Happy Friday! I teamed up with my colleague Kaustuv Basu to dig into how AI is disrupting the mass tort space.
Mass tort cases can involve thousands of plaintiffs. AI is helping law firms and litigation funders save money and weed out weak claims before they get too far. That could mean a better shot at backing winners — and more peace of mind that they’re not throwing money at duds.
Capital providers “have no desire to put money into things that aren’t going to work,” said Ed Scanlan, founder and CEO of AI-driven legal tech platform Bridge Legal.
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What I’m Reading
- Constantine Courcoulas and Upmanyu Trivedi wrote about how UK funder Katch Investment Group is raising money less than six months after liquidating a key fund. The fund’s proceeds will be used to finance litigation, including a $341 million lawsuit against Uber.
- Westfleet Advisors published an update to its white paper “Litigation Funding and Confidentiality: A Comprehensive Analysis of Current Case Law.” It includes a state-by-state breakdown of disclosure rules and looks at how often courts deny limited discovery of funding documents.
- Missouri state Senator Curtis Trent introduced legislation that would prohibit foreign entities from financing litigation in the state unless they are a named party, according to The Missouri Times. Trent said of the bill, “This is about keeping our courts transparent, impartial, and focused on justice.”
Business & Practice
Arizona Bar Wants Tighter Restrictions on Investor-Fueled Firms
Arizona must do more to prevent investor-backed law firms from using the state solely as a launch pad to provide services elsewhere, according to its bar association.
Trillion-Dollar Data Center Surge Boosts Business for Big Law
The data center boom sits at the intersection of two major client bases—Big Tech and the world’s largest private asset managers—and presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for firms built to cross-sell their services. Lawyers hired to help foster the proliferation of facilities say they are as busy as any point during their careers.
Tom Goldstein Rests Defense in Tax, Loan False Statement Case
SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein rested his defense Tuesday in his trial on charges of tax fraud and making a false statement on a loan application with testimony about allegedly uncollected emails from his outside accounting firm.
Exxon Drops Paul Weiss, Shifts Climate Suits Defense Work
Federal Judge Couldn’t Recite Alphabet in Field Sobriety Test
Michigan federal Judge Thomas L. Ludington recited a portion of the alphabet as “A, B, C, D, F, U” during a field sobriety test following his 2025 drunken-driving crash, a state police report revealed.
Nominations for the 2026 Unrivaled award for top trial lawyers are now open! Read the FAQ page and apply here through March 24.
Commentary & Opinion
Crafting an Operating Agreement That Gets You a Seat at the Table
Minority members of limited liability companies should work to draft operating agreements that allow them more control over the agreements’ provisions.
Corporate DEI Hindered By Threats and Probes—Not Rules or Cases
Two recent federal actions reveal a DEI enforcement strategy that relies on using investigations and threats as tools of governance, signaling a liability risk for businesses.
Texas Fossil Fuels Ruling May Be a Step Back for ‘Anti-ESG’ Laws
A Texas federal court has upheld a challenge to a Texas statute barring state public entities from investing or contracting with companies that seek to reduce reliance on fossil fuels—a potential reprieve for environmental, social, and governance supporters.
Columnist Corner
Roy Strom is back from paternity leave with his first Big Law Business column of the year, and he’s drawing similarities between the NFL and the legal industry (not for the first time).
Between changing diapers, Roy read author Chuck Klosterman’s latest book, which argues America’s most dominant sport will eventually implode after advertisers pull back, forcing owners and players to fight over a dwindling revenue pot. Roy sees a similar situation potentially playing out in Big Law.
- “Law firms have been on a torrid growth streak that’s made lawyers some of the highest-paid professionals in the country,” Roy writes. “A defining feature of law firms is that they can struggle to survive even small, short-term declines in revenue.” Read More
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