Paul advises litigation funders, private equity firms, and multi-strategy hedge fund clients in connection with their investments in funding transactions, including claims monetization and the provision of non-recourse capital to both plaintiffs and law firms. His work includes the diligence, structuring, and papering of these transactions, as well as advice on the management of credit risk, tax efficiency, state common law issues such as champerty and usury, and legal ethics.

Jennifer Hoekstra
Partner
Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz
Jennifer Hoekstra
PARTNER, AYLSTOCK, WITKIN, KREIS & OVERHOLTZ
Jennifer Hoekstra is a partner with Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC. She has been involved in complex litigation cases of all forms since 2007. Her passion and expertise lie in Electronically Stored Information and coordinating discovery across multiple defendant litigations. She has earned a solid reputation and plays an integral role in multiple complex litigation cases, practicing in the areas of Pharmaceutical Mass Torts, Defective Device Mass Torts, and other complex litigation. Jennifer is a passionate litigator and has been central to the successful outcome in dozens of MDL bellwether trials over the course of her career with more than $11 Billion in trial verdicts to her credit. Most recently in 2021 and 2022, she served as trial counsel and/or as an integral member of the trial team in all of the sixteen 3M Earplug trials securing more than $300 Million in compensatory damages for military veterans.

Kate Hoffmann
Founder & CEO
SMART Reviews
Kate 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.

Samuel Issacharoff
Bonnie and Richard Reiss Professor of Constitutional Law
NYU Law
Samuel Issacharoff
BONNIE AND RICHARD REISS PROFESSOR OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, NYU LAW
Samuel Issacharoff is the Reiss Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University School of Law. His research addresses the law of the political process and constitutional law, as well as issues in civil procedure (especially complex litigation and class actions). He is the author of Democracy Unmoored (2023) and Fragile Democracies (2015), as well as hundreds of articles and other monographs, and he is a co-author of the seminal Law of Democracy casebook. He is one of the faculty directors of the Center on Civil Justice at NYU and of the Democracy Project at NYU. He is also a frequent advocate before appellate courts in the U.S., including the United States Supreme Court. He serves as a Council member of the American Law Institute and was its Reporter for the Project on Aggregate Litigation. Professor Issacharoff is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Michael London
Founding Partner
Douglas & London
Michael London
FOUNDING PARTNER, DOUGLAS & LONDON
Michael A. London is one of the founding partners of the law firm Douglas & London, P.C., located in downtown New York City. Mr. London obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, and his Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School in Brooklyn, New York. Mr. London is admitted and licensed to practice law in the States of New York and New Jersey, as well as in the United States District Courts for the Eastern District, Southern District, and Western District of New York, as well as the District of New Jersey.
Since obtaining his law degree, he has devoted his entire career to representing consumers and injury victims, primarily in mass tort settings. His practice area in the law has always focused on and continues to focus on, products liability and complex litigation with an emphasis on pharmaceutical and medical device litigation.
Mr. London has been privileged and honored to have been appointed to, and have served, as lead or liaison counsel in some of the largest national mass tort and complex litigations in recent years.

Chris Massaro
CEO
TSEG
Chris Massaro
CEO, TSEG
As CEO of TSEG, Chris has spearheaded the company to new heights in the legal marketing
industry. With over 10 years of experience with digital marketing, Chris has a strong
understanding of what it takes to provide exceptional results and firm growth to attorneys. He
oversees the company’s growth in its operations and sales, as well as managing key accounts
for single-event and mass tort law firms – and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and
Events.
Known for his sharp business acumen and strategic thinking, Chris is always looking for ways to
gain an edge over competitors and stay ahead of industry trends. He believes that by offering
top-notch service and innovative marketing solutions, TSEG can help law firms of all sizes to
grow and thrive in a highly competitive marketplace. In his mind, if we are not innovating, our
competition will, and we are left falling behind.
Under Chris’ leadership, the company has experienced significant growth and success,
expanding its client base and increasing its revenue year after year. But despite his competitive
nature, Chris remains committed to providing the highest level of service to each and every
client, believing that a satisfied client is the key to long-term success in the legal marketing
Industry.
Chris spends most of his spare time with his wife, Alyssa, their adorable daughter, Brooklyn,
and their two dogs Sidney & Whiskey. He enjoys watching and obsessing over his favorite
teams (Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Penguins) as well as playing hockey. He holds a BA
in Business Administration from Concordia University in Austin, TX where he played baseball for
the Tornadoes. He also attended McMurry University his Freshman and Sophomore year,
winning the 2008 ASC baseball championship his freshman year.

Rachel McCarthy
Executive Director & President
Milestone Foundation
Rachel Mccarthy
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & PRESIDENT, MILESTONE FOUNDATION
Rachel has over 15 years’ experience leading teams and growing companies. From law firms, startups, legal service companies and non-profits, she excels at building relationships and finding creative ways organizations and individuals can help each other succeed. Rachel graduated from Fordham University with a B.A. in Political Science and Peace & Justice Studies. She is an active volunteer with Make A Wish, the WNY Women’s Foundation, and the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy. Rachel enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and daughter.

Eric McClean-Ouelhadj
Director, Client Success
Tort Experts
Eric McClean-Ouelhadj
DIRECTOR, CLIENT SUCCESS TORT EXPERTS
Eric McClean-Ouelhadj — Director of Client Success, Tort Experts. Tort Experts delivers signed, intake-verified retainers to plaintiff firms across institutional sexual abuse, medical device, and product liability, with $400M+ in media deployed, 250K+ cases generated, and 100% US-based intake. Eric owns client relationships end to end across firms and litigation funders.

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 one of the editors of the forthcoming draft of the tenth edition of Antitrust Law Developments, the preeminent desk reference for antitrust lawyers.

