This chapter traces how the practice of third-party litigation funding emerged from being outlawed under medieval doctrines of maintenance and champerty to becoming an accepted facet of modern legal finance. We explore the common-law prohibitions’ evolution over time and compare how civil-law jurisdictions have historically treated similar arrangements. Foundational terms like maintenance (meddling in another’s lawsuit) and champerty (maintenance in exchange for a share of the proceeds) are explained in detail for clarity.