This Is Why You're Here
Why Criminal Defenses Come to Us Instead of Their Bank
A high-profile DUI case with a $25K retainer just walked in. But you need $8K for an accident reconstructionist and $5K for a private investigator before the preliminary hearing in 2 weeks.
Court-appointed cases are stacking up — you're owed $35K from the county but payments are 60-90 days behind. Your rent and paralegal salary can't wait.
Your criminal defense marketing is generating 40 leads/month but conversion dropped. A website redesign, Google Ads budget increase, and LSA optimization cost $15K.
A federal drug conspiracy case just retained you — $50K flat fee. But discovery alone will cost $18K in document review, and you need a forensic accountant ($7K) to trace financials. The fee won't cover your costs for months.
You lost two cases at trial back-to-back. Referrals slowed down. You need $12K to run a 90-day Google Ads blitz to rebuild your pipeline before the phones stop ringing entirely.
County owed me $42K in court-appointed fees and I was 90 days behind on everything. Basecamp matched me with a $50K working capital advance — funded in 28 hours. I stopped worrying about rent and started focusing on my clients again.
David P., Criminal Defense Attorney, Nashville, TN
Criminal Defense Financing
Get Your Criminal Defense Business Funded in 60 Seconds
Slide the calculator to see your estimated approval range. Then answer 3 quick questions to lock it in. No documents needed. Soft-pull pre-qual.
See What You Could Qualify For
Slide to your average monthly bank deposits.
Estimated Approval Range
Based on 100-150% of monthly revenue
Soft-pull pre-qual · No obligation · Estimate only
Built for Your Business
Why Criminal Defense Businesses Choose Basecamp
Cases Don't Wait — Neither Do We
A client calls at 2 AM from county jail. They need representation at arraignment tomorrow. You can't tell them to wait while you apply for a bank loan. Our working capital funds in 24 hours so you're ready when the phone rings.
Court-Appointed Pay Delays Covered
Counties pay 60-90 days late. Sometimes longer. You're doing the work now but the check is three months away. A credit line bridges that gap so you're not choosing between rent and taking assigned cases.
Marketing Is Your Lifeline
Defense attorneys live and die by Google Ads, LSAs, and referral networks. A $10K/month ad budget that generates 40 leads is an investment, not an expense. Banks don't see it that way. Our lenders do.
Flat Fees Mean Upfront Work
You collect $5K flat for a DUI but spend $8K on investigators and experts before the case resolves. That math only works if you've got capital behind you. We fund the gap between what you collect and what the case costs.
Bobby's Take
Bobby's Playbook for Criminal Defense
Most criminal defense firm owners encounter bank lenders who evaluate them on small-business templates that weren't built for professional services. What gets missed: cash-pay retainer billing plus intermittent high-value trial fees produces cash flow banks don't know how to read. Specialist lenders fund criminal defense practices on the actual cash-flow signature, not the bank's template. Here's how to position your transaction so the right specialists see it first.
Three things determine whether a criminal defense transaction closes: monthly retainer revenue, average case-engagement value, and your case-pipeline depth. Not your personal FICO. Not your time in practice. Specialist criminal defense lenders care about whether your monthly retainer-and-engagement revenue supports a $1,500-$3,000/month payment — and whether your case pipeline gives the file the recurring engagement-fee revenue floor it needs.
The biggest mistake criminal defense operators make: applying with retainer-paid revenue and trust-replenishment commingled in bank statements. The lender sees lumpy deposits and assumes volatility. The fix: separate trust deposits, earned-fee withdrawals from trust, and direct retainer revenue. Specialist criminal defense lenders price earned-fee revenue as predictable. Generalist lenders apply general professional-services aging.
engagement revenue deferred per high-value trial without expert-witness capital
Where this gets interesting at scale: a criminal defense firm adding an associate, opening a satellite office, or taking on a high-stakes trial requiring extensive expert-witness testimony doesn't need ONE loan. They need a working capital line for associate-credentialing payroll + a case-cost line for expert witnesses + sometimes a a revenue-based term loan against retainer revenue to cover an office acquisition. Three products, three lenders, one application — that's how solo criminal defense practices scale into multi-attorney boutique defense firms.
The criminal defense attorneys who scale fastest aren't the ones who waited for the next high-profile case to land before adding an associate. They're the ones who had associate capacity and trial-fund reserves ready when case volume hit. Turning down a high-value trial because you can't fund expert witnesses is $50,000-$200,000 in deferred engagement revenue. Run the numbers in 60 seconds — see what 70+ specialist lenders will offer your criminal defense practice this week.
Bottom line:
Criminal defense attorneys get priced on lumpy retainer deposits when earned-fee revenue is the recurring base. Separate trust deposits from earned fees — that's the predictable engagement income specialists price first.