Evan Meyerson
Managing Director
Burford Capital
Evan Meyerson
MANAGING DIRECTOR, BURFORD CAPITAL
Managing Director, Burford Capital
Evan Meyerson is a Managing Director who leads Burford’s US commercial investment team, with responsibility for overseeing the underwriting, origination, and portfolio management functions.
Prior to joining Burford, Evan was a litigator at Paul, Weiss and at Sullivan & Cromwell. His practice focused on complex civil litigation in federal and state court, antitrust, white collar defense, bankruptcy litigation, corporate internal investigations, and government investigations into sanctions, anti-money laundering, and accounting issues. Evan began his career as an analyst at Bain Capital, evaluating venture capital investment opportunities.
Evan graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he served as Managing Editor of the Harvard National Security Journal. He graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College. He clerked for the Honorable Royce C. Lamberth of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

Donald Migliori
Executive Member
Motley Rice
Donald Migliori
EXECUTIVE MEMBER, MOTELY RICE LLC
Building on his work in complex asbestos litigation, the historic tobacco lawsuits, and the litigation arising from the September 11 terrorist attacks, Don Migliori has served in leadership roles in some of the country’s most significant state and federal consolidated cases. Known for his thoughtful approach to both litigation and negotiation, he has helped achieve meaningful results.
Most recently, he served as trial counsel for the State of New Mexico in the landmark case against Meta. The jury found Meta liable for violating state consumer protection laws, endangering children’s mental health, and concealing the risks of child sexual exploitation on Facebook and Instagram. As co-lead of the RI state hernia mesh litigation, he worked with MDL leadership to spearhead the 2024 Bard hernia mesh global resolution.
He continues to serve as a key member of the team representing dozens of cities, towns, counties and townships in the National Prescription Opiate Litigation against opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacy benefit managers, and serves as co-lead counsel in litigation brought by 9/11 families against alleged terrorist financiers.

Ian Millican
Director, Investments
Contingency Capital
Ian Millican
DIRECTOR, INVESTMENTS, CONTINGENCY CAPITAL
Ian Millican is a Director on the investment team at Contingency Capital. He was formerly Counsel at Robins Kaplan LLP, where he specialized in mass tort, products liability, business litigation, and complex civil litigation. Prior to working at Robins Kaplan, Ian was an associate at the Lanier Law Firm and Lynch Daskal Emery LLP. Ian began his legal career clerking for the late Hon. Carol E. Higbee of New Jersey Superior Court, Atlantic County. Ian has a BA from Cornell University and a JD from Fordham University School of Law.

Tobi Millrood
Tobi Millrood, Partner & Chair of Mass Torts
Kline & Specter
Tobi Milrood
PARTNER & CHAIR OF MASS TORTS, KLINE & SPECTER
Tobi Millrood is a partner at the firm of Kline & Specter, PC, in Philadelphia, PA, where he Chairs the firm’s Mass Tort department. Mr. Millrood brings 30+ years of complex litigation experience, with a focus on pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. Through his tireless dedication and careful attention to his client’s cases, Mr. Millrood has earned the accolades of his peers, clients, and Courts.
Mr. Millrood dedicated the last several years to the Roundup Litigation involving the carcinogen glyphosate. Mr. Millrood played a critical role in the trial teams of three groundbreaking verdicts in Philadelphia, $175 million, $2.25 billion, and $78 million, respectively. Mr. Millrood was also the first to file a Hormone Therapy lawsuit in the nation in 2002 and dedicated the next 12 years to the litigation. Mr. Millrood served as Plaintiffs’ Lead Liaison Counsel in both In Re Hormone Therapy Litigation in Philadelphia. He was also on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the Prempro MDL, and was Chair of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Hormone Therapy Litigation Group. Mr. Millrood tried four Hormone Therapy cases, obtaining Plaintiffs’ verdicts in all four, including verdicts in November, 2009 for $34.3 million and December 2011 for $72.6 million. Mr. Millrood also played an integral role in major appellate victories in the litigation, ranging from the state courts of Pennsylvania and Minnesota, to the Eighth Circuit.
Mr. Millrood has served in numerous Court-appointed leadership positions in other pharmaceutical and medical device litigations as well. He currently serves as Co-Liaison counsel in In re Hair Relaxer in Philadelphia and was also Co-Liaison in the In re Elmiron litigation in Philadelphia. He was appointed by Hon. F. Dennis Saylor as Co-Lead Counsel in In re Zofran (Ondansetron) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2657 and by Hon. Rebecca Pallmeyer as Co-Lead Counsel in In re Zimmer Nexgen Knee Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2272. He was also appointed Co-Lead in the Pennsylvania Opioid Litigation, Del. Cty. vs Purdue Pharma, et al. In addition, he has served in other Court-appointed leadership positions, In re Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Stem and ABG Modular Hip Litigation, Bergen County, NJ (also Discovery Chair) and In re Consolidated Fresenius Cases – Superior Ct. Mass. (also Discovery Chair). Mr. Millrood has testified previously before the Federal Civil Rules Committee on numerous Rules proposals. Mr. Millrood speaks frequently at various seminars, on the topics of Mass Tort Litigation, Expert Witnesses, and Trial Strategies.
Mr. Millrood was President of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) for 2020-21. He also is a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ) Board of Governors, as well as the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers (PTLA) Board of Directors. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the District of New Jersey, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Court of Federal Claims and the Third Circuit, as well as the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Millrood resides in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and is the proud father of three sons.

John Morley
Augustus E. Lines Professor of Law
Yale Law School

Andrew Mutter
EVP, Contingent Risk
CAC, part of The Baldwin Group
Andrew Mutter
EXECUTIVE VICE PRSIDENT, CAC, part of The Baldwin Group
Andrew is an Executive Vice President at CAC and the Global Head of its Contingent Risk Insurance Practice, which has placed more than $6.5 billion in insurance coverage in the contingent risk markets.
Andrew has received numerous accolades, including being individually ranked as a Band 1 Litigation Risk Broker by Chambers & Partners and being named in the IAM 300 Global IP Strategist list.
Andrew’s practice focuses on crafting bespoke solutions for Contingent Risk Insurance, providing strategic certainty around both contingent legal assets and contingent legal liabilities. On the basis of these policies, the Contingent Risk team help clients obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in liquidity, release hundreds of millions of dollars from escrow, and facilitate hundreds of millions of dollars of debt restructuring and refinancing.

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.

Molly Pease
Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer
Curiam Capital
Molly Pease
MANAGING DIRECTOR, CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICER, CURIAM CAPITAL
Molly Pease leads the day-to-day operations of Curiam Capital with a particular focus on sourcing, underwriting, and monitoring the firm’s single-case and portfolio litigation funding investments. As Chief Compliance Officer, Molly also ensures firm compliance with SEC regulation as a registered investment advisor since 2022.
Molly started her career as a litigator with a focus on large-scale reinsurance, insurance, antitrust, and securities disputes on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants. She also worked as Executive Director and General Counsel at multiple law firms. There she developed and implemented long-term business strategies in all aspects of firm management, including financial analysis and reporting, business development and marketing, human resource recruitment and management, legal project management, information technology systems, and office operations.
Molly received her law degree from New York University School of Law and her undergraduate degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. She speaks regularly on litigation finance at industry conferences, has been named one of Lawdragon’s Global Leaders in Legal Finance every year since 2020, and has been on the steering committee of the Women of Litigation Finance (WOLF) since inception.

