If you are in involved in a personal injury lawsuit and are in need of funds, it is possible that you could take advantage of a lawsuit loan, which is essentially an advance against a future award amount or lawsuit settlement. These advances are referred to by a variety of names, which include:
• Lawsuit cash advances
• Lawsuit loans
• Litigation financing
• Settlement funding
• Lawsuit funding
However, it is important to tread carefully prior to jumping at lawsuit funding. There is no doubt that borrowing against a future judgment or settlement can assist you in dealing with short-term financial hurdles. However, this could ultimately cost you lots of money. As such, you should ensure that you do your homework and appreciate the intricacies of acquiring a lawsuit loan.
Dealing with a lawsuit can be incredibly stressful. Even harsher is when you have hit a financial roadblock due to certain effects of the personal injury you have suffered. A lawsuit also eats up time as it could take months or even longer for the process to be finalized as well.
In the interim, you might find it difficult to pay for daily expenses such as food and utilities. If you received injuries in the situation that led to your legal case, you might also have escalating medical bills to handle.
When you are trapped in limbo because of a drawn-out legal process, it may be wise to think about receiving pre-settlement funding. In contrast to a traditional loan, a plaintiff in a lawsuit could receive funds immediately. If you do not reach a settlement or win your case, you do not have to repay, which makes it a low-risk answer to your financial issues.
Details on Pre-Settlement Funding
When you are the plaintiff in a lawsuit like one that involves a personal injury claim, it is most likely you are hoping the outcome of your case will be winning a settlement or judgment. The problem is that it could actually take an extended period to go through all of the legal channels and settle your case. In the meantime, you may need funds to help with paying your bills. You have the option of applying for a cash advance on the pending lawsuit rather than applying for a loan to cover the bills.
How Pre-settlement Funding Works
Once the application is made, the legal finance company will consult with your lawyer concerning the details of your case. This assessment provides them with a good notion of the amount of money you can anticipate receiving from either a pre-trial settlement or a trial. The company then uses this information to advance you a portion of the future proceeds. Upon the finalization of the case, the advance will be paid back from the settlement amount along with an established funding fee. This is an indication that you will not receive the settlement amount in its entirety; however, there is the advantage of getting an upfront payment of a bulk of the funds.
In the majority of cases, you do not pay anything to the legal finance company until your settlement has been received. If no settlement at all is received, you will not be responsible for paying back any of the cash advance that you got. Part of the responsibility of the finance company is assessing the odds of the case so they would carry the risk if nothing were awarded to you. Therefore, though it might sound like a structured settlement loan, it is really not because there is no repayment if you are not awarded the money to cover the balance.
Choosing the Best Cash Legal Finance Company for Lawsuit Loan
A few different things are there to think about when choosing a legal finance company for a lawsuit loan.
• Check to ensure the company operate within your state. They do not need to be situated in your state; however, the company should be licensed to operate business there.
• Ensure that you compare offers. Different companies might offer to provide you with a different percentage of the projected settlement amount.
• Take note of how often interest is compounded by the company. This could quickly add up and compounded interest that is computed daily or weekly will be more costly compared to a longer compounding period when everything else is equal.
• Figure out the amount of interest that will be charged each month prior to receiving your settlement funds. This directly impacts the amount of money you could potentially get when the case is settled and as such, it is extremely important.
Regardless of how financially strapped you are, make sure you compare offers carefully to ensure you are making the very best decision. You can always meet with a financial advisor or ask your lawyer for assistance if you are not sure about the meaning of everything. Additionally, a reputable legal finance company should have a top-class customer service team to clearly explain everything to provide you with a better concept of what you should expect.
Best Legal Finance Company for Lawsuit Loan
The Best – 500 Cash Out
500 Cash Out is the fastest to fund and has over 35 years of experience in the legal lending category. Their website has a wealth of information to educate plaintiffs on the best way to move forward with a lawsuit loan and how to maximize your potential payouts. The runners up are listed below along with positive reviews. If a company is not listed such as Oasis Finance it may be because they have negative reviews and complaints from the BBB and consumers who did not find their experience with the pre-settlement funding firm positive.
Uplift Legal Funding
1. Uplift Legal Funding
This pre-settlement lawsuit loan provider is located in California in the city of Los Angeles. The funding company is set apart from the competition largely because of their interest rates. The company requires no upfront fees and they also have some of the lowest on settlement funding and pre-settlement funding rates.
