Jacksonville, Florida-based legal fintech lender LawFi, which created the “legal fee loan,” has announced the appointment of Doug Hathaway as co-founder, chief technology officer (CTO), and chief product officer (CPO), a strategic move aimed at accelerating the development and rollout of its financing platform across Florida and nationwide.
In his new capacity, Hathaway will be responsible for leading LawFi’s development team as the company expands its operations, beginning with its rollout in Florida and subsequently across the United States. This leadership is expected to be crucial in scaling the platform’s capabilities.
Hathaway brings extensive experience in payments automation and financial technology. In 2011, he co-founded DadeSystems, a company that evolved into a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. DadeSystems served Fortune 500 enterprises and major U.
S. banks, including Wells Fargo and Fifth Third Bank. As CTO of DadeSystems, Hathaway oversaw the scaling of the platform to automate millions of monthly transactions, collectively valued at hundreds of billions of dollars annually. The company was successfully acquired by Versapay, a Great Hill Capital portfolio company, in 2022. Following the acquisition, Hathaway led Versapay’s Cash Application platform, guiding engineering integration and go-to-market strategies, which contributed to a doubling of the platform’s revenue post-acquisition.
Commenting on his new role, Hathaway stated, “Legal fee loans are desperately needed to help consumers and small business owners fund necessary legal services. Returning to my startup roots and helping LawFi narrow the access to justice gap is an opportunity I couldn’t afford to pass up.”LawFi recently announced a partnership with Cordell & Cordell, one of the nation’s largest family law firms. This collaboration integrates Cordell & Cordell into LawFi’s limited Florida rollout, providing the firm early access to the platform and enabling them to offer valuable feedback for the final statewide release.
Steven Highfill, CEO and founder of LawFi, emphasized the significance of Hathaway’s addition: “Doug’s background and expertise are a perfect combination for LawFi. Doug and his team will accelerate LawFi’s product development as he leads our rollout across the state of Florida and nationwide.”LawFi operates as a legal fintech and specialty finance company, specializing in “Legal Fee Loans.” The company has developed the first legal fee financing platform and loan origination system designed to underwrite and fund customized legal fee loans. These point-of-sale loans are intended to finance legal services for consumers and small business owners through an expanding network of lawyers and law firms.