Seth Price
CEO & Founder
BluShark Digital
Seth Price
MANAGING CEO & FOUNDER, BLUSHARK DIGITAL

Byron Reeves
Paul C. Edwards Professor of Communication
Stanford University
Byron Reeves
PAUL C. EDWARDS PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION, STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Byron is a Media Psychologist and Professor at Stanford University with affiliations in Communication, Symbolic Systems, and the Human-Centered AI Institute. He is the author of over 200 publications and several patents related to effects of media in marketing, entertainment, politics, and mental health, and he is the author of two award-winning books about computing and media (The Media Equation and Total Engagement).
He is the co-founder of two early-stage startups working on computational media applications in business, and he spent two years working at Microsoft Research developing products related to computer agents.
New in 2026, Byron teaches a course at Stanford about computational simulations of human behavior, including for use in litigation research, and he has co-developed a research platform with Viewpoints.ai that is being used in law, insurance and finance to simulate human jury responses to legal matters.

Ellen Relkin
Partner & Chair of Defective Drugs and Devices
Weitz & Luxenberg
Ellen Relkin
PARTNER & CHAIR OF DEFECTIVE DRUGS AND DEVICES,
WEITZ & LUXENBERG
Ellen Relkin is a partner at Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. in New York City. She has represented Plaintiffs in complex medical product and toxic tort cases for forty years. She is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney. She is a graduate of Cornell University and Rutgers School of Law.
She has served in many federal and state leadership roles in product liability cases including co-lead counsel in the In Re: Depo-Provera MDL, Exactech Polyethylene MDL, In Re: JUUL Labs MDL, and DePuy Orthopedics ASR MDL. She serves on the Executive Committee in the National Prescription Opiate Litigation, MDL. She is liaison counsel in the New York Coordinated In Re: Depo- Provera Litigation. She is co-lead counsel in the In Re: Ozempic (NAION) New Jersey Multi-County Litigation (MCL), was lead and liaison counsel in the New Jersey In Re: Stryker Rejuvenate/ABG II Modular Hip Litigation MCL where she was a member of the negotiating team for a one billion + settlement compensating 3,000 plaintiffs.
Ms. Relkin is an elected member of the American Law Institute and serves as an Adviser to the Restatement of the Law Third, Torts Miscellaneous Provisions. She serves Board of Governors of the New Jersey Association for Justice, and she is Co-Chair of the Mass Tort Law Section and an active member of the American Association of Justice. In 2025 she received the honor of selection to the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association for Justice.

Elena S. Rey
Partner, Head of Litigation Funding & Co-Head of European Special Situations
Brown Rudnick
Elena S. Rey
PARTNER, HEAD OF LITIGATION FUNDING & CO-HEAD OF EUROPEAN SPECIAL SITUATIONS, BROWN RUDNICK
Elena Rey heads the firm’s Litigation Funding group and is a co-head of the European Special Situations team. Elena represents funders, private equity funds, family offices, law firms and claimants on complex cross border litigation funding, investment & special situations transactions, and is recognised by Legal 500 as one of the leaders in the Litigation Funding space.
Elena is a founder of the annual European Litigation Funding conference held in London as well as the Litigation Funding industry working group, which was created with the aim of preparing model documentation for the litigation funding market.

Ruth Rizkalla
Partner
The Carlson Law Firm
RUTH RIZKALLA
PARTNER, THE CARLSON LAW FIRM
Ruth’s experience in complex litigation has given her a unique edge in strategizing and litigating cases of systemic minor sex abuse that require significant foresight and familiarity with advanced legal principles.
She has leadership background in complex and mass torts litigations and has represented injured victims involving defective products and dangerous drugs and devices. Ruth has spent her over two-decade career representing those injured through severe negligent acts of large corporations.
She has served in numerous leadership positions in several coordinated complex and mass tort proceedings, and has spoken and presented at multiple conferences and seminars.

ANDY ROGERS
Chief Revenue Officer
Shield Legal
Andy Rogers
CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER, SHIELD LEGAL
Andy Rogers from Shield Legal speaking at Mass Torts. Photo attached, bio below. Adding to speaker folders now
Andy Rogers is a proven revenue strategist and Chief Revenue Officer at Shield Legal, driving eight-figure growth through innovative strategies and operational excellence. With over two decades of experience in mass tort litigation acquisitions, legal marketing, and enterprise sales, delivers actionable insights that transform organizations.
As a sought-after speaker, Rogers shares actionable strategies and insights for revenue optimization, team leadership, and navigating complex legal landscapes. His expertise, dynamic presentations, and storied track record, make him a valuable resource for industry conferences and corporate events.

SHAYNA E. SACKS
Partner
Napoli Shkolnik
SHAYNA E. SACKS
NAPOLI SHKOLNIK PARTNER, PUBLIC CLIENT GROUP
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.

Victoria Shannon Sahani
Professor of Law
Boston University School of Law
Victoria Shannon Sahani
PROFESSOR OF LAW, BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
Victoria Shannon Sahani is a Professor of Law at Boston University School of Law and previously served as Associate Provost for Community and Inclusion at Boston University from 2022 to 2025. She is an internationally recognized legal scholar in domestic and international arbitration law and in third-party litigation funding law. She is an award-winning teacher and serves as an independent arbitrator, consultant, and expert witness. In addition to publishing numerous book chapters, law review articles, and essays, she co-authored the book Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration (Wolters Kluwer, 1st and 2d ed.) (with Lisa Bench Nieuwveld), the first book in the world on this topic. She is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center (SVAMC); an Editorial Board Member of Arbitration: The Journal of Arbitration, Mediation, and Dispute Management (peer-reviewed quarterly academic journal of CIArb published by Wolters Kluwer); a Member and Past Chair of the Academic Council for the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA); a Past Chair of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on International Law; a Counsellor of the American Society of International Law (ASIL); an Elected Member of the American Law Institute (ALI); and an American Bar Foundation (ABF) Fellow. Before joining academia, Associate Provost Sahani worked at the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) International Court of Arbitration and practiced law at Pillsbury. She graduated from Harvard Law School and Harvard College and is licensed to practice law in New York and the District of Columbia.

