Oddly enough, lawsuits cost money. Usually lots and lots of money, and for many people it may be difficult, if not impossible to cover the expenses of litigation so you can see it to its conclusion. As a result, an entire industry has formed around this need, providing litigation funding to clients who want to keep their lawsuits going. Any Lawsuits is one of the newer loan services offering funding for various types of lawsuits, and is the subject of this review.

A division of Alpine Funding, AnyLawsuits.com is currently in the process of a redesign, but so far their site has been easy to read and navigate, complete with a FAQ section that offers more details on how their funding service works. They also accurately explain that “lawsuit loans” aren’t actually loans, but are really cash advances, so the terms of agreement for this type of funding will be different from what you would expect from a typical bank loan.

Unfortunately, it was hard to garner how good the reputation of this lending company was. The site offers no testimonials from previous clients, and a search inquiry at the Better Business Bureau was unable to turn up any more information. In addition, there was little information as to what the terms of their cash advances might be, other than that you would be required to pay some type of flat fee once you receive a settlement. While this fee is sure to vary from case to case, it would help to give the visitor some general idea of how much he or she might be expected to pay in order to receive litigation funding, and outline what the typical conditions of their contract would be. Such disclosure should go far in establishing trust with current and potentially new clients.

A word to the wise though: litigation funding as a whole is not cheap, and according to financials experts should only be seen as a last recourse. How much you will pay back for such cash advances will depend on the provider, but usually there is either a recurring interest fee you will pay per month, based on the amount of the cash advance, or you will pay a flat fee once the lawsuit is settled. The interest rates can often be high, and since this type of lending is not subject to usury laws, the propensity for abuse is enormous. Say you were to receive $10,000 in funding, with a recurring fee of 10% per month. That’s a $1,000 you’ll pay out of pocket every month until your lawsuit is concluded. And if a lender is particularly shady, you may get hit with all types of unexpected fees while your lawsuit is ongoing.

Not all it’s cracked up to be is it?

As always, exercise due diligence and research before commiting to any one funding service. For more helpful information, check out these articles:

• 10 Rules of Lawsuits Loans
• Lawsuit Loans - Caveat Emptor
• Questions For Your Lawsuit Financing Company

I’ve always been a Table for One guy, but for those of you who are Sacramento singles, you might be able to benefit from a regional dating service called Table For Six.

I fully expected this to be another sham site, but apparently they’ve been around for a long time, and some of their name branding have even become registered trademarks now. The idea is pretty simple, organize dinners for 6 people, 3 men and 3 ladies, and from that you might find a new love interest who could potentially be your future snooglie pookie pums cuddle pie.

Consultations are free, and upon becoming a member, you’ll be matched along with 5 other people according to similar ages, interests and lifestyles, then join them all for an arranged dinner at a moderately upscale restaurant. At the conclusion of the dinner, you’ll be asked who you liked, and if there’s a connection, the service will set up a second date just for the two of you. I have to admit this is a pretty sensible concept, at the very least it affords you an opportunity to have a nice dinner with likeminded people, so even if there’s no connection you won’t come away completely empty handed or embarrassed because of outright rejection.

If you’re feeling particularly brave though, they also offer a Just For Two service, where staff members will meet with you individually and work with you in finding a new dating interest. It seems to be a very involved process too, unlike other dating services who simply match you with someone and then you’re pretty much on your own.

This might be one of the first times I’ve looked at a dating site and thought, “Hmmm, this isn’t so bad.” But even if I lived in California this service might prove too high class for me anyway, since my idea of a moderately upscale restaurant is the local drive-thru at Burger King. You’ll pay for your own dinners by the way, in addition to whatever the costs of membership are, so this will not likely be a low cost endeavor for you. But considering how insanely expensive online dating sites like eHarmony and Match.com are, Table For Six might prove to be a far better investment over the long run.

I’m almost tempted to move to California just to check it out. Almost.