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Litigation Funding Startup Founder Shares Insights
Former litigator turned legal funding founder discusses the need for trial talent and how corporations can maximize litigation funding benefits.
Published on Feb. 19, 2026
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In a two-part interview, Gaston Kroub spoke with Lauren Harrison, a former litigator who is now the founder of a legal funding startup. Harrison shared her perspectives on the declining opportunities for trial practice among litigators, the importance of cultivating trial talent, and how corporate legal departments can leverage litigation funding to monetize valuable legal claims.
Why it matters
The declining number of cases that actually go to trial is a concerning trend for the legal industry, as it limits the ability of litigators to develop critical trial skills. Harrison's insights highlight the need for law firms and corporate legal departments to be more intentional about nurturing trial talent and exploring ways to maximize the benefits of litigation funding.
The details
Harrison noted that the statistics on the decline of trials are stark, with as few as 1% of federal and state court civil cases that don't settle being resolved at trial, down from 5-20% decades earlier. This experience gap matters for litigation funders, who look for partners with the appetite and capability to take cases through verdict if necessary. Harrison encouraged law firms, especially litigation boutiques, to be intentional about cultivating trial talent by providing lawyers with early courtroom exposure and trial training opportunities.
- The interview was conducted in February 2026.
The players
Lauren Harrison
A former litigator who is now the founder of a legal funding startup.
Gaston Kroub
A founding partner of Kroub, Silbersher & Kolmykov PLLC, an intellectual property litigation boutique, and Markman Advisors LLC, a consultancy on patent issues for the investment community.
What they’re saying
“The single biggest need I see is for firms to focus on nurturing, valuing and hiring meaningful trial talent. There is a growing generational divide in the profession.”
— Lauren Harrison, Founder, Legal Funding Startup (abovethelaw.com)
“Corporate in-house departments absolutely have a role to play. Too often, valuable commercial claims are resolved for pennies on the dollar and IP assets go undervalued because litigation is viewed purely as a cost center.”
— Lauren Harrison, Founder, Legal Funding Startup (abovethelaw.com)
What’s next
The author, Gaston Kroub, plans to attend an upcoming symposium on litigation funding hosted by Signal Peak on February 26, 2026, where he expects to hear diverse perspectives on the industry's progress.
The takeaway
Harrison's insights highlight the need for law firms and corporate legal departments to be more proactive in cultivating trial talent and exploring ways to leverage litigation funding to monetize valuable legal claims, which could help counter the perception of legal departments as cost centers and transform them into profit centers for their organizations.