Ed Scanlan
CEO & Founder
Bridge Legal
Ed Scanlan
CEO & FOUNDER, BRIDGE LEGAL
Ed Scanlan is the Founder and CEO of Bridge Legal, an AI-enabled legal operations platform providing institutional-grade operating infrastructure for high-volume plaintiff law firms and the capital partners that fund them.
Bridge Legal combines people, processes, data, and technology to support the full lifecycle of litigation portfolios, from intake to settlement. By bringing greater structure, transparency, and consistency to these workflows, Bridge Legal enables law firms to scale while giving funders greater visibility into the assets underlying their investments and confidence in how capital is deployed.
Ed has spent more than two decades building businesses at the intersection of legal services, technology, and finance. His work focuses on how operating infrastructure, data, AI, and capital can improve portfolio performance and reshape the economics of legal services.
Ed has been inducted into the Chicagoland Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, named to Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40, and was a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Jonathan Selbin
Senior Partner
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein
Jonathan Selbin
SENIOR PARTNER, LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & BERNSTEIN
Jonathan D. Selbin is a senior partner in the New York office of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, where he has practiced for over 30 years, and a long-time member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He has led complex consumer protection, defective products, and sex abuse class action lawsuits in courts around the country against many of the world’s largest corporations and institutions. Together, cases in which Jonathan played a lead role have resulted in court-approved class action settlements with a combined total cash payout to class members in excess of $3.5 billion, plus other relief such as extended and enhanced warranties and implementation of best-practices institutional reforms. He has extensive appellate experience, having argued in the 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 11th Circuits, as well as before state supreme and appellate courts. Jonathan is a leader in the firm’s funding of international consumer protection cases on multiple continents.

Hunter J Shkolnik
Partner
Napoli Shkolnik
Hunter Shkolnik
PARTNER, NAPOLI SHKOLNIK
Hunter Shkolnik is a partner of nationally renowned litigation firm Napoli Shkolnik where he leads the firm’s discovery and trial teams. He brings more than 40 years of litigation experience to the representation of government entities in the national opioid cost recovery litigation, mass tort pharmaceutical & medical device litigations and environmental contamination cases.
Mr. Shkolnik has successfully tried bench and jury trials and has argued before numerous state, federal, and appellate courts throughout the country. He currently serves as a chairman, leader, or court-appointed representative on Plaintiff Steering Committees in various drug and other mass torts.
Hunter is a founding board member of the Trial Lawyers of Puerto Rico (TLPR), a trade association bringing together top trial lawyers to share expertise, build partnerships, and to add value to the local Puerto Rico community. A sought-after speaker, he returned as a featured speaker at the Mass Torts Puerto Rico conference in May 2024.
For his numerous legal achievements, Mr. Shkolnik has been recognized by the legal industry. Notably, he was selected by Best Lawyers in America® as a Best Lawyer in the areas of Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs, and Product Liability – Plaintiffs; been named to New York Super Lawyers® for 16+ consecutive years; and been included in Law360’s Product Liability Advisory Board.

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.

Jeffrey B. Simon
Founding Shareholder
Simon Greenstone Panatier
Jeffrey B. Simon
FOUNDING SHAREHOLDER, SIMON GREENSTONE PANATIER

Arnold Sotelo
CEO & Founder
IMG Legal
Arnold Sotelo
CEO & FOUNDER, IMG LEGAL
Arnold Sotelo is a Latino entrepreneur and the CEO of International Media Group (IMG), a leading legal marketing agency specializing in mass tort and motor vehicle cases. With more than 15 years of industry experience, he has helped connect over 20,000 victims to law firms, contributing to settlements exceeding $500 million.
He holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship Management and has completed executive programs at MIT and Harvard Business School. He is currently pursuing an MBA at Universidad del Pacífico and ESADE Business School, further strengthening his global business and leadership perspective.
Arnold’s strategic, results-driven approach has positioned IMG as a trusted partner for law firms seeking ethical, data-driven, and high-impact growth.

Ryan Stephen
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Pine Valley Capital Partners
Ryan Stephen
CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING PARTNER, PINE VALLEY CAPITAL PARTNERS
Mr. Stephen has led, originated, and managed more than $2.5B in private financing transactions since 2009. Prior to co-founding Pine Valley Capital Partners, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Trinity Environmental Services, an oilfield waste management company operating across Texas and New Mexico. Earlier in his career, he originated, structured, and managed private credit investments in the energy sector with Guggenheim Partners in Houston. Mr. Stephen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Abilene Christian University and has extensive experience structuring complex transactions across multiple industries.

Parker Stinar
Founding Partner
Stinar Lannen
Parker Stinar
FOUNDING PARTNER, STINAR LANNEN
Parker Stinar is a founding partner of Stinar Lannen and one of the country’s leading mass tort and class action lawyers. He has built his practice on taking on powerful institutions in complex, high-stakes litigation, including multidistrict litigation, coordinated proceedings, and class actions in more than 40 jurisdictions nationwide. As first-chair trial counsel, Parker won his first multi-million-dollar jury verdict by age 30.Parker’s current court-appointed leadership roles include:
- Co-Lead Counsel, Doe v. Keffer, representing more than 150,000 student-athletes
- Co-Chair, Doe v. Henry Ford Health System, a class action that resolved for $141 million
- Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, California JCCP 5276 (Women’s Prison Abuse), where Stinar Lannen represents more than 3,000 claimants
Parker previously served as co-lead counsel in Doe MC-1 v. University of Michigan, which resolved for $490 million. He has led litigation against Endeavor Health in Chicago on behalf of 350 abuse survivors and against Northwestern University on behalf of student-athletes who were abused. By age 40, Parker had recovered more than $1.5 billion in global settlements for his clients, including more than $1 billion in master settlement agreements he signed as lead counsel.

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.

Rocky Stubbs
Managing Partner
Excelsior Equity Partners
Rocky Stubbs
MANAGING PARTNER, EXCELSIOR EQUITY PARTNER
Rocky Stubbs is Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Excelsior Equity Partners’ legal finance practice. He brings more than 20 years of experience across banking, specialty finance, distressed assets, and complex investment strategies.
Prior to Excelsior, he held senior executive roles at JPMorgan, Capital One, and Flagstar Bank, where his work included special situations, distressed assets, consumer finance, and emerging asset classes. Throughout his career, he has focused on markets where complexity, limited transparency, and structural inefficiencies create opportunities for disciplined investors. At Excelsior, Rocky leads the firm’s legal finance investment strategy, combining institutional underwriting, technology, data science, and strategic investments across the legal services ecosystem to identify and manage differentiated opportunities in litigation finance. Rocky is based in Dallas, Texas.

