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JurisTrade Litigation Asset Marketplace Launches Phase 1 Rollout with over $70 Million in Litigation Funding Opportunities

By Harry Moran |

JurisTrade Litigation Asset Marketplace Launches Phase 1 Rollout with over $70 Million in Litigation Funding Opportunities

The JurisTrade Platform soft-launched last week with over $70 million in litigation funding opportunities in single cases, funding mass tort dockets and law firm refinancing.

The JurisTrade Litigation Asset Marketplace (“JurisTrade’) provides a transparent electronic platform which facilitates both primary funding opportunities in litigation finance, as well secondary sales of such interests.

The potential market for litigation finance ranges in the several $100s billions, of which only $30 billion is currently funded. JurisTrade is designed to unlock this large unmet demand through its liquid and transparent marketplace.

The litigation finance ecosystem has been clamoring for years for this type of market solution. Similarly to many other major asset classes, JurisTrade was built on a foundation of industry standardization, transparency and process streamlining, which eliminates uncertainty and, thus, attracts liquidity for litigation finance, a bona fide uncorrelated asset class.

Clients of JurisTrade include institutions, law firms, litigation finance funds, and family offices.

JurisTrade’s Phase I rollout includes nine diverse investment opportunities including a high-profile single case, a judgment monetization case, a law firm debt refinancing case, and several mass action-related cases. An OTC service desk is being offered to assist our clients in negotiating terms and structuring all manners of trades and vehicles, among other things. Other market features, technology, and analytics will be offered soon.

Typhon Capital Management, Larry Hite, and two notable family offices are sponsors of JurisTrade, and JurisTrade will be leveraging their collective expertise and experience. Typhon, in particular, provides trading operations on JurisTrade. Clients can use JurisTrade to directly engage in claims trading, such as bankruptcy and mass tort, then leverage Typhon to invest in or create custom passive funds holding any manner of litigation interests or loans, and actively managed funds, such as thematic claim trading, market making, or activist litigations. Typhon can also structure insurance wrappers around litigation-focused investments.

The senior management team of JurisTrade includes James Koutoulas as CEO, Kevin J.P. O’Hara as Chairman, Shawn Hartpence as Chief Commercial Officer, and Andrew Barroway and Larry Hite as strategic limited partners.

“Mr. Koutoulas is a seasoned hedge fund manager and attorney with a unique skillset encompassing derivatives-trading, complex bankruptcy and class action litigation, and software development making him the perfect CEO to bring the emerging asset class of litigation assets to a wider audience. He and I share similar philosophies on structuring vehicles with asymmetric, positively-skewed, and uncorrelated return profiles which will be much appreciated in the litigation investing world,” said Larry Hite, Founder of Hite Capital.

“Similarly, Mr. O’Hara’s previous C-suite roles at NYSE, CBOT, Archipelago and Gulf Finance House, and as an attorney at the SEC and his financial markets development in Eastern Europe, provide JurisTrade with one of the most accomplished exchange experts to steer our growth.”

“Larry Hite is a pioneer of two assets classes – commodity trading and litigation assets. Larry is an original ‘Market Wizard’ and we are humbled to have him as a founding partner and advisor to JurisTrade,” said James Koutoulas, CEO of JurisTrade.

Please sign up to view our initial inventory and be kept up to date at www.juristrade.com.

About Larry Hite:

Larry Hite is a legendary commodities trader and one of the founders of systematic trading. Mr. Hite founded Mint Capital, which was the largest CTA in the world by AUM in 1990. He has since been an active investor in litigation assets where he has invested in thousands of cases.

About Typhon Capital Management:

Typhon Capital Management, led by CEO James Koutoulas, is a multi-strategy hedge fund and platform specializing in tactical futures, quantitative, and cryptocurrency trading. Typhon creates custom portfolios and structured products for institutional investors and wealth management firms and is headquartered in Miami Beach. Mr. Koutoulas also was lead customer counsel in the MF Global bankruptcy, leading the recovery of all $6.7 billion in customer assets.

About Kevin J.P. O’Hara:

Kevin J. P. O’Hara has a decades-long career in business, law and regulation, entrepreneurship, technology, international, investing, and post-graduate teaching. Mr. O’Hara is an active angel investor with several successful exits, including sales to LinkedIn, PayPal, and IQVIA. He has a plethora of private and public company board and governance experience.

He was previously: (1) a C-suite member at CBOT, NYSE, Archipelago, and Gulf Finance House (Bahrain); (2) an attorney at the SEC, DOJ, and a major Chicago law firm (products liability and mass tort defense)(3) a law and business school lecturer at Northwestern University and Loyola University; and (4) an in-county financial and economic advisor in Eastern Europe in 1990s.

About Shawn Hartpence:

Shawn Hartpence has over a decade of experience advising law firms, litigation fund managers and institutional investors on capital formation and litigation investment. Areas of expertise include mass tort portfolio funding, secondary mass tort portfolio trading, single-case funding, portfolio funding, single-case monetization, and capital introduction for niche litigation strategies. Mr. Hartpence is a partner at Ocasio Mass Tort Law, a DC Law Firm and a Board Member of a cutting-edge AI Litigation assessment company.

