PARABELLUM CAPITAL
LITIGATION FINANCE. LITIGATION FUNDING. LITIGATION OPTIONS.
Parabellum’s team has over a decade of experience empowering businesses to prevail in litigation. The earlier you explore working with Parabellum, the more options your business will have to achieve its goals. Learn why.
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What is litigation funding, and what sets litigation funders apart?
Business is the objective. Litigation funding is the tool.
PARABELLUM CAPITAL.
THE BUSINESS PARTNER FOR BUSINESS LITIGATION.
Significant business litigation is complex and expensive. Winning requires experience and expertise, the right relationships, and deep pockets. A pioneer in litigation finance, Parabellum partners with claimants by providing risk-free capital solutions for the prosecution of commercial claims. Contact us to explore litigation funding options before committing to a course of action.
LITIGATION FINANCE CO-VENTURING
You’ve suffered the downside. Now find the upside. Realize the value of your claim through litigation funding with a team that brings knowledge, experience, and resources to develop risk-free capital solutions.
WHAT YOU BRING
YOUR CLAIM
A claim resulting from a business dispute with $10 million or more of alleged damages.
WHAT WE BRING
ALIGNMENT
We are a partner. We are not a vendor or a lender. We are aligned with claimants. We only succeed when you succeed.
EXPERIENCE
We helped pioneer the litigation finance marketplace in the United States. We have over a decade of experience developing litigation funding strategies for commercial claim enforcement.
EXPERTISE
Comprised of former partners from major law firms, investment bankers, and other legal and finance professionals, our team has expertise in a wide range of commercial litigation, from business disputes, to antitrust, to intellectual property.
RELATIONSHIPS
We regularly work with renowned litigation counsel across different specialties of practice. Our relationships are expansive and deep.
RESOURCES
We manage hundreds of millions of dollars of litigation funding capital. We can finance and support cases of any size.
APPROACH
We apply an investor mindset to your success. We use our resources, relationships, and proprietary methodology to tailor end-to-end, risk-free litigation finance solutions. For an overview of the main stages in our litigation funding process, click here.
ASSESS
We can arrange for experienced litigators to consult with you directly to evaluate the merits and value of your claim. We have strong, established relationships with top practitioners at preeminent law firms (both nationally-ranked “AmLaw” firms and premier litigation boutiques).
PLAN
If your claim has significant litigation value, highly experienced counsel will develop the strategy with you for the enforcement of your claim – at no cost to your business – giving you a tailored solution for your litigation goals.
ALIGN
We develop a “non-recourse” or “contingency” litigation funding structure to finance the representation of your business. This means that we, often in conjunction with counsel, absorb the litigation costs for the duration of your case. Our interests are aligned with yours, and we succeed only if you succeed.
FUND
Finally, we put our resources behind everything we do. We back your case with our deep capital, financing your representation by leading commercial litigators.
ASSESS
We can arrange for experienced litigators to consult with you directly to evaluate the merits and value of your claim. We have strong, established relationships with top practitioners at preeminent law firms (both nationally-ranked “AmLaw” firms and premier litigation boutiques).
PLAN
If your claim has significant litigation value, highly experienced counsel will develop the strategy with you for the enforcement of your claim – at no cost to your business – giving you a tailored solution for your litigation goals.
ALIGN
We develop a “non-recourse” or “contingency” litigation funding structure to finance the representation of your business. This means that we, often in conjunction with counsel, absorb the litigation costs for the duration of your case. Our interests are aligned with yours, and we succeed only if you succeed.
FUND
Finally, we put our resources behind everything we do. We back your case with our deep capital, financing your representation by leading commercial litigators.
