Legal Expense Finance · Specialist Lending
Keep your lawyer working while your money is still tied up.
For people paying for a family law, estate or business matter, and the law firms acting for them. We compare the ways to fund it and tell you plainly what fits.
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What happens next
Why commercial through Evolve
Commercial is where we do our best work
Your options compared
Specialist legal funding, a personal loan, your home equity, or sometimes no loan at all. We compare what fits and what each costs.
Usually repaid at settlement
With family law funding, a specialist funder usually pays your lawyer’s invoices as the matter runs, with no repayments until the property settlement comes through.
Costs set out first
Interest, fees, how they build over time and what happens if the matter drags on, set out plainly before you sign anything.
Law firms, funded too
Family law firms can offer clients fee funding paid straight to the firm. Personal injury firms can fund disbursements without tying up capital.
“Les and Mark were wonderful throughout the entire process, providing expert advice to secure the exact deal I needed for my financial goals. Communication was excellent, and they kept me informed every step of the way.”
Jeff, Google review
“We dealt with Les throughout our first home buying experience and he was extremely helpful. Any questions we had big or small Les did not hesitate to reply to and would go into detail ensuring we understood the process.”
Samuel, Google review
In plain terms
How legal expense finance actually works
Legal expense finance pays for a legal matter before the money to cover it arrives. In a family law property settlement, that money is typically tied up in property you still share, and borrowing against it is rarely simple until the settlement is done. Specialist legal fee funding exists for exactly that gap, with the balance usually repaid from the settlement.
It is not the only route, and often not the cheapest. Where you own property that is not part of the dispute, you may be able to release equity in your property, which usually costs less, and for a smaller bill we can help you find the right personal loan. We compare the routes, set out what each costs over the life of the matter, and work alongside your lawyer.
Tell us what the matter is, where it is up to and what you own. The answer will be straight: possible now, possible with changes, or not yet.
How it works
From first call to funds in place
- Step
The first conversation
A call, usually within one business day, covering the matter, what you own and the legal costs so far and ahead.
- Step
The routes, compared
We weigh specialist legal funding against a personal loan or your home equity, and check each against lender and funder policy.
- Step
The recommendation
Funder, structure, costs and when repayment falls due, in writing and shared with your lawyer if you wish. You decide before anything is lodged.
- Step
From application to funds
We manage the application through to a decision. Once approved, funds go to your law firm or to you, depending on the route.
Understanding legal funding
Where the money for legal costs comes from
How does family law fee funding work?
A specialist funder pays your family lawyer’s invoices as the matter progresses, and the balance, with interest and fees added, is repaid from your share of the property settlement. There are usually no repayments while the matter is running.
Funders look at the size of the asset pool, your likely entitlement and how far the matter has progressed. Your lawyer is involved from the start, because the funds are paid to the firm.
Can you use home equity to pay legal fees?
Often, yes, if the property is in your name, has enough equity and is not caught up in the dispute. It is usually the cheaper route, so check it first.
During a separation it is harder: property in either name is part of the pool being divided, a joint home normally needs both owners to sign, and many lenders want consent orders or a binding financial agreement first. That is where specialist funding or a personal loan for legal fees fills the gap.
What is disbursement funding for law firms?
Disbursement funding pays the costs a firm incurs to run a matter, such as expert and medico-legal reports, barristers’ fees and filing costs. It is arranged for the law firm and repaid when the case settles.
It is most common in personal injury work, where those costs build long before a claim resolves. Funders assess the strength of each claim and set a limit that is drawn as costs arise.
How is legal fee funding different from litigation funding?
Litigation funding pays for a large commercial claim or class action in return for a share of whatever is recovered, and if the claim fails the client generally owes the funder nothing. Legal fee funding is a loan, repaid with interest and fees, usually from the settlement.
That suits matters with an asset pool to divide, like a family law property settlement, better than claims that depend on winning. Funders assess estate claims case by case.
Keep exploring
Unsecured borrowing for a smaller legal bill.
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Guide · Personal loan, equity or specialist funding, compared
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What people ask before they borrow
What is legal expense finance?
Legal Expense Finance is funding used to cover legal fees, disbursements or related legal costs where those expenses arise before a matter is resolved or settled.
Is this page only for law firms?
No. The primary audience is law firms looking for fee or disbursement funding solutions, but some clients may also use personal loans or property equity to fund legal expenses more broadly.
How does family law fee funding usually work?
In general, funds are advanced to the law firm for agreed legal fees, with repayment occurring when the matter settles or through another agreed repayment event.
How does personal injury disbursement funding work?
Disbursement funding is used to cover approved case-related outlays, such as reports and other matter expenses, with repayment typically occurring at settlement.
Are the funds paid to the law firm?
For family law fee funding and personal injury disbursement funding, that is generally the intended structure. The funding is used to support legal fees or disbursements connected to the matter, rather than being advanced directly for unrelated personal use.
Can clients use a personal loan for legal expenses?
Sometimes, yes. In some scenarios, an unsecured personal loan may be a more appropriate way to fund legal costs, depending on the purpose, amount required and repayment capacity.
Can property equity be used to fund legal costs?
Yes, in some cases. Where a client has sufficient equity and the broader position supports it, accessing equity may be a more suitable and cost-effective funding option.
Is repayment always made at settlement?
Not always. Settlement-based repayment may suit some family law and personal injury funding structures, but the right repayment path depends on the matter, the funding type and the lender’s requirements.