2021 speakers

As head of Validity’s Houston office, Laina Hammond leverages her extensive litigation experience to partner with leading trial attorneys to help clients manage risk.

Laina and her Validity team work on the cutting edge of commercial litigation funding – investing in both individual cases and law firm case portfolios. In her role, Laina handles everything from finding the right cases to structuring the financial terms of Validity’s investment and monitoring the case through the course of litigation. Laina’s more than sixteen years as a trial lawyer representing businesses and individuals in complex commercial and energy litigation uniquely position her to identify and work with talented lawyers with strong cases and great clients. Armed with that experience, Laina and her team are able to quickly evaluate case merits and structure deals that provide companies and law firms the capital they need to pursue worthy cases without financial constraints.

Laina understands the landscape attorneys and their clients face when pursuing important claims. In her trial practice, she litigated disputes on behalf of both established and emerging businesses in Houston’s diverse economy. Laina’s experience makes her an ideal match for companies and trial counsel looking for a financing partner who brings strategic perspective alongside capital. Laina is driven by her desire to help exceptional firms deliver the most effective and creative client service possible.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Texas Plan II Honors Program, Laina earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School, where she was an associate editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. After law school, she served as Law Clerk for the Honorable John D. Rainey of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. Before joining Validity, Laina was a Principal at Shipley Snell Montgomery, LLP, a premier Houston commercial litigation boutique, where she gained significant first- and second-chair trial experience.

Laina’s leadership has been demonstrated in the community as well as the courtroom. She has been honored repeatedly as a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star and has served in leadership roles with the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation, Houston Bar Association, Houston Bar Foundation, and Main Street Theater.