PIONEERS IN
LITIGATION FINANCE
FIRST
WITH OVER A DECADE OF EXPERIENCE, WE ARE AMONG THE MOST EXPERIENCED LITIGATION FUNDERS IN THE UNITED STATES
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
IN COMMERCIAL LITIGATION FUNDING INVESTMENTS BY OUR PRINCIPALS
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
IN CLAIMS FUNDED
AWARD WINNING
RECOGNIZED AS “EXCELLENT” AMONG US LITIGATION FUNDERS BY LEADERS LEAGUE, VOTED TO THE NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL’S “BEST OF” LIST FOR COMMERCIAL LITIGATION FUNDING PROVIDERS, AND NAMED A LAWDRAGON LEADING LEGAL CONSULTANT AND STRATEGIST FOR LITIGATION FUNDING
CLAIMS WE FINANCE
We are capable of providing litigation funding for virtually any type of commercial litigation and arbitration, of any size, in almost any industry. Common claims include (but are not limited to):
BUSINESS, CONTRACT, AND INVESTMENT DISPUTES
FRAUD, FIDUCIARY DUTY, AND OTHER COMMERCIAL DISPUTES
PATENT AND OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INFRINGEMENT
TRADE SECRETS
ANTITRUST AND UNFAIR COMPETITION
BANKRUPTCY AND SPECIAL SITUATIONS
INVESTMENT CRITERIA
Cases that we invest in typically have the following characteristics. Our investment team may consider providing litigation funding for matters that fall outside of these criteria under appropriate circumstances.
CLAIMS
We invest in commercial plaintiffs with claims on behalf of or related to a business.
MERITS
We consider strong claims with a high likelihood of success.
STAGE
We invest in all stages of business disputes, from inception through trial, appeal, and enforcement.
JURISDICTION
We are primarily focused in the US and other common-law jurisdictions, as well as international arbitration forums.
DAMAGES
We look for damages that provide an appropriate return relative to our investment, typically in excess of $10 million.
RECOVERABILITY
Defendants must have the resources or insurance to pay a settlement or judgment.
YOUR NEEDS
“
We need a way to match our adversary’s unlimited resources.
This could be a bet-the-company litigation. We need access to the best lawyers in the country.
We spoke to a law firm, but they said no deal.
We’d rather invest in our business than pay lawyers by the hour.
Our business has been harmed and litigation might be the answer.
OUR CAPITAL
Leverage our deep resources at no cost to you.
TEAM
Scroll to meet our team of litigation finance professionals. For a complete listing of our team, click here.
Howard Shams
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Managing Principal
Howie co-founded Parabellum Capital and serves as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Principal. He leads the firm’s overall strategic direction, new business initiatives, fund risk management, and capital raising. He is also a member of the Investment Committee. Before co-founding Parabellum, Howie was a Managing Director of Credit Suisse for fifteen years. In 2006, he co-founded the Legal Risk Strategies & Finance business at Credit Suisse, which was the first institutional commercial litigation finance business of its kind, and which was spun off the bank’s platform as Parabellum Capital. Howie was a senior manager within the bank’s Leveraged Finance business and a member of the Global Credit Products Operating Committee. He also served as Head of Special Situations, responsible for developing niche strategies and new accretive businesses for the group, especially in unique, developing asset classes. Before joining the Bank, Howie practiced securities, bankruptcy and transactional law at the firms of Dewey Ballantine; Richards, Spears, Kibbe & Orbe; and Mandel & Esbin. Howie received his B.A., phi beta kappa, magna cum laude, from Columbia College and his J.D. from Columbia Law School.