Alexandra Walsh
Shareholder
Anapol Weiss
Alexandra Walsh
SHAREHOLDER, ANAPOL WEISS
Alexandra Walsh is a shareholder at Anapol Weiss in Washington, DC. Alex leads an elite team of litigators representing plaintiffs in national litigations that focus primarily on the intersection of technology and sexual exploitation and assault. After graduating from Stanford Law School, Alex was honored to serve as clerk to Judge Merrick Garland on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C Circuit and Justice Stephen Breyer on the United States Supreme Court. She then spent two decades defending corporate clients before founding Walsh Law, a plaintiffs’ side boutique, which merged with Anapol in 2024.
Alex recently secured a judgement for the plaintiff in the first bellwether trial against Uber, Inc for failure to protect passengers from sexual assault. She has also been named co-leader of a national MDL holding Roblox responsible for sexual exploitation of minors by predators on the gaming platform. Alex is particularly proud to represent hundreds of women and men who survived sexual assault while in the custody of juvenile detention systems around the country. She lives in Washington DC with her husband and four children and serves on the boards of two local groups providing legal support and financial guidance to underprivileged families.

Will Weisman
Managing Director – Commercial Litigation, Corporate Counsel
Parabellum Capital
Will Weisman
MANAGING DIRECTOR – COMMERCIAL LITIGATION, CORPORATE COUNSEL, PARABELLUM CAPITAL
Will Weisman leads Parabellum Capital’s commercial litigation investment strategy. He originates, structures, and manages commercial litigation investments across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Continental Europe. Before joining Parabellum, Will was a senior member of the investment team at litigation financier Therium Capital Management. Earlier in his career, he practiced complex commercial litigation at Proskauer Rose LLP, one of the nation’s premier law firms, and later joined Liberty International Underwriters, a global insurance company. Will frequently writes and speaks on litigation finance, regulatory developments, and other issues affecting the legal industry. He earned a B.A., with honors, from the University of Maryland and a J.D., cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School, where he served as an editor of the Brooklyn Law Review. Will also worked as a law clerk extern for Chief Judge Edward R. Korman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

R. Brent Wisner
Managing Partner
Wisner Baum
R. Brent Wisner
MANAGING PARTNER, WISNER BAUM
Brent Wisner is the managing partner and lead trial attorney at Wisner Baum. Recognized as one of America’s 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers by Trial Lawyer Magazine, Brent has built a reputation for taking on large corporations in high stakes litigation and winning significant verdicts and settlements for his clients.
Over the last several years, Brent has served on the plaintiff’s leadership for multiple mass torts, earned jury verdicts worth a combined $2.427 billion, and helped negotiate settlements in excess of $1 billion—all before the age of 40.
While success in the courtroom is often measured exclusively by dollars and cents, Brent’s legal work has led to changes in business practices that will protect people and the environment for generations. Hundreds of media publications across the globe have asked for his perspective on a variety of pressing legal issues.

Hon. Freda L. Wolfson
Former Chief Judge, Partner & Chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution
Lowenstein Sandler
Hon. Freda L. Wolfson
FORMER CHIEF JUDGE, PARTNER & CHAIR, ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION
The Honorable Freda L. Wolfson (ret.) rejoined Lowenstein Sandler after a decades long career in the federal judiciary, including as Chief Judge of the U.S.
District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, special master appointments in federal and state courts, including multidistrict litigations (MDL), serving
as an expert, monitorships, internal investigations, and presiding over mock trials and oral arguments.
Judge Wolfson leads the firm’s ADR practice, leveraging her judicial experience managing complex commercial cases to help clients achieve satisfactory
resolutions on a wide variety of civil and regulatory issues. Since joining Lowenstein, Judge Wolfson has frequently served as a special master and mediator in
federal and state civil actions, which typically involve high-stakes disputes, including, among others, data breaches, corporate divorces and securities matters;
pre-litigation and pre-arbitration matters; and mass consumer mediations. Judge Wolfson also represents and consults pharmaceutical clients in patent-related
matters. Additionally, Judge Wolfson has served as a mock judge for parties in high profile cases involving patents and pharmaceutical product liability.
Judge Wolfson was nominated to the District Court in 2002, ascending to the Chief Judge post in 2019. Prior to her appointment, she served as a U.S.
Magistrate Judge for over 16 years, one of the few women and one of the youngest members of the district court in the nation. In 2014, she was appointed by
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to represent the Third Circuit on the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate
Judge System; she then served as Third Circuit District Judge Representative on the Judicial Conference of the United States.
During her 36-year judicial tenure, Judge Wolfson authored thousands of opinions on issues such as securities litigations, shareholder derivative lawsuits,
products liability, commercial transactions and financial fraud, civil rights, and constitutionality of federal and state statutes. She presided over a multitude of
civil and criminal trials, including Hatch Waxman ANDA patent infringement cases; one of the largest excessive fees litigations associated with securities and
mutual funds; employment discrimination matters; civil rights claims under section 1983; and white collar criminal cases.
Judge Wolfson was also appointed by the Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) Panel to oversee some of the nation’s largest MDLs, including In re Johnson & Johnson
Talcum Powder Prods. Mktg. Sales Practices & Prods. Liab. Litig., the second largest MDL in the country. She has extensive experience in complex discovery
matters and has successfully facilitated hundreds of settlements.
Frequently recognized as a leader of the bar, Judge Wolfson has received such honors as the 2022 Donald A. Robinson Meritorious Service Award, the 2016
Rutgers University Law Review Distinguished Alumni Award and the, 2002 Outstanding Alumnus Award from Rutgers University School of Law, the 2012
Inductee of the Associate Alumni of Douglas College–Society of Excellence, the 2013 Women in the Profession Section’s Justice Marie L. Garibaldi Award for
Distinguished Service and Excellence, and the 2008 Women’s Initiative & Leaders in Law Platinum Award from New Jersey Women Lawyers Association.
Additionally, Judge Wolfson was selected as an American Bar Foundation Fellow.
Upon her graduation from law school, Judge Wolfson initially practiced litigation at Lowenstein.

