2024 Co-founders’ Letter

Dear Friends, As we look back on the past year, we are deeply grateful for the support and collaboration that continue to drive The Milestone Foundation’s mission forward. We remain dedicated to providing fair and ethical funding to plaintiffs in need. Since our founding in 2016, we have received over 2,100 applications, each representing

The True Cost of Consumer Litigation Funding: Payday Loans Versus Nonrecourse Funding

The True Cost of Consumer Litigation Funding: Payday Loans Versus Nonrecourse Funding “When you need money, you don’t care how much it will cost” is a sentiment shared by many plaintiffs in their search for pre-settlement funding.   Knowing they will have incoming settlement funds that are not yet accessible can be particularly stressful– especially

20 Questions with our Executive Director, Mike Volpe

The Milestone Foundation is pleased to announce the newest addition to our team: Michael Volpe, who joins us as Executive Director. In a high-energy first week, Mike was thrown into our 2023 Giving Tuesday Campaign; although this was no match for our Executive Director, who comes to us from D’Youville University and has worked

Takeaways from Impact Litigation Funders Symposium

As a national nonprofit based in Buffalo, NY, The Milestone Foundation is committed to building meaningful relationships with attorneys and related organizations around the country. Thus, we jumped at the opportunity to attend the inaugural Impact Litigation Funders Symposium in February 2023. This symposium was held directly before the Impact Fund’s annual Class Action

Our Inaugural Compassionate Counsel Awards Ceremony Was a Success!

The Milestone Foundation began 2023 by celebrating the humanitarian efforts of a group of outstanding attorneys. Honorees were awarded our inaugural Compassionate Counsel Award in Miami, FL, at our Cocktail for a Cause event. We are grateful for the support from our attendees and sponsors, as this celebration would not have been possible without them.

Co-Founder John Bair Featured in Buffalo Business First

We're excited to share that our co-founder, John Bair, was featured in Buffalo Business First! The article discusses John's motivation behind founding our nonprofit and why he is driven to strengthen civil justice. "Bair and his wife, Amy, created the Milestone Foundation in 2016, a nonprofit charitable foundation that offers lower-interest loans to

Erin Waas on Emerging Litigation Podcast

Our executive director, Erin Waas, sat down with Tom Hagy on the Emerging Litigation podcast. Erin described the Foundation's unique approach to plaintiff pre-settlement funding, one Tom calls "infinitely more understandable and affordable for claimants." Listen below! The Emerging Litigation podcast is a joint effort between HB Litigation Conferences and Law

The Milestone Foundation on Lawful Good Podcast

Lawful Good is a human-interest podcast about people in the legal profession and the trials they face inside and outside the courtroom. Host Luke W. Russell sat down (virtually) with John Bair to discuss his inspiration for founding The Milestone Foundation with his wife, Amy, and how our nonprofit helps plaintiffs in need during

Meet Erin Waas, our new Executive Director!

Please join us in welcoming Erin Waas as our new Executive Director! Erin brings nearly two decades of experience working in the public sector and with nonprofits in fundraising and communications, most recently at the University at Buffalo, where she served as senior advancement writer. Prior to relocating to Buffalo, Erin spent the bulk

Winning Big in Las Vegas

The Milestone Foundation had a booth space for the first time at the American Association for Justice 2021 Annual Convention in Las Vegas, NV. It was my first time as Executive Director of the foundation attending an AAJ convention, and the experience was something that, well … happened in Vegas but didn’t stay in