Legalist
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Investment management, Alternative asset management |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founder | Eva Shang, Christian Haigh |
| Headquarters | United States |
Key people | Eva Shang (CEO) |
| Products | Litigation financing, Debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing, Lending against government receivables |
Legalist, Inc. is a United States-based investment firm focused on alternative asset management within the private credit arena. It oversees close to $1.5 billion deployed through three primary approaches: litigation financing, debtor-in-possession (DIP) or bankruptcy financing, and lending against government receivables.
The firm's clientele comprises institutional investors including endowments, foundations, healthcare institutions, insurance providers, and family offices.
History
Legalist was established in 2016 by Harvard students Eva Shang (serving as CEO) and Christian Haigh. The company made its initial appearance at the Summer Y Combinator Demo Day that same year.
In November 2017, its founders were listed in Forbes Magazine’s "30 Under 30" in Law & Policy, coinciding with the announcement that Legalist had secured $10.25 million in funding during the preceding summer.
By September 2019, Legalist had successfully closed its second investment fund with capital totaling $100 million, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
AngelList included Legalist in its April 2020 compilation of 52 most promising startups to monitor.
In March 2021, Reuters disclosed that Legalist raised $50 million dedicated to its inaugural bankruptcy-focused fund.
By August 2022, the firm managed approximately $750 million distributed among its trio of private credit investment strategies.
As of July 2025, assets under management expanded to nearly $1.5 billion, fueled by new investors such as U.S. government contractors recently excluded from Department of Government Efficiency (DoGE) funding.