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 Ziser is McDermott’s Global Head of Structured Finance, CLOs and Alternative Assets and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. He advises clients on asset-backed lending and securitization, warehouse facilities, secured financings, specialty finance lending, and other esoteric finance transactions.
With more than 30 years of experience, he works across a wide range of asset classes, including life settlements, litigation funding, equipment leases, structured settlements, lottery receivables, timeshare loans, merchant cash advances, home equity investments (HEI), cell towers, intellectual property, insurance-related cash flows, and others.
He also represents investors, lenders, hedge funds, private equity funds and finance companies in acquisitions and dispositions of asset portfolios, as well as financings secured by those portfolios.
2026 agenda
The 2026 program is in development. Get updates and inquire about speaking below.
Get Updates
If you’d like to know as soon as more information is available, please join the Dealmakers email list below.
DAY ONE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH
8:00 – 8:50 AM: Registration & Breakfast
8:50 – 9:00 AM: Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:00 - 9:45 AM: STATE OF THE MARKET - TACKLING TORTS IN 2026: WHAT’S SHAPING THE MARKET & WHERE IS IT MOVING?
- The cases, market shifts, trends, and developments that shaped the market in 2026
- How regulation, defence strategies, timelines, and capital pressures are changing deployment decisions
- Where the next opportunities are emerging—and what firms and funders should prepare for
Speakers:
- Max Bernstein, Senior Vice President, CAC, part of The Baldwin Group (moderator)
- Andy Birchfield, Mass Torts Section Head, Beasley Allen
- Tina Bullock, Managing Partner, Bullock Legal Group
- Martin Shellist, Managing Director, Virage Capital Management
- Hunter J. Shkolnik, Partner, Napoli Shkolnik
9:45 - 10:30 AM: PANEL DISCUSSION - BACKING THE RIGHT CASE: WHAT MAKES A MASS TORT VIABLE?
- The science, claimant profile, and procedural foundations that make a mass tort viable
- How leadership firms assess operational complexity, litigation strategy, and execution risk
- What funders need to see before committing capital—and the warning signs that should stop a deal
Speakers:
- Scott DeNardo, EVP, Mass Torts, ARCHER Systems (moderator)
- Jennifer Hoekstra, Partner, Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz
- Michael London, Founding Partner, Douglas & London
- Ian Millican, Director, Investments, Contingency Capital
- Tobi Millrood, Partner & Chair of Mass Torts, Kline & Specter
10:30 – 11:00 AM: Networking Break
- How MDLs, JCCPs, state courts, and targeted litigations shape leverage, duration, and settlement dynamics
- The shift from scale-first strategies towards smaller, faster, and more focused cases
- How firms and funders are diversifying portfolios to manage procedural risk and return timelines
Speakers:
- Rachel McCarthy, President & Executive Director, Milestone Foundation (moderator)
- Mark DiCello, Co-Founder, DiCello Levitt LLP
- Andy Rogers, Chief Revenue Officer, Shield Legal
12:00 - 1:45 PM: Networking Lunch
Drawing on her experience as a survivor, plaintiff, law firm operator and investor, Bridie Farrell will explore what gets lost as a personal claim becomes a legal asset. From the assumptions built into case valuation and portfolio modelling to the realities of duration, diligence and claimant experience, she will share lessons from both sides of the claim—and what plaintiff firms and funders need to understand about the risks, pressures and people behind the numbers.
Bridie Farrell, Director of Victim Rights Advocacy and Legislation, Weitz & Luxenberg
- Where AI is already improving case management, claimant workflows, and litigation execution
- How courts and regulators are responding to AI use—and where judicial risk is emerging
- The governance, validation, and transparency needed to deploy AI responsibly at scale
Speakers:
- Salvatore C. Badala, Partner & GC, Napoli Shkolnik (moderator)
- Asim Badaruzzaman, Partner, Sbaiti & Company
- Hon. Karen K. Caldwell, Judge,U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
- Davis Cooper, Cooper Masterman
- Matthew Dolman, Founding Partner, Dolman Law Group
- Eric McClean-Ouelhadj, Director, Client Success, Tort Experts
3:00 - 3:30 PM: Networking Break
3:30 - 4:15 PM: PANEL DISCUSSION - THE ACQUISITION ARMS RACE: LEADS, COST, COMPETITION, & FRAUD
- How rising costs, competition, and platform restrictions are reshaping claimant acquisition
- What separates a viable claimant pipeline from inflated, low-quality, or fraudulent inventory
- The transparency and alignment needed across firms, marketers, aggregators, and funders
Speakers:
- Wendy Fleishman, Managing Partner, Clancy Fleishman (moderator)
- Katherine Hoffmann, CEO & Founder, SMART Reviews
- Chris Massaro, CEO, TSEG
- Arnold Sotelo, CEO & Founder, International Media Group
4:15 - 5:00 PM: THE DEALMAKERS’ DEBATE - FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE: HAS INSTITUTIONAL CAPITAL HAS CHANGED THE MARKET?
- Has institutional capital expanded access to justice—or distorted market incentives?
- Have funding structures, refinancing, and acquisition strategies improved mass torts—or increased risk?
- Is today’s funding model sustainable—or does the market need to reset?
Speakers:
- Rocky Stubbs, Managing Partner, Excelsior Equity Partners (Moderator)
- Yvonne Flaherty, Partner, Lockridge Grindal Nauen
- Seth Price, CEO & Founder, BluShark Digital
- Ellen Relkin, Partner & Chair of Defective Drugs and Devices, Weitz & Luxenberg
- Boris Ziser, Global Head of Structured Finance, CLOs & Alternative Assets, McDermott, Will, & Schulte
9:00 AM – 5:30 PM:
ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS
Participants have the option to schedule 30-minute meetings utilising our desktop or mobile app.
Registered attendees will receive an invitation to login to the app the week prior to the event.
5:00 - 7:00 PM: Networking Reception & Close of Day One
DAY TWO: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
7:30 - 8:45 AM: Registration & Breakfast
8:45 – 9:00 AM: Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:00 - 9:30 AM: KEYNOTE ADDRESS - THE PRICE OF JUSTICE: KEN FEINBERG ON FUNDING, FAIRNESS AND RESOLUTION
In this timely conversation, Feinberg will share his perspective on how funding is reshaping pathways to resolution, what information matters in settlement negotiations, and what safeguards are needed to preserve trust as legal finance continues to mature.
Kenneth R. Feinberg, Mediator & Arbitrator, Law Offices of Kenneth R. Feinberg
In discussion with Emily Siegel, Senior Reporter, Bloomberg Law (Interviewer)
