Litigation finance had a big year in 2017, one marked by expansion in the United States by major names like Vannin Capital and Woodsford Litigation Funding, eye-popping dollar figures, and large numbers of Big Law hires—as well as some controversies and cases gone awry. Here’s a look at five things to watch for in the industry in the months ahead.

Deployment Pressure

If 2017 was characterized by big money, then 2018 is the year the industry tries to find cases for all that cash. Chicago-based Longford Capital Management announced in September it had raised $500 million, for example, and Woodsford CEO Steven Friel said the funder wants to pour $150 million into funding in the next three years—about three-fourths of it in the U.S. market.