Tel: (212) 726-2645
Email: hshams@parabellumcap.com
Aaron Katz
Co-Founder, Chief Investment Officer, and Managing Principal
Aaron co-founded Parabellum Capital and serves as Chief Investment Officer and Managing Principal. He is also a member of the Investment Committee. Aaron is a recognized leader in the U.S. commercial litigation finance market. Before starting Parabellum, Aaron co-founded its predecessor, the Legal Risk Strategies & Finance business at Credit Suisse. He developed many of the innovative investment structures that are considered mainstream today. Previously, Aaron spent sixteen years practicing litigation at both the trial and appellate levels at major firms, including Davis Polk & Wardwell and DLA Piper, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice. He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan and clerked for the Honorable Anita Brody, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Aaron received his B.A., magna cum laude, from the Yeshiva University and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Tel: (212) 726-2641
Email: akatz@parabellumcap.com
David Icikson
Chief Operating Officer
David has responsibility for the firm’s finance, investor relations, compliance, technology, and human resources functions. He is also a member of the Investment Committee. David joined Parabellum after spending fourteen years at Goldman Sachs. At Goldman, David served in several roles, including COO for Fixed Income North Americas Sales, Chief of Staff for Global Recruiting, and global head of Goldman Sachs University for the Securities Division. Prior to joining Goldman, David served as Deputy Executive Secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he was a member of the Chief of Staff’s office for Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. David received his A.B. with High Distinction and Highest Honors from the University of Michigan, and his M.P.P. from Harvard University.
Tel: (212) 726-2643
Email: dicikson@parabellumcap.com
Moshe Schwartz
Director of Portfolio Management
Moshe has responsibility for investment structuring and pricing, as well as portfolio risk assessment and management. Prior to joining Parabellum, Moshe was a litigator at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, focusing on complex commercial litigation. Moshe has experience in a variety of noteworthy litigation and transactional matters involving the finance, entertainment, and aviation industries. He has represented clients at all stages of the litigation process, from initial claims assessment through discovery and dispositive motion practice, judgment enforcement, appeals, and settlement. Moshe previously worked at Citco Fund Services, where he valued portfolio assets for various multi-strategy hedge funds. Moshe received his J.D from New York University School of Law, Order of the Coif and magna cum laude, his M.B.A in Finance from the Bar-Ilan School of Business, and his B.A. from Charter Oak State College. He is a CFA charterholder.
Tel: (212) 726-2649
Email: mschwartz@parabellumcap.com
Dai Wai Chin Feman
Director of Commercial Litigation Strategies
Dai Wai is responsible for the development and execution of Parabellum's commercial litigation investment strategies. Prior to joining Parabellum, Dai Wai was a litigation partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, where he specialized in commercial and antitrust litigation. Dai Wai has broad experience in complex disputes concerning breaches of contract, competition, tortious interference, trade secrets, restrictive covenants, licensing, rights of first refusal, shareholder oppression, soft intellectual property, and securities. He has advised and represented clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to closely-held family businesses through the full litigation lifecycle, from case assessment through trial, appeal, and enforcement proceedings. While in private practice, Dai Wai was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in Business Litigation for four consecutive years. Dai Wai received his A.B., cum laude, from Georgetown University and his J.D. from New York University School of Law. He is active in the Asian American Bar Association of New York, where he is a board member, Vice-Chair of the Judiciary Committee, and former Co-Chair of the Litigation Committee. He is also a Fellow of the New York City Bar Association Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and a member of the New York City Bar Association's Professional Ethics Committee.
Tel: (212) 726-2648
Email: daiwai@parabellumcap.com
Sean Thompson
Director of Intellectual Property Strategies and General Counsel
Sean has responsibility for the development and execution of Parabellum's intellectual property investment strategies. He also serves as the firm’s General Counsel. Sean is an experienced IP litigator, having represented both patent owners and accused infringers. Before joining Parabellum, Sean was Senior Litigation Counsel at Blackbird Technologies, a leading patent monetization company. At Blackbird, he served as lead counsel on numerous patent litigations in district court and appeals before the Federal Circuit. Sean was previously an IP litigator at WilmerHale, where he represented some of the largest technology and pharmaceutical companies in the world. He litigated cases involving patents directed to a wide range of technologies, including semiconductors, unmanned aerial vehicles, and pharmaceutical purification processes. Sean began his career as a commercial litigator at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Sean earned his joint J.D./LL.M. from Cornell Law School, where he was an editor of the Cornell Law Review. He received his B.A. from Boston College and his M.S. from the London School of Economics.
