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Key Takeaways from LFJ’s Podcast with Steve Shinn

December 13, 2021

Key Takeaways from LFJ’s Podcast with Steve Shinn

On the latest episode of the LFJ Podcast, Steven Shinn, founder of FinLegal, described the solutions his platform provides for both funders and lawyers, and explains his company’s points of differentiation with other third party platform providers.

Q: Why move into litigation funding and after-the-event insurance? Can you explain how FinLegal’s offerings are different than those of traditional funders?

A: Absolutely. I think one of the challenges is that the litigation funding market could grow a great deal. But there are challenges where lawyers don’t necessarily understand litigation funding, and there are a lot more funders that you can go to. So you want to help educate people who are new to litigation funding and ATE about how to access it and how it works.

There are more funders joining, which is increasing the number of claims that get funded. So whereas before you might have only had funders looking to deploy $5 million to a claim, you now find situations where there are funders who want to deploy as little as $100,000 or less. So there’s a much broader range of funders…and it’s hard to go to all of them individually and it’s hard to know who’s in the market.

We thought, let’s build a sticky platform which provides the law firm with visibility and control over those funding requests, and let’s give them an online process (to write the best possible funding request) in terms of how it’s positioned to the funders so that it does get funding. With lots of funders to navigate, let’s build a platform to help lawyers navigate them, help them understand it—and let’s help them put forward the request with the best possible positioning.

Q: You mentioned getting involved in group actions (the UK version of US-style class actions). What got you interested in that space particularly, and does your technology background in any way penetrate that space?

A: Definitely. It started out as me seeing the VW group claim, and also seeing cartel claims, price-fixing on football shirts, and things like this. With my technology background, I thought ‘Well, how are law firms doing this?’

I saw that they had a lot of off-line case management platforms, they use a lot of spreadsheets. You know these systems didn’t talk to each other. There’s a lot of manual effort and no mobile interfaces for claimants to interact with the law firm. So I thought, ‘We can build a platform that will enable that.’ Essentially, we’d be taking a completely fresh look at it. With a technology and software development background and a product development background. How do we build/provide something that enables lawyers to spend the least time possible working with each claim. We know that’s important to the economics of the claim—not having to spend a lot of manual effort on each claim.

So that’s what we produced, a solution that works on a management by exception basis, so essentially the claimant goes through an automated set of steps. And where they fall out of those steps or where they don’t meet certain criteria, only then do they need to get picked up by the law firm.

Q: I know you offer a claim automation solution, can you explain what this solution does?

A: The main benefit of the solution is that it increases the volume of clients. So what you tend to find, is if there’s a bad claimant experience, people fall out of the process. You’ve spent money on acquiring that claimant, you spend advertising pounds or dollars to get them into your funnel, to start working with them. But they become disenfranchised from your process, right? Or they don’t like getting a lot of phone calls, or they feel like the process is insecure and it happens via Email without clear instruction. So if you have a good online process, it increases the volume of clients. That’s the first thing.

And it reduces the amount of time spent per client also, because…the law firm is only working with clients who fall out of the automated process. It’s also plug-n-play, so if you want to start work on a new type of matter it might be that this week you’re building a book of emissions claimants, and the following week you want to launch a shareholder claim.

You can launch that from the platform in a matter of days and start book building. You’re not having to have lots of different contractors and different systems that you have to modify to start doing something new or different. You talk to us, we set it up for you, and then you manage it through an interface that you’re very familiar with.

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Burford Capital Nominates Veteran Credit Investor Rick Noel to Board

By John Freund |

Burford Capital has proposed the appointment of Rick Noel, a veteran credit and financial services investor, as an independent non-executive director, subject to shareholder approval at the company's annual general meeting on May 13.

As reported by Investegate, Noel retired in 2022 as a partner at Varde Partners, a global alternative investment firm, after more than two decades. During his tenure at Varde, he held senior leadership roles including Head of Global Financial Services, Head of Europe, and Head of Asia, where he established the firm's Singapore office. His expertise spans financial services private equity, consumer and commercial credit, distressed credit portfolios, and asset-based investments.

Noel is expected to join Burford's Audit Committee upon appointment. He currently serves on the board of WiZink Bank, a consumer-focused Iberian bank, and acts as a senior advisor to MPowered Capital. He holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management and is both a CPA and CFA charterholder.

The nomination comes as Burford navigates the aftermath of a U.S. appeals court decision that overturned a $16.1 billion judgment in the YPF case in late March. Adding a seasoned credit investor to the board signals the company's focus on strengthening governance and financial oversight as it charts its path forward.

Commercial

Florida Legislature Eyes Third-Party Litigation Funding Reform in April Special Session

By John Freund |

Advocates for lawsuit reform are urging the Florida Legislature to take up third-party litigation funding regulations during an upcoming special session in April, after the regular session ended without action on the issue.

As reported by Floridian Press, Randy Ray, chairman of Senior Consumers of America, argued that the practice of outside investors funding lawsuits in exchange for a share of settlements continues to "build momentum" in Florida and is "incentivizing frivolous lawsuits." He called for mandatory disclosure of third-party financing arrangements, restrictions preventing external backers from making case management decisions, and broader transparency requirements.

The proposed reforms would not prevent plaintiffs from seeking financial assistance during litigation but would require all parties to understand the financial interests at play. Proponents argue the safeguards are a matter of basic transparency, while critics contend such measures could restrict access to justice for plaintiffs who lack resources to fund complex litigation.

Florida has been a focal point in the national debate over litigation funding regulation. The state's most recent regular session saw third-party litigation finance disclosure bills advance through committees but ultimately stall before reaching the floor. The push for action during a special session reflects growing momentum among reform advocates to address what economists estimate is a hidden "tort tax" affecting Florida consumers.

Commercial

Counsel Financial Enables $110 Million Credit Facility for Litigation-Focused Law Firm

By John Freund |

A litigation-focused law firm has secured a $110 million multi-participant credit facility, arranged and serviced by Counsel Financial, to refinance an existing financing arrangement on improved terms.

As reported by ABF Journal, the credit facility closed in the first quarter of 2026 and is backed by a portfolio of litigation assets, including class action lawsuits, mass tort claims, and complex litigation matters. Counsel Financial served as originator, underwriter, servicer, and collateral monitoring agent for the deal, which involved a specialty finance firm and an alternative asset manager as lenders.

The refinancing delivered enhanced financing flexibility for the law firm, providing capital for litigation expenses, personnel costs, and positioning the firm to advance and monetize its case portfolio. Counsel Financial described its role as providing "comprehensive underwriting and ongoing portfolio oversight" that enabled the improved terms.

The deal highlights the growing role of specialized lending in the litigation finance ecosystem, where law firms increasingly rely on credit facilities secured by their case inventories to fund operations and case development. As mass tort and class action dockets expand, demand for these structured financing arrangements continues to rise.