On their website, Uplift encourages individuals to compare rates to reach the best possible deal. They primarily focus on personal injury claims that include, but are not limited to, work injuries, premises liability and car accidents.
The company is transparent regarding terms and rates and they charge simple rates exclusively as opposed to compounding rates. In addition, they provide quotes to applicants instantly and rate information is also prominently displayed on their website.
Uplift has overwhelmingly positive customer reviews on BBB, Yelp and Google. The company claim to provide funds within 24 hours or earlier with cooperation from your lawyer. All repayment of funding is contingent on how successful the case turns out to be; if you do not win the case, you will not be obligated to pay anything back.
Cash Advance
Between $500 and $250,000. The highest advance will depend on the value of the claim.
Duration
From application to pay out, the entire funding process can be completed in under 24 hours.
Kinds of Claim Covered
Car accidents, other accidents on the roadway, personal injury, premises liability, wrongful death labor law and medical malpractice are covered.
Key Qualities
Simple, non-compounding rates and fast and affordable funding. The company can also refinance previous lawsuit loans at reduced rates.
2. Peachtree Financial Solutions
Peachtree Financial Solutions is a legal finance company based in Pennsylvania that is owned by JG Wentworth. Besides pre-settlement funding, the company focus on annuities, structured settlements and lottery wins as well.
In addition, they offer non-recourse funding to applicants. Besides this, the company assign a representative to a client to deliver satisfactory customer care. Peachtree unites plaintiffs with other organizations that might be able to help with your case. Based on their website, the company do not fund legal claims directly.
Cash Advance
Peachtree pays out between $300 and $750,000
Duration
You will be able to get an advance within 48 hours following the approval of the application.
Kinds of Claims Covered
Wrongful death, product liability, premises liability, medical malpractice and personal injury.
Key Qualities
Trained staff, more than one advance and structured settlements.
3. Prime Case Funding
Prime Case Funding is a pre-settlement advance company based in New York. It is among the few companies renowned for low rates with zero monthly payments. Similar to other companies, Prime Case provides pre-settlement funding along with post-settlement lawsuit loans. Their interest rate is also set on a case-by-case basis and they use both simple interest rate and compound interest rate. The company provides funding to individuals within 24 hours of the approval of your case.
Cash Advance
The company can provide you with an advance that ranges between $500 and $1,000,000.
Duration
Cash can be paid out within 24 hours as soon as your application gets approval from the company.
Kinds of Claims Covered
Civil, surgery funding, personal injury, medical malpractice and cases are covered.
Key Qualities
Simple post-settlement funding and application process.
4. Mayfield Settlement Funding
This company provides nationwide pre-settlement and post-settlement funding. Funding can be provided on the same day of the approval of the application. The lawsuit loan processes are simplified and they deliver both helpful and speedy customer service. The company is a direct lender and no monthly payment or application fee is required. No significant information is on their website concerning their interest rates.
Cash Advance
Between a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $250,000
Duration
Within 24 hours of the approval of the application
Kinds of Claim Covered
Auto accidents, workers’ compensation, general negligence, premises negligence, workplace negligence, personal injury and pedestrian injury claims are covered.
Key Qualities
Fast turnaround and they are great for workers’ compensation funding
5. Law Cash
A founding member of ALFA or the American Legal Finance Association, Law Cash provides litigation financing and pre-settlement funding as a rolling contract. This makes it possible for a plaintiff to get the payout in smaller amounts over an extended period. The company prides itself on its ethics and transparency. Advances are offered on a non-recourse basis, should a plaintiff not win his or her legal case.
Cash Advance
There is minimum funding of $500 offered by Law Cash and maximum funding is dependent on the strength of your lawsuit.
Duration
Payment can be received on the same day that the application is approved.
Kinds of Claims Covered
Labor lawsuit, class action lawsuit, workers’ compensation claims, personal injury and medical malpractice are the types of claims covered.
Key Qualities
Round-the-clock helpline and litigation funding
This article has provided information concerning different legal finance companies that can satisfy your financial needs before the settlement of your lawsuit. Keep in mind that comprehensive research is necessary. It is also important to shop for the best possible deal prior to signing off with any particular legal finance company.