Bobby Friel
Founder, Basecamp Funding
What You're Up Against
The Real Challenges Criminal Defenses Face
Pricing Transparency
What Criminal Defense Funding Actually Costs
Rates and terms depend on credit, revenue, time in business, and lender. Every business is unique — see what 70+ lenders will offer you in 60 seconds. Soft-pull pre-qual.
These are industry averages. Your actual rate depends on your revenue, credit profile, and time in business — it could be lower. Run your specific numbers in 30 seconds.
Calculate Your Real Cost →Criminal defense guys are the toughest because their income is so unpredictable. One attorney in Nashville was owed $42K from the county — couldn't make rent. We got him $50K in a day. Now he's got a line of credit and never sweats those 90-day payment delays again.
Bobby Friel
Founder, Basecamp Funding
How It Works
From Application to Funded in 5 Steps
No paperwork avalanche. No bank lobby. No guessing.
60-Second Intake
Tell us about the firm, practice area, and monthly receipts. No retainer. No engagement letter.
Soft Credit Screen
We screen options with zero impact to your FICO or the firm's commercial credit profile.
Lenders Compete in the Background
Your file routes to 70+ lending partners who fund law firms. They compete; you stay focused on the docket.
One Specialist, Multiple Term Sheets
Your funding specialist walks through structures, draws, and how each affects firm liquidity. No runaround.
Choose Terms, Sign, Get Funded
Pick the structure that fits the case and the firm. E-signature. Capital lands as fast as same day.
Criminal Defense Capital Uses
What Criminal Defense Businesses Use Funding For
Payroll & Operations
Keep associates, paralegals, and staff paid during settlement gaps. Bridge the 30-90-day collection cycle.
Case Expenses
Expert witnesses, depositions, medical records, court costs — fund litigation without depleting reserves.
Marketing & Client Acquisition
SEO, Google Ads, LSAs, TV, radio, content marketing. Invest in the cases you want to take.
Technology & Software
Practice management, AI tools, client portals, cybersecurity. Stay competitive and efficient.
Office Space & Buildout
New office, renovation, second location. Project the credibility your clients expect.
Hiring & Expansion
New associates, of counsel arrangements, support staff. Scale without waiting on settlements.
Full Transparency
What Kills Your Qualification (And What Doesn't)
Most lenders won't tell you this upfront. We will.
✅ These Won't Stop You
These Can Be Deal-Breakers
Need commercial insurance for your criminal defense business?
Professional liability and office coverage are required for most firm financing. InsuranceService365.com covers professional services across 29 states.
Don't Wait Until You Need Funding to Get Funded
Most firms wait until a trial expense or expert retainer hits to call us. The firms that win the long game pre-qualify when revenue is steady — that's when underwriting is friendliest. The best time to know your range is before you need to draw on it.
Ready?
See What Your Criminal Defense Business Qualifies For
Slide the calculator, answer 3 questions, and a specialist pulls your options within the hour.
See What You Could Qualify For
Slide to your average monthly bank deposits.
Estimated Approval Range
Based on 100-150% of monthly revenue
Soft-pull pre-qual · No obligation · Estimate only
Other Law Firms Specialties We Fund
Click any specialty for tailored financing options.
Recommended Products
Recommended Funding for Criminal Defense Businesses
Working Capital
Fund case expenses, marketing, and operations between settlements.
Learn More →Business Line of Credit
Revolving access for expert witnesses, depositions, and case costs.
Learn More →Invoice Factoring
Accelerate collections on outstanding client invoices.
Learn More →SBA Loans
Firm acquisition, partner buy-ins, and office expansion at low rates.
Learn More →FAQs
Criminal Defense Business Loan FAQs
Criminal Defense Attorney Loans & Law Firm Financing — $10K to $20M+
Criminal defense is feast or famine. Monday your phone doesn't ring. Tuesday a $25K DUI retainer walks in and you need an accident reconstructionist by Friday. And the county? They owe you $42K for court-appointed work but they're paying net-90. Your rent doesn't wait 90 days. Your paralegal doesn't wait 90 days. You need capital that moves when you do.
We fund defense attorneys who are tired of floating their practice on credit cards. $50K working capital in 24 hours to cover the gap while the county catches up. A $100K credit line for marketing that actually brings in clients. One application, 70+ lenders compete for your business. Soft-pull pre-qual. DUI, federal, felony, misdemeanor — doesn't matter. If you've got deposits and case volume, you qualify.
Stop Discounting Cases Because Cash Is Tight. Get Your Criminal Defense Practice Funded Today.
60 seconds. Soft-pull pre-qual. No obligation.
See What You Qualify For →Soft-pull pre-qual · Free to check · Nationwide