About Andrew Barroway:

Andrew Barroway is a distinguished litigator and hedge fund manager with a proven track record of success in the investment world. He previously built Barroway, Topaz, Kessler, Meltzer, & Check, LLP, the second largest securities class action firm in the country, and helped lead the $3.2 billion settlement of Tyco Ltd. International. At Merion Investment Management, Mr. Barroway invented the appraisal rights arbitrage trade where he managed $1.2B in the near-riskless strategy, annualizing 13.25% net for 12 years. Mr. Barroway is a strategic limited partner in JurisTrade and the senior portfolio manager of our upcoming Cerus Litigation Fund.

About the author

Harry Moran

Harry Moran

Commercial

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CSAA Sees 2026 Shift in Litigation Finance Fight

By John Freund |

A senior legal executive at CSAA Insurance Group has signaled what she describes as a potential turning point in the long-running conflict between insurers and the litigation finance industry. Speaking amid heightened political and regulatory scrutiny of third-party funding, the comments reflect growing confidence among insurers that momentum is shifting in their favor after years of unsuccessful pushback.

An article in Insurance Business reports that CSAA’s chief legal officer argued that 2026 could mark a decisive phase in efforts to rein in litigation finance, citing increasing legislative interest and judicial awareness of the role funding plays in driving claim frequency and severity. According to the article, CSAA views litigation funding as a key contributor to social inflation, a term insurers use to describe the rising costs of claims driven by larger jury verdicts, expanded liability theories, and aggressive litigation tactics.

The executive pointed to a wave of proposed disclosure rules and transparency initiatives at both the state and federal levels as evidence that lawmakers are taking insurer concerns more seriously. These proposals generally seek to require plaintiffs to disclose whether a third-party funder has a financial interest in a case, a reform insurers argue is necessary to assess conflicts, settlement dynamics, and the true economics of litigation. While many of these measures remain contested, CSAA appears encouraged by what it sees as a shift in tone compared to previous years.

The article also highlights the broader industry context in which these comments were made. Insurers have increasingly framed litigation finance as a systemic risk rather than a niche practice, linking it to higher premiums, reduced coverage availability, and increased volatility in underwriting results. Litigation funders, for their part, continue to argue that funding expands access to justice and that disclosure mandates risk revealing sensitive strategy and privileged information.

Axiom Shuts Arizona Law Firm After Three-Year Experiment

By John Freund |

Axiom, the global legal talent and services provider, has decided to close its Arizona-based law firm, Axiom Advice & Counsel, marking the end of a high-profile experiment under the state’s alternative business structure regime. The move comes roughly three years after the firm launched, and reflects a broader strategic refocus rather than a regulatory intervention or disciplinary issue.

An article in Reuters reports that Axiom voluntarily chose to wind down the law firm as part of a reassessment of where it sees the greatest opportunity for growth. The firm plans to surrender its license, with the process subject to review by the Arizona Supreme Court, and indicated that the decision was made in 2025 following internal changes and departures at the firm. Axiom described the venture as a useful learning experience but ultimately one that no longer aligned with its core business priorities.

Axiom Advice & Counsel launched in early 2023 after Arizona became the first US state to permit non-lawyer ownership of law firms. The firm was positioned as a novel hybrid, combining Axiom’s flexible legal staffing model with direct legal services delivered through a licensed law firm. At launch, Axiom emphasized efficiency, technology enablement, and an alternative to the traditional law firm structure. However, by early 2025, key personnel had left the practice, and the firm concluded that operating a regulated law firm was not the optimal use of its resources.

The closure comes amid continued experimentation under Arizona’s ABS framework. Around 150 entities have been licensed, including legal services platforms such as LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer, professional services providers like KPMG, and other alternative legal service providers testing new delivery models. While some have expanded their footprint, others, like Axiom, appear to be recalibrating their approach.

Omni Bridgeway Reports Strong 2Q26 Portfolio Performance

By John Freund |

Global litigation funder Omni Bridgeway has released a positive second quarter portfolio update, pointing to strong completion metrics and reinforcing confidence in its diversified funding strategy across jurisdictions and dispute types. The update highlights the importance of disciplined case selection and portfolio construction at a time when the legal funding market continues to mature and face closer scrutiny from investors.

An article in GlobeNewswire outlines that Omni Bridgeway recorded excellent completion outcomes during the quarter, with multiple matters reaching resolution and contributing to realizations. The company emphasized that these completions were achieved across different regions and segments of its portfolio, underscoring the benefits of geographic and claim diversification. Management noted that the results were consistent with internal expectations and supported the firm’s longer term return profile.

According to the update, Omni Bridgeway continues to focus on converting invested capital into realized proceeds, rather than simply growing commitments. The funder highlighted that completion metrics are a key indicator of portfolio health, as they reflect both successful case outcomes and effective timing of resolutions. Strong completions also provide liquidity that can be recycled into new opportunities, supporting sustainable growth without excessive balance sheet strain.

The update also touched on broader portfolio dynamics, including the ongoing mix of single case investments and portfolio arrangements with law firms and corporates. Omni Bridgeway reiterated that its underwriting approach remains cautious, with an emphasis on downside protection and realistic settlement expectations. While the company acknowledged that litigation timelines can be unpredictable, it expressed confidence that the current portfolio is well positioned to deliver value over the medium term.