Laymans for Laypeople
Laymans doesn't believe that money should be a barrier to access to justice.
Whether you're fighting a wrongful eviction, disputing a contract, challenging an unjust fine, or organizing for change - Laymans gives you the tools to take action. Our AI assistant Layla helps you build professional legal documents, connect with attorneys, and even join movements that can turn your individual problem into collective impact.
📖 Step-by-Step Guides
New here? Follow our guided workflows:
- Getting Started - Registration through your first case
- Your First Case - Full case lifecycle + related features
- Raising Legal Funds - Campaigns and case funds
Build Your Case with AI
Laymans is designed around creating Cases - AI-powered legal documents that package your evidence, research, and arguments into professional letters, contracts, and litigation documents.
What you can create:
| Document Type | What It's For | Example Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Letters | Formal communication before court | Demand letters, cease-and-desist, dispute notices |
| Contracts | Agreements between parties | Settlement agreements, payment plans, service contracts |
| Litigation | Court filings and legal pleadings | Complaints, answers, motions, amendments |
Why Laymans is different: Our AI assistant Leyla doesn't just fill in templates - she analyzes your attached evidence, learns from the resources you've gathered, and structures arguments based on what actually works. You provide the facts and documents; Leyla helps you present them professionally.
How it works
- Start a Case - Name your project and choose document type
- Attach resources - Upload casefiles, reference templates from briefcases
- Build your case using one of three methods:
- Talk to Leyla (AI) - Conversational case building
- Project Details Form - Edit variables directly
- Text Editor - Write with AI assistance
- Finalize and export - Get certified, notarized, or court-ready copies
Start now: Create Your First Case
Organize Your Evidence
Before you can build a case, you need to gather your evidence. Casefiles are secure containers for everything related to your legal matter - receipts, contracts, photos, correspondence, court notices, and more.
Casefile capabilities:
- Secure uploads - Your documents are encrypted and protected
- Mass upload - Upload many documents at once
- Court case lookups - Search real court records with UniCourt integration
- Video conferencing - Meet with attorneys securely
- Public records - Access official government documents
Why this matters: When you start a case, Leyla can reference your casefiles directly - extracting facts from a ticket, pulling dates from correspondence, identifying parties from a contract. Good organization = stronger cases.
Start now: What is a Casefile? | Create a Casefile
Raise Funds for Your Legal Fight
Legal representation costs money - the median cost for a single service is around $5,000, and complex cases can run to $20,000+. Laymans provides multiple ways to fund your legal battle:
Campaigns (Crowdfunding)
Create a public campaign to raise money from:
- Individual donors - People who believe in your cause
- Litigation financiers - Professional funders who invest in cases
- Grants and loans - Institutional funding sources
Your campaign tells your story (without revealing personal information or legal strategy), and pledges convert when you actually purchase legal services.
Learn how: Create a Campaign
Case Funds
Apply for funding from established legal funds - grants or contingency arrangements where funders review your case and invest based on its merits.
Learn how: Apply to a Case Fund
Pledges from Your Community
By contributing to Laymans - writing comments, sharing resources, creating educational content - you build a reputation. Other users can pledge directly to support your work.
Join a Movement
What if your small problem is actually part of something bigger?
Movements on Laymans are collective legal actions - the organizing that happens before a class action gets rolling. They bundle legal services, shared resources, educational materials, and funding to address systemic issues.
Why join a Movement:
- Free resources - Access curated legal templates, research, and strategies
- Anonymized collaboration - Work with others facing the same issue securely
- Collective power - Turn individual complaints into landmark cases
- Shared funding - Pool resources for better legal representation
- Shape outcomes - Participate in the organizing, not just the payout
Movements are selective
Because movements involve shared legal strategy and potential litigation, organizers review applications. You'll need a case on Laymans to apply, and you may need to fill out attestation forms.
Start now: How to Apply to a Movement
Find and Purchase Legal Services
Laymans connects you with attorneys offering services at transparent prices. Browse the marketplace by:
- Practice area - Family law, employment, housing, etc.
- Location - Localize to your county
- Issue type - Filter by your specific problem
- Price range - Find services that fit your budget
Payment options:
- Pay directly
- Use campaign funds
- Apply case fund financing
Learn how: Purchase Services | Track Your Expenses
Learn from Legal Education
Seminars on Laymans are educational sessions created by legal professionals. Learn about your rights, understand legal processes, and build knowledge before taking action.
Keep Your Data Secure
Your legal documents are sensitive. Laymans provides:
- End-to-end encryption - Set up first-time encryption
- Multi-device access - Encrypt additional devices
- Backup recovery - Re-encrypt from backup
- Verification services - Prove document authenticity
Getting Started
| Step | Action | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Create your free account | Start Registration |
| 2 | Set up encryption | First-Time Encryption |
| 3 | Search for what you need | Conducting Your First Search |
| 4 | Create a casefile for your evidence | Create a Casefile |
| 5 | Start building your case | Start a Case |
Tools & Features
| Feature | What It Does | Learn More |
|---|---|---|
| Search | Find lawyers, services, movements, and resources | First Search |
| Bookmarks | Save important resources for later | Manage Bookmarks |
| Search History | Review what you've searched | Search History |
| Translation | Use Laymans in your language | Use Another Language |
| Events | Find legal clinics and workshops | Manage Events |
| Settings | Customize your experience | Settings |