Tel: (212) 726-2644
Email: sthompson@parabellumcap.com
Angela Ni
Director of Underwriting and Data Strategies
Angela is responsible for the analysis, due diligence, and evaluation of all investment merits and risks. Angela has over twelve years of litigation experience representing clients at the trial and appellate levels. Before joining Parabellum, Angela specialized in intellectual property litigation at Paul Hastings LLP and Darby & Darby P.C. Angela has been named a Rising Star in IP Litigation by Super Lawyers and listed among the Top Women Attorneys in the New York Metro Area. She received a Jeremy G. Epstein Award from the New York City Bar Justice Center for her life-changing work with veterans. Angela received her B.S. from M.I.T., with Department Honors, a Master of Public Health degree from Yale University, and a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Yale Alumni in Public Health.
Tel: (212) 726-2646
Email: angelani@parabellumcap.com
Jarvis Buckman
Director of Special Situations
As Parabellum’s Director of Special Situations, Jarvis analyzes and sources distressed situations to find investment opportunities across complex corporate situations and capital structures. Prior to joining Parabellum, Jarvis held roles as a distressed investing analyst at Knighthead Capital Management, LLC and Credit Suisse. He advised trading desks on market, valuation, and legal risk pertaining to investment and trading strategies. At Credit Suisse, Jarvis was also the key credit strategist in the Bank’s bankruptcy claim trading activity, where he managed the transaction process from sourcing to settlement. Jarvis previously served as a structured products specialist at JPMorgan, Société Générale, and Crédit Agricole. At JPMorgan, Jarvis was integral in building a product platform for highly customized structured notes that facilitated risk-taking across all asset classes with available derivative instruments. As a Vice President at Société Générale, he developed a strategy for trading options on bespoke correlation tranches. And as a Vice President at Crédit Agricole, Jarvis scaled the volume of the Bank’s index correlation business, becoming the leading structured credit sales producer in North America in 2008 and transforming the Bank into a full-service credit correlation dealer. Jarvis received his B.S. and B.A. from Columbia University in the City of New York and his MBA from Columbia Business School. While an undergraduate, he was awarded the Bill Gates Scholarship and the Eisenhower Watch, given to the four-year varsity letterman graduating with the highest cumulative grade point average at Columbia University.
Tel: (212) 204-7912
Email: jbuckman@parabellumcap.com
Martin Flics
Senior Bankruptcy Advisor
Marty advises on the origination, development, and marketing of bankruptcy financing solutions for key stakeholders in bankruptcy cases. Marty practiced law for more than thirty years at leading global law firms and is a recognized expert in corporate bankruptcy. Prior to working at Parabellum as a Principal from 2014 to 2016, he was a partner at Linklaters LLP and head of the firm’s U.S Banking Department and U.S. Restructuring Group. He was also elected to the Linklaters International Board. Previously, Marty was a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he served as head of the New York Finance Department. He began his career at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Marty is the Managing Member of Flics Law PLLC and provides strategic advice on new approaches to legal resourcing for law firms. He received his B.A. from Hampshire College and J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where he served as Associate Editor of the Fordham Law Review.