9:30 - 10:20 AM: STATE OF THE MARKET - LEGAL FINANCE 2026: THE MARKET SHIFTS DRIVING CAPITAL, STRATEGY AND DECISIONS
- The economic, geopolitical, and regulatory forces reshaping legal finance in 2026
- The changing capital stack—how direct institutional entrants, banks, and new structures are reshaping competition and deployment
- How legal finance could evolve as capital becomes deeper, cheaper, and more specialized
Speakers:
- David Gialanella, Editor-in-Chief, Business of Law and The American Lawyer (moderator)
- Evan Meyerson, Managing Director, Burford Capital
- Michael Nicolas, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Longford Capital
- Elena S. Rey, Partner, Head of Litigation Funding & Co-Head of European Special Situations, Brown Rudnick
- Ryan Stephen, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Pine Valley Capital Partners
10:20 – 10:50 AM: Networking Break
10:50 - 11:20 AM: FEATURED INTERVIEW - INSIDE THE SILICON VALLEY SUPER TRIAL: ELON MUSK V SAM ALTMAN
Steven Molo, Founding Partner, MoloLamken
11:20 - 12:10 PM: THE DEALMAKERS’ RUNDOWN - REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS & THE SHIFTING RISK PROFILE
- How state-by-state regulation is changing where, with whom, and on what terms legal finance deals can be done
- The impact on structuring, diligence, pricing, disclosure, and capital deployment across the market
- How firms, funders, and advisers can keep transactions moving as regulatory risk becomes a commercial risk
Speakers:
- Boris Ziser, Global Head of Structured Finance, CLOs & Alternative Assets, McDermott, Will, & Schulte (moderator)
- Bryan F. Aylstock, Founding Partner, Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz
- Victoria Shannon Sahani, Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law
- Hon. Freda L. Wolfson, Former Chief Judge, Partner & Chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Lowenstein Sandler
- William Marra, Managing Director, Certum Group
- Kacey Wolmer, Chief Operating Officer, Contingency Capital
12:10 - 1:00 PM: IN PERSPECTIVE - VIEW FROM THE TOP: LAW FIRM LEADERS ON AI, MSOS & THE NEW BUSINESS OF LAW
- How AI is changing law firm operations, decision-making, and client delivery
- What growing investor interest and MSO models mean for ownership, control, and independence
- How firm leaders are reshaping their business models for the next era of legal practice
Speakers:
- Ed Scanlan, CEO & Founder, Bridge Legal (moderator)
- Hugh Carlson, CEO, Three Crowns
- Melinda R. Coolidge, U.S. Managing Partner, Hausfeld
- David Cunningham, Chief Innovation Officer, ReedSmith
- Kiley Grombacher, Founding Partner, Bradley/Grombacher
1:00 – 2:45 PM: Networking Lunch
2:30 PM – 5:30 PM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS
IN FOCUS MASS TORTS
IN FOCUS DEALMAKING
CLOSED DOOR SESSIONS
THE LAW FIRM GROWTH QUESTION: CAN MSOs CREATE SCALE WITHOUT LOSING CONTROL?
- Matthew Dolman, Founding Partner, Dolman Law Group
INVESTING IN MSOs (FOR CAPITAL PROVIDERS ONLY)
- Rocky Stubbs, Managing Partner, Excelsior Equity Partners
PARTNERING ON ALTERNATIVE LAW FIRM OWNERSHIPS (FOR LAW FIRM AND CAPITAL PROVIDERS)
- Shayna E. Sacks, Partner, Napoli Shkolnik
- R. Brent Wisner, Managing Partner, Wisner Baum
VERIFY FIRST: HOW EARLY CASE VALIDATION IMPROVES INVESTMENT OUTCOMES
- Katherine Hoffmann, Founder & CEO SMART Reviews
- How firms and funders can manage performance, communication and changing expectations after a deal is completed
- What options are available when the relationship or funding structure no longer works, including refinancing and restructuring
- How secondaries and other liquidity solutions can create an exit, transfer exposure or reset the parties’ positions
Speakers:
- Kelly Daley, Principal & Founder, Celsia Capital (moderator)
- Megan Colville, VP, Corporate Counsel – Litigation Investing,D. E. Shaw & Co.
- Fred Fabricant, Managing Partner, Fabricant Rubino Lambrianakos
- Paul B. Haskel, Partner, Crowell & Moring
This session is by invitation only. To request an invite, contact: Aaron Rawcliffe
- When refinancing remains viable—and when deeper restructuring is required
- How firms and funders can stabilise distress as timelines lengthen and assumptions change
- What happens when recovery is no longer possible—and whether the market needs a formal framework
Speakers:
- Rocky Stubbs, Managing Partner, Excelsior Equity Partners (Moderator)
- Jeff Cohen, Partner and Managing Director, Contingency Capital
- Ruth Rizkalla, Partner, The Carlson Law Firm
- Why insurance is becoming integral to legal finance structures—and what capital providers now expect it to protect
- How coverage, pricing, and insurer diligence are reshaping underwriting, economics, and capital deployment
- What happened to JPI—and which products and risk-transfer models could define the market’s next phase
Speakers:
- Tom Baker, William Maul Measey Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (moderator)
- Andrew Mutter, EVP, Contingent Risk, CAC, part of The Baldwin Group
This session is by invitation only. To request an invite, contact:
- What firms should report to capital providers—and which metrics genuinely inform decisions
- Creating consistent definitions, validation standards, and accountability across portfolios
- How better reporting can strengthen trust, identify risk earlier, and improve funding relationships
Speakers:
- Samuel Issacharoff, Bonnie and Richard Reiss Professor of Constitutional Law, NYU Law (moderator)
- Brooke Cohen, Founding and Managing Partner, Cohen Hirsch
- Steve Faries, Partner, Pulaski Kherkher
- Parker Stinar, Founding Partner, Stinar Lannen
- Kelsey Stokes, Senior Attorney, The Lanier Law Firm
- What separates a source of capital from a genuine strategic partner
- How to assess track record, flexibility, alignment, and execution—not just pricing
- Where brokers and advisers add value in finding, diligencing, and negotiating with the right funder
Speakers:
- John Morley, Augustus E. Lines Professor of Law, Yale Law School (moderator)
- Cesar Bello, Partner, Director of Litigation Finance, Corbin Capital Partners
- Alfonso Chan, Partner, Cahill
- Molly Pease, Managing Director & Chief Compliance Officer, Curiam Capital
- Jonathan Selbin, Senior Partner, Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein
9:00 AM – 5:30 PM:
ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS
Participants have the option to schedule 30-minute meetings utilising our desktop or mobile app.
Registered attendees will receive an invitation to login to the app the week prior to the event.
5:00 - 7:00 PM: Networking Reception & Close of Conference
THANK YOU TO OUR
2026 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.
Platinum sponsor
gold sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION
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2026 SPONSORS
Platinum sponsor

