NEW YORK, November 20, 2024 — Cartiga, LLC, a leader in technology-enabled capital solutions for the legal industry, today announced the appointment of Samuel Wathen as Chief Executive Officer. Wathen, who will also remain the President of Cartiga, a role in which he has served since February 2024 , brings over 18 years of experience in financial services and litigation finance.
Charles Platt, Cartiga’s Chief Executive Officer since 2021, will assume a new role managing Cartiga Legal, LLC, Cartiga’s wholly-owned law firm, and will remain a member of Cartiga’s Board of Managers. Platt will also continue to spearhead Cartiga’s government relations effort as an advocate of industry transparency and regulation.
Under Wathen’s leadership as President, Cartiga has established itself as a trusted partner to the legal services sector and its participants, offering innovative capital solutions to both law firms and plaintiffs. His assumption of the CEO role reflects the company’s commitment to continued growth and excellence in litigation finance and related services.
“Our vision at Cartiga is to be the partner of choice for the best lawyers in the industry while helping plaintiffs access justice and secure equitable settlements,” said Wathen. “We believe that our capital and data-driven analytics can bring transparency to opaque legal processes, help law firms grow, and level the playing field for our clients against large and well funded counterparties.”
Prior to co-founding Melodeon Capital Partners with Cartiga Board member & Co-Founder Halle Benett, Wathen served as a Senior Vice President at Melody Capital Partners, L.P., and as an Investment Banking Director at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.
As CEO, Wathen will continue to champion Cartiga’s commitment to responsible, compliance-centric practices and industry regulation. “Our goal is to ensure that legal funding, when transparently structured, properly originated and responsibly priced, provides genuine staying power for plaintiffs pursuing justice while supporting law firms’ objectives as both fiduciaries and businesses,” he added.
Mr. Benett expressed confidence in Wathen’s appointment. “When we founded Cartiga, our vision was to create an innovative litigation finance asset investment platform powered by technology, offering transparency and simplicity to attorneys and consumers with best-in-class disclosures and no hidden fees,” said Benett. “Sam’s leadership will advance these commitments while continuing to champion industry-wide innovation and regulation that will enhance the customer experience and grow our market.”
About Cartiga
Cartiga is a leading provider of technology-enabled capital solutions to law firms and plaintiffs pursuing justice through meritorious litigation. Since 2000, Cartiga has invested over $2.0 billion alongside its attorney and plaintiff partners, participating in cases with estimated total settlement values exceeding $22 billion. The company combines advanced analytics built on proprietary data, tech-enabled financial and legal consulting services, and deep expertise to deliver optimized legal outcomes. As a trusted partner to the legal community and its clients, Cartiga is committed to driving winning results.