Tel: (646) 838-4746
Email: mflics@parabellumcap.com
Charles Booth
Senior Advisor
Charles has origination and advisory roles within Parabellum’s commercial, bankruptcy, and special situations strategies. He is a recognized expert in comparative and cross-border insolvency and commercial law. Charles practiced law at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP from 1984-1986, taught at the Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa from 1986-1989, and taught at the University of Hong Kong from 1989-2005 before returning to the Richardson School of Law in early 2006, where he currently serves as the Michael J. Marks Distinguished Professor in Business Law and the Director of the Institute of Asian-Pacific Business Law (IAPBL). Over the last decade, he has also served as a part-time Senior Advisor at Dentons as well as Senior Counsel at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP. Charles has served as a consultant on many insolvency and commercial law reform and training projects sponsored by the World Bank, the IMF, the Asian Development Bank, the EBRD, and the OECD. He is an active member of the International Insolvency Institute and lectures on the INSOL Global Insolvency Practice Course. In addition, he serves as Co-Director of the Professional Diploma in Insolvency Course, which is organized by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Charles received his B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude, from Yale College, and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Tel: 212-726-2640
Email: cbooth@parabellumcap.com
Andrew Torrance
Special Advisor for Data Science
Professor Dr. Andrew W. Torrance serves as Parabellum’s Special Advisor for Data Science. Professor Torrance is the Earl B. Shurtz Research Professor at the University of Kansas School of Law, where he teaches and conducts research in patent law, intellectual property, innovation, and empirical, experimental, and big data approaches to the law. He received his Ph.D. in Biology from Harvard University in 1997, J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2000, and Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University (Canada) in 1991. He joined the University of Kansas School of Law in 2005 as Associate Professor. In 2009 he was named a Docking Faculty Scholar, a university-wide program that honors faculty members who have distinguished themselves in their early careers, and in 2011 he was promoted to tenured Full Professor. In 2008, Torrance served as a policy advisor to presidential candidate Barack H. Obama on his Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Committee. Professor Torrance formerly practiced biotechnology patent law at Fish & Richardson PC. He served as in-house patent counsel at Inverness Medical Innovations, a global biotechnology company with headquarters in Boston, and as the first in-house patent counsel at Stirling Medical Innovations, a cardiac diagnostics biotechnology company based in Scotland. Torrance served as Intellectual Property Counsel for Uhlig LLC from 2006 until 2017. He is a board member at several companies and nonprofit organizations. Torrance founded the annual Biolaw Conference, and co-founded the leading annual patent conference, PatCon.
Tel: 212.726.2640
Email: torrance@ku.edu
David Ness
Controller and Director of Finance
David has responsibility for all finance, tax, budget, accounting, internal control, and audit matters. Prior to joining Parabellum, David worked in public accounting for nine years specializing in financial services clients. He was a member of CohnReznick LLP’s commercial real estate tax group for over seven years, where he focused on compliance and consulting for real estate private equity funds and developers. David began his career at PwC. David received his B.S. from the Yeshiva University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Tel: (212) 726-2647
Email: dness@parabellumcap.com
Mary Sheehan
Associate Controller
Mary has responsibility for budget, financials, and reporting. Prior to joining Parabellum in 2013, Mary worked as a controller for an asset manager and a family office, both of which had significant onshore and offshore assets under management. Mary also served in various roles at WestLB and Citigroup. Mary received her B.B.A. from Baruch College with Honors and is currently a candidate for an M.S. in Accounting and Tax at SUNY Old Westbury.
Tel: (212) 726-2642
Email: msheehan@parabellumcap.com
Eleanor Buse
Deputy to Chief Operating Officer
Eleanor focuses on operations and compliance. Before joining Parabellum, Eleanor was a compliance analyst at Dynamo Consulting, where she implemented compliance policies and procedures for multiple FINRA member firms and registered investment advisers. Eleanor was also a litigation paralegal for the Law Offices of Alan S. Futerfas, where she assisted in an array of cases and government investigations. Eleanor received her B.A. from Bard College.
Tel: (212) 726-2640
Email: elbuse@parabellumcap.com
Harry Steinberg
Marketing and Sourcing Specialist
Harry focuses on strategic sourcing and marketing. Prior to working with Parabellum, Harry was an executive recruiter in the digital advertising space as well as a marketing consultant. Harry received his B.A. from New York University, where he was a member of Phi Eta Sigma and the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.
Tel: 212.726.2640
Email: hsteinberg@parabellumcap.com
FOR ATTORNEYS
If you are an attorney with a case or portfolio in need of financing, click here to learn about Parabellum’s novel approach to partnering with litigation finance.
GIVE US A CALL.
We pride ourselves in crafting tailored litigation finance solutions. Pursue your claim differently and start here with us.