From 1990-1999, Brian Garelli was an associate and partner at one of the largest defense firms in Chicago. During that time he saw insurance companies change how they handled claims. They began fighting virtually every claim until trial with the hope that plaintiffs would accept low ball offers for a fraction of what their claim was worth because they could not pay their rent or utility bills while off work due to an injury. After seeing plaintiff after plaintiff fall prey to this tactic, he decided to leave the defense practice. In 1998 Brian started Preferred Capital Funding to, in essence, level the playing field. By lending plaintiffs some money while their case was pending, he hoped to give them the staying power to hang in there and wait for a fair settlement.
