Apply for a Case Fund Using Laymans Platform ​
Go to www.laymans.app ​
1. Introduction ​
If you would like legal services on your case but cannot afford it. We recommend applying for litigating financing, otherwise known as case funding. Laymans makes it easy to do so if you've already started a case with us.
2. Navigate to Opportunities Section ​
To start click the Opportunities section on the Home page.
3. Select Funding Amount ​
Welcome to the Opportunities section of the Homepage! Here you will find campaigns—layperson-generated fundraisers to raise money for litigation—and funds—litigation loans, grants, and other programs to help laypeople fund their cases. You can apply and support either here, but you can narrow the list via Search in the Power Bar.
4. Click the respective Fund Card ​
Click the Case fund you're interested in to continue on to their detail page!
5. The Fund Detail Page ​
Welcome to the Fund Detail page. Here, you will find a preview of the terms, information about the related company, and evidence of their support via related campaigns and updates.
6. Access Campaign Information ​
The relevant campaigns can reveal more information about what type of cases they try to support.
7. Click an Update in the Updates List ​
Then you can click into the Update List to view public fundraising updates from their fundees.
8. An Update ​
Like this one. It's pretty bare, but you can choose to salute or pledge funding to your update. Let's close out of it regardless.
9. Click "Apply" to apply ​
Now let's click Apply to apply for funding with this organization.
10. Fund Application Dialog ​
The funding wizard will help you apply for litigation financing with any case fund on Laymans. To apply for funding you must have an account, you must have started a case, and you must have an associated campaign or an available campaign.
11. Select Case for Funding ​
So first, let's select the case we want to use to apply for funding. Note, this will share your legal materials with the litigation financier once you make a valid application, so make sure you (1) are authorized to share these case materials, (2) have checked the funding company and terms to see if they're legit and what you want, and (3) are okay with sharing these details. If you experience anything untoward, let us know at hello+verify@laymans.app. Otherwise, if you need to make the case, you can get started in Co-Create under Start in the Power Bar.
12. Then select the Campaign to hold funds ​
Next you will select a campaign to use to hold the funds if accepted. Campaigns are vehicles for litigation fundraising and financing and hold funds as a series of pledges towards any legal services you may purchase in the future. It's best to make them before you need services, and they're necessary for litigation financing. Because they are pledges and not liquid funds, promises to fund can be withdraw at any time and even fail on use -- so plan accordingly!
13. Review Terms and Email Fund ​
The next step is to review the actual terms by downloading the terms document, if any, and emailing the fund manager—if the fund specified an email address. Both of these steps are considered required to be considered, as you won't enjoy legal protection from the funder and your state's legal financing laws without it. However, Laymans merely facilitates fund-fundee management; we do not manage or oversee the application process and related agreements—so caveat emptor—and your acceptance and safety are based on the funder company exclusively. Funds may have specific criteria for funding. Read the terms carefully!
14. Agree to submission terms ​
Remember you must submit another email with the funds terms document attached to the funder in addition to submitting your application so they can lawfully consider your case.
15. Confirm Privacy Acknowledgment ​
Once again, this funder may change your life, or they could also harm it! Be sure you feel comfortable doing this, as there will be only so much we can do.
16. Confirm Case Ownership ​
Lastly, you must be the owner or otherwise authorized to turn over this case for consideration for funding. Exposing legal materials that are not your own is illegal.
17. Conclusion: ​
Once done, click "Submit Application" to move forward. The button will not be revealed until you've reviewed the terms and emailed the manager. Now, we wait—fundraisers could take days to months to get back to your case and may send messages to you—via Co-Create for the given case—to ask for more information and context. Once accepted, you will see a payment pledge posted to your case through the given campaign under the Transactions tab under LAYMANS in the Power Bar. This funding will now be available for the very next purchase of legal services you make on Laymans under Services on the Homepage. However, if rejected, you'll receive notification—but that's not the end! There are many more litigation financiers on Laymans that you can apply to, and, for now, litigation financiers are not allowed to charge a fee to review, so fire away! If you continue to struggle, please note that legal services on Laymans enjoy pay-later and pay-in-four programs through Stripe, making getting a robust defense more feasible. We at Laymans believe that finances should never be a barrier to access to justice, and therefore we are proud to facilitate communication between the many litigation financiers and case funders seeking to help laypeople and the extraordinary laypeople seeking a better life for themselves.