Napoli Shkolnik is a law firm with an international presence providing representation in large-scale litigation primarily in the areas of class actions, product liability and pharmaceutical matters, complex commercial litigation, mass torts, and environmental law. With a client-focused approach, our dedicated team of attorneys and staff have a track record of success achieving results for individuals, as well as municipalities and governmental entities. Our lawyers are consistently industry recognized, notably by Super Lawyers®, The National Trial Lawyers, and Best Lawyers® in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America. Headquartered in New York, the firm has additional offices across the United States, as well as affiliate offices in Puerto Rico and Canada, affording the resources and reach to effectively pursue difficult cases and win favorable outcomes for our clients.
GOLD sponsors

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

IMG is a legal marketing agency specializing in mass tort and motor vehicle accident (MVA) campaigns. With over 10 years of experience, IMG Legal has partnered with law firms across the United States, delivering end-to-end digital marketing solutions that connect qualified claimants with experienced legal teams.IMG is recognized for developing high-performing, data-driven campaigns tailored to each firm's objectives, contributing to more than $500 million in legal settlements. The agency supports attorneys handling cases involving defective medical devices, dangerous products, corporate negligence, and motor vehicle accidents.Through its strategic approach, deep industry expertise, and proven track record, IMG has earned a strong reputation as a trusted legal marketing partner—helping law firms reach those in need while expanding access to justice for injured individuals.

TSEG gets law firms cases. With 17+ years in legal marketing and hundreds of millions in managed ad spend, we've built mass tort campaigns for some of the most aggressive firms in the country. We handle everything - strategy, creative, paid media, landing pages, and intake - so your team focuses on signing clients, not chasing leads.

SMART Reviews developed an industry leading real-time fraud detection system that safeguards mass tort investments. Think of us as insurance for your capital. We operate within the agreed upon return window to maximize the number of real, compensable cases you get for your money. With more than a decade of expertise—including case validation, plaintiff fact sheets, record collection, metrics, and post-settlement reviews—we safeguard investments, strengthen outcomes, and deliver stronger returns. Invest SMARTer.
SILVER sponsorS

ARCHER Systems, LLC (“ARCHER”) is the leading provider of comprehensive litigation-related settlement solutions including pre-settlement support, claims administration, healthcare lien resolution, and qualified settlement fund administration services to law firms across the United States. We have a particular focus on applying pre and post-settlement expertise to a broad range of mass torts, including product liability, pharmaceutical, medical device, mass disaster, and toxic tort/exposure cases.

Bridge Legal is the AI-enabled infrastructure layer and operating system powering plaintiff law firms and litigation capital providers. Bridge Legal combines people, process, data, and technology to support claimant acquisition, intake, medical record workflows, plaintiff fact sheets, case development, fund administration, and portfolio intelligence. Through its platform, Bridgify, Bridge Legal delivers the operational foundation and data visibility needed to manage litigation assets at scale. Today, Bridge Legal supports more than $2 billion in litigation-related assets across its platform.

Contingency Capital is a global asset management business focused on credit oriented legal assets. Contingency Capital was founded in November 2020 by Brandon Baer. We invest in legal assets where the primary driver of value is a legal, tax or regulatory process.Our investment team is comprised of credit and distressed investors who are also former transactional attorneys and litigators. Collectively we have decades of multifaceted experience investing in legal assets.

The D. E. Shaw group is a global investment and technology development firm with more than $90 billion in investment and committed capital as of June 1, 2026, and offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. Since our founding in 1988, we have earned an international reputation for successful investing based on innovation, careful risk management, and the quality and depth of our staff.

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.

Tort Experts delivers signed retainers to plaintiff law firms and litigation funders, with third-party verified medical records where applicable.Firms like Ben Martin, Pulaski, and Bay Point choose us because we run the entire case-acquisition process in-house, from media buying and 100% US-based intake to real-time dashboards.Eleven years in mass tort, from BP Oil Spill through institutional abuse, we're never learning on your dime. $400 million in media deployed, 250,000 signed cases.Performance-based, you only pay for quality cases.
BRONZE SPONSORS

Consumer Attorney Marketing Group (CAMG) is the nation's largest fully-integrated legal marketing and case acquisition agency. Building on that platform, CAMG Capital Connect offers a turn-key litigation finance program for mass tort and single-event matters — giving investors deal-by-deal control over capital deployment, access to premier handling firms, and transparent reporting throughout the case lifecycle.

CASE Legal Media is a national partner for law firms and litigation funders, converting capital into compensable cases. We originate leads through our own advertising and media buying under TCPA compliance, never reselling, so no cherry-picking or duplicate retainers. With 200+ TV commercials, in-house digital creative, emerging-tort research, and partners Intake Dynamic and Case Path, we handle the full process.

Hyrax is a performance marketing agency specialising in high-intent customer acquisition at scale. We combine creative strategy, media buying, technology and data to deliver qualified leads across competitive markets. With teams in London and South Africa, we help ambitious partners grow faster through measurable, commercially focused campaigns that perform profitably.

Legal Case Administration Constructed for Complex CaseworkBuilt on 85 years of combined experience, Monumental Legal Services provides comprehensive back-office administration for law firms handling mass torts, class actions, mass arbitrations, personal injury claims, and other complex legal matters. A new era in Managed Legal Services with Monumental.

Winning Through Innovation: Strategic Solutions in Personal Injury, Mass Tort, and Lien Resolution. Torticity transforms your practice with our proprietary technology-driven services, offering real-time visibility of case progress and seamless support from post-intake to the time of settlement. The future of legal services, powered by cutting-edge technology and comprehensive support, is here to help you deliver the win.
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VENUE & ACCOMMODATIONS
EVENTI & SECOND
Experience the 3rd Annual LF Dealmakers Mass Torts 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 3rd Annual LF Dealmakers Mass Torts will be held on September 15-16, 2026 at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi & SECOND event space. This event is colocated with the 9th LF Dealmakers Annual. You may find additional information regarding the venue on our Venue page.
No. When registration opens, you will have the option of registering for one or both events.
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 Mass Torts brings together a select group of leaders in the business community to address critical issues impacting the litigation finance and mass torts sectors. 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 litigation funders, plaintiff’s firms, strategic 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!




