Business

Stan Bharti: Prospecting for Potential

Published

5 years ago

January 18, 2021

Canadian businessman Stan Bharti has built a career in discovering, funding, and cultivating projects in the sectors of mining, agriculture, energy, finance, and technology. He is well known in the industry for his ability to acquire finance, restructure, and succeed with emerging high-potential startups and struggling companies alike. A professional engineer in both North America and Europe, Mr. Bharti has a blend of industry-specific technical expertise and a general aptitude for management, operations, and finance. Through this integrated approach, Mr. Bharti has reached great strides in his over 30 years in the industry, being a recognized financier in Canada responsible for listing over 50 companies in various stock markets all over the world. This breadth of experience has contributed even further to Mr. Bharti’s continuing success, who has invested and raised over US$10 billion in the last ten years.

Since 1995, Mr. Bharti has applied his unique managing and financing approach to Forbes & Manhattan Inc., an international merchant bank and finance house where he serves as founder and executive chairman. Initially based in Toronto, the company has grown to establish offices in London, New York, Moscow, and Los Angeles in order to handle its wide variety of projects from all over the world. Thus far, the company has had projects on six continents, with its current focus being the Americas, Africa, Europe, and countries of the former Soviet Union.

Today, Forbes & Manhattan is renowned for its ability to rapidly bring projects to success and currently handles over 20 companies in the sectors of natural resources, infrastructure, energy, and technology. A significant contributor to this success is Mr. Bharti’s adoption of his unique integrated technical approach to the company philosophy. To this end, the company employs over 1,000 professional staff, including the world’s finest engineers, geologists, software developers, investment bankers, and financiers. Through this highly varied and diverse international team, Mr. Bharti ensures that F&M is always equipped with the necessary technical expertise to handle all aspects of financing and management for their equally wide variety of clients.

Mr. Bharti not only works to cultivate the sustained success of his client companies but also that of the world at large. Social responsibility is a core element of Mr. Bharti’s personal and corporate philosophy. Mr. Bharti goes beyond just funding the world’s high-potential companies to achieve this goal, being a major contributor to charities around the globe. Since 2010, The Bharti Charitable Foundation has ensured that F&M gives back to its communities. Through this foundation, Mr. Bharti has financed advocacies that aim to maintain nature and wildlife and help children in some of the world’s poorest developing countries.

While Mr. Bharti has had over 30 years of experience in finding and cultivating potential in emerging companies, he has also used such talents in a different manner. In 2012, Mr. Bharti collaborated with Laurentian University of Greater Sudbury, Canada, to establish the Bharti School of Engineering. Through this school, Mr. Bharti hopes to help aspiring youth become engineers who will write their own success stories with the pen of sustainability and social responsibility.

Beyond this, Mr. Bharti continues his professional and charitable efforts through his membership in several charitable and business boards in North America and the United Kingdom, and he is also a member of the global leadership community Young Presidents Organization (YPO). Mainly spending time between Los Angeles and Toronto, Mr. Bharti has also learned to speak fluent Russian and conversational Finnish and Spanish due to his history of international work.

In June of 2018, Mr. Bharti was even awarded the status of Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan to Canada as recognition for his work in providing business opportunities in Kazakhstan.

On top of the heavy workload of managing his firm and his charity, Mr. Bharti works hard to ensure that he keeps a balance in spending time with his family, who also help him manage his foundation. You can find out more about Stan Bharti by visiting the website of his company, Forbes & Manhattan Inc., as well as that of his charity, the Bharti Charitable Foundation.

Business

Click for Counsel: YesLawyer Wants to Make Lawyers as Accessible as Wi-Fi

Published

24 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Matthew Wiles

Photo Courtesy of: YesLawyer

Byline: Andi Stark

For many people facing a legal problem, the most difficult part is not understanding their rights but finding a lawyer willing to speak with them in the first place. Long wait times, unclear pricing, and administrative hurdles often delay even the most basic consultations. YesLawyer, an AI-enabled plaintiff firm operating across all 50 states, is testing whether technology can shorten that gap.

Founded in 2024 by 25-year-old entrepreneur Rob Epstein, the platform offers free intake, automated screening, and, in many cases, same-day conversations with licensed attorneys. The idea is simple: reduce the friction between a client’s first request for help and an actual legal discussion. In this interview, Epstein explains how the system works, where artificial intelligence fits into the process, and what problems the company is trying to address in the broader legal system

Q: When you say you want lawyers to be “as accessible as Wi-Fi,” what does that mean in practical terms?

A: It’s a way of describing speed and availability. Someone dealing with a workplace dispute, a serious injury, or an immigration issue should be able to move from an online form or phone call to a real conversation with counsel in hours, not weeks. YesLawyer is structured so that a client begins with a free case evaluation, goes through automated conflict checks and basic screening, and, in many instances, speaks with a lawyer the same day.

Q: How does the process work once someone contacts the platform?

A: We use a structured workflow. It starts with a short questionnaire and an initial conversation to capture basic facts. That information feeds into conflict checks and internal review. The system then proposes a match with a licensed attorney and provides a calendar link for a virtual consultation, often within 24 hours. After the meeting, the client receives a written legal plan outlining next steps, deadlines, and estimated fees.

Q: Where does artificial intelligence fit into that process, and where does it stop?

A: AI is used for organizing and routing information, not for giving legal advice. It helps with conflict checks at scale, case categorization, and structured summaries so attorneys can focus on the substance of the matter. Every consultation is conducted by a licensed lawyer, and all decisions about strategy or next steps are made by humans.

Q: What problem is this model trying to solve in the current legal system?

A: Delay and cost are still major barriers. Many civil plaintiffs face long waits just to get a first appointment, along with high retainers and hourly billing that make early legal advice risky. We try to respond with faster consultations, flat-fee options, and financing. The idea is to remove administrative friction so lawyers spend less time on logistics and more time speaking with clients.

Q: Some critics say platforms like this blur the line between a technology company and a law firm. How do you describe YesLawyer?

A: We describe ourselves as a national, AI-enabled plaintiff firm that connects clients with independent attorneys. That structure does raise regulatory questions, especially around responsibility and oversight. We focus on licensing verification, attorney-written case plans, and clear communication about fees and services.

Q: You’ve said the main bottleneck is “systems” rather than people. What do you mean by that?

A: The issue isn’t that lawyers don’t want to help more people. It’s that the systems around them make it hard to scale their time. Intake, scheduling, and document handling take hours. Automating those parts means attorneys can handle more matters without being overwhelmed by repetitive tasks.

Q: Does this model risk favoring only the most profitable cases?

A: That’s a real concern in legal technology. Automation often works best for repeatable, high-volume disputes. Our view is that lowering administrative cost can actually make it easier to take on smaller or more complex cases that might otherwise be turned away. Whether that holds over time depends on the data.

Measuring Impact Over Time

YesLawyer’s attempt to compress the timeline between inquiry and consultation reflects broader changes in how legal services are being delivered. As artificial intelligence becomes more common in administrative work, firms are experimenting with new ways to reduce wait times and clarify costs.

The company’s early growth suggests that many clients value faster access to an initial conversation, even before considering long-term representation. Whether this platform-based model becomes widely adopted or remains one of several emerging approaches will depend on regulatory developments, lawyer participation, and measurable outcomes for clients. For now, YesLawyer’s experiment highlights a central question in modern legal practice: how quickly can help realistically be made available to the people who need it.