What is Milestone, and can you share the inception story of Milestone?

Milestone is a high-touch settlement solutions provider founded in 2012 by industry veteran John Bair. Milestone serves trial lawyers and plaintiffs in the post-settlement phase of their lawsuit, facilitating efficient settlement disbursement and educating around opportunities to financially maximize funds received. After working in the settlement industry for a number of years, John founded Milestone with the intention of creating an innovative, forward-thinking entity that exists for the plaintiff. This guiding principle has carried through to all phases of the company.

How is Milestone’s PathwayTM specifically tailored for law firms and lawyers?

In addition to benefitting plaintiffs in the post-settlement process, Milestone’s PathwayTM is designed to dramatically improve a law firm’s efficiency, line of sight, and client care. It is the leading post-settlement solution for the mass tort industry, enabling mass tort firms to pay their claimants digitally (think PayPal, Zelle, Direct Deposit, etc.) instead of relying on the antiquated, time-consuming paper check process. Pathway streamlines all post-settlement logistics, saving law firms time and money. And Pathway’s real-time attorney portal enables attorneys to track individual claims, flag potential issues, and monitor payouts in real time.

Could you share the journey that led you to become CEO of a settlement solutions provider?

If you had asked me what the future would hold, when I first started out in my career, I never thought I’d be in the industry I am today. I began my career in the financial services world, and I came to Milestone as the director of wealth management in 2020. Working alongside with our founder John Bair, I was inspired by his passion for the plaintiff and began to see my role as more holistic in the sense of how my background and naturally empathetic nature could combine to benefit the larger company and industry. When John asked me to take over as CEO, everything fell into place. I’m so proud of our team and the innovation we are spearheading here at Milestone.

How have you planned for the future growth of Milestone, and what avenues are you exploring?

Milestone’s rapid growth over the past few years has been a welcome challenge, and we don’t intend to slow down any time soon. The plan for this revolves around three key areas: our tech, our partnerships, and our people. As for our technology, we are the only digital distribution solution in the mass tort post-settlement space, and we don’t take that lightly. We’re continuously exploring emerging technologies and ensuring that our Pathway product is optimized to serve as many law firms and plaintiffs as possible. With our partnerships, we focus on strategically growing our network to make certain we are offering the highest-quality services to propel our mission forward. And finally, a key to our future growth is in our people – we have built a team of top-tier professionals who are best-of-the best in their given areas of expertise. They are the minds and the hands who will skillfully lead Milestone forward through our future growth.

How does Milestone help bridge gaps for both plaintiffs and lawyers?

The education and efficiency components of Milestone’s Pathway serve to bridge gaps within the civil justice system and curate a streamlined experience for both plaintiffs and trial lawyers. By educating plaintiffs around the nuanced benefits of settlement planning and educating trial lawyers around the possibilities of attorney fee deferral, Milestone plays a role in ensuring all players in the civil justice system are able to take rightful advantage of its provisions. Milestone’s Pathway also dramatically improves efficiency in the post-settlement process to the benefit of both plaintiffs (who receive their payouts faster) and law firms (who save time and money), thus eliminating many post-settlement pain points and bridging the way to a system that best serves all parties involved.

What sets your company apart from others in the industry?

At Milestone we operate with a people-first mentality, which is a differentiator in our industry. Our solutions consistently put the plaintiff first, and the feedback we receive from plaintiffs and trial lawyers alike expresses gratitude for the personalized care and attention they experienced while working with our team. We have a phrase we often refer back to – “cell phones not call centres.” Given the sheer volume of settlements administered from mass torts, the norm for individuals working with a company in our industry is often an impersonal experience. Milestone aims to be the antidote to that – justice is a personal experience, there is no reason post-settlement should be different.

Could you provide a brief overview of yourself and your team for our readers?