What Certum Group does

Certum Group is a litigation risk management firm founded in 2010 by Joel Fineberg (previously operating as Risk Settlements) and headquartered in Plano, Texas. The firm operates across three integrated business segments: Litigation Finance (non-recourse capital for legal fees and expenses, claim monetization, IP acquisitions, and secondary transactions), Litigation Insurance (Class Action Settlement Insurance (CASI), Capital Protection Insurance, Contingent Fee Insurance, and Judgment Preservation Insurance), and Legal Solutions (consulting, collateral assessment and monitoring, and the Certum Legal Solutions managed services organization serving mass tort and personal injury firms). The CASI product is positioned by Certum as the only post-lawsuit settlement insurance structure in the industry, issued on paper of A++ AM Best-rated carriers.

The firm serves AmLaw 100 law firms, Fortune 500 corporate legal departments, litigation boutiques, private equity sponsors, and small businesses needing capital or risk transfer to pursue or defend complex litigation. Its go-to-market relies on enterprise field sales to senior legal decision-makers, supported by thought leadership (the Alternative Litigation Strategies podcast, Chambers-ranked IP litigation funding positioning, and regular publications) and academic partnerships with Penn Carey Law School and Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based: insurance products carry fixed one-time premiums while finance arrangements return a share of recoveries on deployed capital. The finance arm is backed by 30+ finance partners collectively managing $50B+ in capital, allowing Certum to deploy non-recourse capital without holding the underwriting risk on its balance sheet.

By the firm's reported metrics, Certum works with 80%+ of the AmLaw 100 (60 firms), has completed 100+ transactions, deployed $300M+ in litigation finance capital, transferred $15B+ in litigation exposure through insurance policies, and prevented $2B+ in litigation losses. In October 2025 the firm acquired and rebranded a managed services organization as Certum Legal Solutions, formalizing a third revenue line and entering the mass tort and personal injury operational services market. The company is privately held, was previously known as Risk Settlements, and operated with approximately 20 employees as of 2025 under CEO Joel Fineberg.

Name

Certum Group

Legal name

Certum Group

Website

https://certumgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Certum Group is a Plano, Texas-based litigation risk management firm that provides non-recourse legal finance, bespoke litigation insurance (including CASI), and managed services to AmLaw 100 firms, Fortune 500 companies, and private equity sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Litigation Finance & Insurance

NAICS

Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ)

Keywords

• Litigation finance
• Litigation insurance
• Claim monetization
• Legal risk management
• Intellectual property finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Plano

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Litigation Finance: Certum provides non-recourse capital to law firms and corporations covering legal fees and expenses. Revenue is generated through returns on invested capital in litigation matters, typically structured as a share of eventual recoveries or a multiple on deployed capital. The company also monetizes pending claims, judgments, and awards by advancing a portion of expected recovery.
2. Litigation Insurance: Certum delivers insurance solutions including Class Action Settlement Insurance (CASI), Contingent Fee Insurance, Capital Protection Insurance, and Judgment Preservation Insurance. Revenue is generated through fixed insurance premiums paid upfront or at settlement, with the company earning underwriting profits and ceding risk to carrier partners.
3. Legal Solutions (Consulting): Expert underwriting, structuring, and ongoing management of legal risk and litigation investment strategies. Services include case due diligence, portfolio valuation, market intelligence, collateral assessment, and consulting for investors and institutions.
4. Legal Solutions MSO: Certum Legal Solutions operates as a managed services organization providing end-to-end operational platform for mass tort, personal injury, and abuse litigation, including intake, pre-litigation investigation, plaintiff discovery support, settlement claims processing, and client communications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Certum Group is a litigation risk management platform that deploys non-recourse capital to law firms and corporations (Litigation Finance), underwrites bespoke insurance products to transfer litigation risk including the proprietary Class Action Settlement Insurance (CASI) (Litigation Insurance), and provides legal underwriting, consulting, collateral monitoring, and managed services for mass tort/personal injury firms (Legal Solutions). The finance arm is backed by 30+ finance partners managing $50B+ in capital, and insurance products are issued through A-rated global carriers.

