Community Spotlights

Member Spotlight: Ed Gehres

Invenio LLP Co-Founder and Managing Partner Ed Gehres has worked on all sides of the litigation finance marketplace. Ed began his career as a defense-side trial lawyer at AmLaw 100 firms, then started doing plaintiffs-side work, served as a partner and practice group leader, and then developed a transactional practice that led to his work as General Counsel of an investment platform that had multiple litigation finance and services companies.

Ed co-founded Invenio LLP to help level the playing field for civil justice. The firm works at the intersection of plaintiffs, the law firms that represent them, and the investors who see that they get their day in court. Leveraging this broad base of experience as litigator, lender, deal lawyer, and law firm leader, Ed now focuses on helping law firms and claimants navigate complex litigation finance transactions.  

Invenio LLP is a leading provider of legal services for those navigating the complexities of the litigation finance industry. We’ve represented both plaintiffs and defendants in litigation; and immersed ourselves in venture start-ups and private equity ventures catering to plaintiffs, law firms, and claims development experts. This gives us a unique blend of expertise suited to untangling the complexities of the litigation finance space and finding solutions. Invenio is committed to increasing access to civil justice by helping plaintiffs of all types access courts and level the playing field against well-resourced defendants.  We believe litigation finance can be a force multiplier for plaintiffs and the firms that represent them. We aim to make the process of exploring and obtaining litigation finance clear, fair, and straightforward.

Since Invenio LLP was founded in January of 2022, the firm has advised on nearly $500 million in credit transactions involving legal assets and has developed an emerging practice involving alternative business structures.

Company Website: inveniolaw.com

Year Founded: 2022

Headquarters: Invenio is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has offices in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Phoenix, AZ.

Area of Focus: Invenio LLP is fully engaged in all aspects of the rapidly emerging litigation finance industry. The firm’s founding partners have each worked on multiple claimant funding and law firm loan transactions and have themselves litigated cases where law firm portfolio funding or third-party case funding was used. Our clients are law firms borrowing for their cases or portfolios, claimants seeking traditional third-party funding, lenders and insurers seeking assistance with underwriting and servicing of cases or portfolios of cases, and parties to litigation finance-related disputes or distressed transactions. We focus on case & portfolio underwriting; borrower & claimant-side representation; alternative business structures; and pre-settlement, post-settlement & medical lien funding.

Member Quote: “I’ve shifted gears multiple times in my career. But I truly believe it was all leading to this important work in litigation finance. This is about ensuring access to the civil justice process. I view it as a life’s work.”

More LFJ Conversations

View All
Community Spotlights

Member Spotlight: Andrew Bourhill

By John Freund |

As a former litigator who recently obtained his MBA, Andrew offers a unique perspective in his role of creating, developing, and maintaining business relationships with law firms and litigants as LF2 expands its commercial program.

Andrew is an Associate Director of Investments at LF2. In his role, Andrew works with the Underwriting and Investment team to both analyze and develop potential funding opportunities. Andrew received a Dean’s Merit Scholarship from Cardozo Law School and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Andrew practiced as a commercial litigator prior to entering the litigation finance industry.

Company Name and Description:  Lex Ferenda Litigation Funding LLC. We specialize in funding single commercial cases starting at $1 million.

Company Website: www.lf-2.com

Year Founded: 2020

Headquarters:  Rye, New York

Area of Focus: Business development and underwriting.

Member Quote: I’m grateful to be able to make an impact in such a dynamic industry, particularly as it continues to grow and enhance outcomes within and beyond the legal community.

Read More
Community Spotlights

Member Spotlight: Stuart Price

By John Freund |

Stuart Price is the Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director and co-founder of CASL. Mr Price worked in the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Australia during his 30+ year career in banking and investment banking, legal and litigation finance. Mr Price has held senior positions in litigation finance for over a decade with a career highlight being the resolution of a class action against the Queensland State Government for ‘Stolen Wages’ for $190m, on behalf of over 12,000 First Nations peoples.  

Mr Price was instrumental in the establishment of The Association of Litigation Funders of Australia (ALFA), where he was the inaugural CEO and Managing Director from 2018. Mr Price continues as a Director of ALFA.

Mr Price has a 1st Class Honours Degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of St. Andrews, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia & New Zealand, a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a Fellow of FINSIA.

Company Name and Description: CASL was founded in 2020 by John Walker and Stuart Price with the objective of creating a level playing field and providing access to the legal system for claimants to prosecute meritorious claims.

CASL is a significant litigation funder in the Australian market, raising investment capital of $156m in 2022 that represents one of the largest dedicated pools of capital to this market.

Company Websitehttps://www.casl.com.au/

Year Founded:  2020

Headquarters: Sydney

Area of Focus: Litigation Finance

Member Quote: CASL has one of the most experienced litigation finance teams which when combined with substantial financial resources, enables it to be a leading provider of litigation finance with local decision making.

Read More
Community Spotlights

Member Spotlight: Sam Klatt

By John Freund |

Sam Klatt is the Chief Investment Officer at 10 East, where he is responsible for sourcing and managing investment opportunities.

Mr. Klatt has +20 years of experience investing in public equities real estate, private credit, private equity, and venture capital. Prior to founding Portage Partners and then 10 East, Mr. Klatt was a vice president at M.D. Sass, a private investment manager that focused on traditional and alternative investment strategies.

Mr. Klatt received an M.S. in Real Estate Development from Columbia University in 2010 and earned a B.A. in Economics from Johns Hopkins University with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Management. Mr. Klatt is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Company Name and Description: 10 East, led by Michael Leffell, allows qualified individuals to invest alongside a seasoned team with a decade+ historical track record of strong performance in litigation finance, private credit, real estate, niche venture/private equity, and other one-off investments that aren’t typically available through traditional channels.  

Benefits of 10 East membership include:   

  • Flexibility – members have full discretion over whether to invest on an offering-by-offering basis.  
  • Alignment – principals commit material personal capital to every offering.   
  • Institutional resources – a dedicated investment team that sources, monitors, and diligences each offering.  

10 East is where founders, executives, and portfolio managers from industry-leading firms diversify their personal portfolios. 

Company Website: 10east.co

Year Founded: 2011, as Portage Partners, rebranded as 10 East in 2022 

Headquarters:  New York

Area of Focus: Litigation finance, real estate, private credit, and niche venture/private equity. Emerging managers, independent sponsors, and one-off co-investments.

Member Quote: Our principals, partners and members have invested more than $100 million in litigation finance opportunities since inception—it’s a strategy where we often identify highly attractive risk/return asymmetry with the added benefit of being less correlated to the markets.

Read More