Product overview

Certum Group operates as a comprehensive litigation risk management platform organized into three business segments: Litigation Finance (non-recourse capital solutions), Litigation Insurance (bespoke insurance products), and Legal Solutions (consulting and operational services). The Litigation Finance segment encompasses Litigation Finance, Claim Monetization, Intellectual Property Acquisitions, and Secondary Transactions. The Litigation Insurance segment includes Capital Protection Insurance, Contingent Fee Insurance, Class Action Settlement Insurance (CASI), and Judgment Preservation Insurance. The Legal Solutions segment covers Legal Marketing & Docket Management Services, Collateral Assessment and Monitoring, and Consulting. A subsidiary sub-brand, Certum Legal Solutions, provides managed services organization (MSO) offerings for mass tort and personal injury law firms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Litigation Finance Non-recourse capital that enables law firms, corporations, litigants, and investors to unlock the value of legal claims and assets, covering legal fees and expenses for AmLaw 100 firms, corporate counsel, and plaintiff-side practices.
• Claim Monetization Monetizes pending claims, judgments, and awards into immediate revenue by advancing a portion of expected recovery, providing cash without waiting for litigation outcomes.
• Intellectual Property Acquisitions Finances the acquisition and monetization of intellectual property portfolios including patents and copyrights through strategic licensing and enforcement campaigns.
• Secondary Transactions & Special Situations Facilitates secondary market transactions, purchasing existing portfolios or individual positions from litigation funders and other asset managers, providing immediate liquidity.
• Capital Protection Insurance Safeguards invested capital — whether debt, equity, or both — in single cases or portfolio litigation investments against adverse rulings, with policies callable to provide back leverage to litigation funders.
• Contingent Fee Insurance Mitigates financial risk for law firms by reimbursing fees and expenses if litigation is unsuccessful, helping alleviate litigation fatigue and enabling firms to pursue claims they might otherwise decline.
• Class Action Settlement Insurance (CASI) The only product that helps defendant companies cap the financial risk in claims-made settlements, providing a known fixed cost to exit litigation, eliminating uncertain settlement payout consequences. Pioneered by Certum in 2012.
• Judgment Preservation Insurance Enables claimholders or law firms with portfolio of judgments on appeal to secure insurance against the risk of reversal on appeal.
• Legal Marketing & Docket Management Services End-to-end operational platform for mass tort, personal injury, and abuse litigation providing centralized intake and case qualification, pre-litigation investigation, plaintiff discovery support, settlement claims processing, and client communications.
• Collateral Assessment and Monitoring Real-time litigation portfolio tracking and borrowing base certification for lenders, integrating with case management systems to monitor collateral performance, validate valuations, and ensure compliance throughout the loan lifecycle.
• Consulting Expert litigation underwriting and advisory services for investors, lenders, and institutions providing case due diligence, portfolio valuation, market intelligence, and strategic guidance.
• Certum Legal Solutions (MSO) Managed service organization (MSO) offering support for mass tort and personal injury law firms, providing non-legal operational services including intake, case management, and administrative support. Acquired MSO and rebranded in October 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• $15B+ litigation exposure transferred through risk-shifting insurance policies
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Legal Finance Association (ILFA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2025Certum Group joined ILFA as its 30th member, expanding its presence in the global legal finance community. ILFA is the litigation finance industry's leading advocacy group, and membership signals Certum's commitment to industry standards and growth.
• University of Pennsylvania Carey Law SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWilliam Marra teaches litigation finance at Penn Carey Law School and co-teaches a Litigation Finance course with Professor Tom Baker, providing academic perspective on third-party funding of legal claims.
• Indiana University Kelley School of BusinessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuneal Bedi serves as Scholar in Residence at Certum Group while holding faculty positions at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business as Associate Professor of Business Law & Ethics and Research Director at the Institute for Corporate Governance and Ethics.
• Mediators (e.g., Rodney Max)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertum partners with mediators to design efficient settlement solutions using tools like CASI. Mediator Rodney Max has stated that Certum's involvement 'solves business risks, provides certainty and makes settlements achievable when it would have been impossible otherwise.'
• Robins Kaplan LLPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer employer of Chris Seidl (Managing Director, 21 years) and Derrick Carman (Partner in IP Litigation group). Certum has hired multiple former Robins Kaplan partners to lead its IP finance practice.
• Kelley School of Business at Indiana UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertum's Scholar in Residence program with Indiana University's Kelley School of Business represents an academic partnership bringing research and industry expertise together on litigation finance and business ethics topics.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Burford Capital: Burford Capital is the world's largest publicly traded litigation finance firm, providing non-recourse capital for commercial litigation and arbitration. It is the most direct competitor to Certum's litigation finance arm and shares the same target customers (AmLaw 100 firms and Fortune 500 corporate counsel). Several Certum senior team members previously held senior roles at Burford.
• Omni Bridgeway: Omni Bridgeway is a global litigation funder with multi-billion AUM operating across commercial, insolvency, and class action funding. It competes head-to-head with Certum for large commercial disputes and has deeper geographic reach across Europe and Australia.
• Therium Capital Management: Therium is a specialist litigation funder offering non-recourse capital across commercial litigation and arbitration. Certum team member Patrick Dempsey previously held a senior role at Therium, underscoring direct overlap in target customers and product offering.
• Longford Capital: Longford Capital is a private investment manager focused on commercial litigation finance, with portfolio investments across plaintiff-side commercial cases. It competes with Certum in sourcing and underwriting mid-market commercial litigation opportunities.
• LexShares: LexShares is a US-focused commercial litigation funder offering portfolio financing and single-case funding. It overlaps with Certum's litigation finance and insurance practice, particularly for plaintiff-side firms seeking capital for commercial cases.
• Parabellum Capital: Parabellum Capital is a specialty funder providing non-recourse capital and structured finance solutions for commercial litigation, including patent and IP enforcement matters. It is a direct comparable to Certum's IP and commercial finance practice.

Emerging players

• Legalist: Legalist is a technology-enabled litigation finance fund that uses data analytics to evaluate and fund commercial lawsuits. It competes at the intersection of litigation finance and data-driven underwriting, which aligns with Certum's AI-led evaluation initiatives.

Regional players

• Augusta Ventures: Augusta Ventures is a UK-based litigation funder focused on commercial disputes primarily in the UK and Europe. While regional, it competes with global funders including Certum for cross-border commercial cases and arbitration matters.

Broad incumbents

• Aon: Aon is a global professional services firm offering risk management, insurance brokerage, and reinsurance advisory. It overlaps with Certum in helping corporate clients transfer litigation and specialty risk, and competes for similar institutional buyer relationships.
• Marsh McLennan: Marsh McLennan is a leading global insurance broker and risk advisor with deep relationships among Fortune 500 general counsel. Certum's CASI and Capital Protection products are sometimes distributed through insurance brokers, making Marsh a relevant channel and adjacent competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/certumgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Certum Group