Pro Se Litigation on Laymans
You don't need a law degree to defend your rights.
Pro se litigation means representing yourself in legal matters without hiring a lawyer - and Laymans is designed to make that possible. Whether you're filing a small claims case, responding to a lawsuit, drafting a demand letter, or preparing court documents, our platform gives you the professional tools that were previously only available to attorneys.
The reality: The median cost for a single legal service is $5,000. Complex cases can run $20,000 or more. But with Laymans' AI assistant Leyla, organized evidence management, and access to legal research tools, you can build court-ready documents that present your facts professionally - without the lawyer fees.
New to Pro Se?
Follow our guided workflows to get started:
- Getting Started - Set up your account and first casefile
- Your First Case - Complete walkthrough of building a legal document
- Legal Research - Find templates, precedents, and educational resources
- Document Management - Organize evidence and keep your case materials secure
AI-Assisted Legal Document Creation
The core of pro se representation is creating professional legal documents - and this is where Laymans excels. Cases are AI-powered legal products that transform your evidence, research, and arguments into court-ready formats.
What you can create as a pro se litigant:
| Document Type | When to Use | What Laymans Does |
|---|---|---|
| Letters | Before going to court | Demand letters, cease-and-desist notices, settlement proposals, dispute notifications |
| Contracts | Making agreements | Settlement agreements, payment plans, service contracts, mutual releases |
| Litigation Documents | Court filings | Complaints, answers to complaints, motions, amendments, affidavits |
How AI makes pro se litigation viable:
Traditional challenge: Legal documents require specific formatting, proper citations, structured arguments, and precise language. One mistake can get your filing rejected.
Laymans solution: Leyla, our AI assistant, analyzes your attached evidence (receipts, correspondence, contracts, photos), pulls relevant facts, and structures them into professional legal arguments. You provide the story and the documents; Leyla helps you present them the way a court expects.
Step-by-step: Building your first pro se document
- Start a Case - Choose letter, contract, or litigation document
- Attach your evidence - Reference casefiles (uploaded documents), link to parent cases (prior correspondence)
- Build your case - Choose your preferred method:
- Talk to Leyla (AI) - Conversational case building
- Use the Details Form - Edit case variables directly
- Use the Text Editor - Write with AI assistance
- Finalize and export - Get certified copies, notarization, or court-ready PDFs
Why this matters for pro se litigants: You're not starting from scratch. Leyla uses the facts from your own documents to build arguments, meaning your case is grounded in actual evidence from day one.
Get started: How to Start a Case
Organize Your Evidence Like a Law Firm
Pro se litigants often lose cases not because they're wrong, but because they can't find their evidence when it matters. Casefiles solve this by providing secure, organized containers for every piece of documentation related to your case.
What you can store in Casefiles:
- Physical evidence - Photos of damage, injuries, property conditions
- Written correspondence - Letters, emails, text message screenshots
- Financial records - Receipts, invoices, payment records, bank statements
- Legal documents - Contracts, leases, court notices, tickets, citations
- Multimedia - Videos, audio recordings (where legally permitted)
- Court research - UniCourt case lookups for precedents
Pro se advantages:
| Feature | Why It Helps Pro Se Litigants |
|---|---|
| Mass Upload | Upload dozens of documents at once instead of one-by-one |
| Automatic tagging | Laymans' AI categorizes documents by legal issue and relevance |
| End-to-end encryption | Your sensitive documents stay private - only you and authorized parties can access them |
| Cloud access | Access your evidence from court, home, or library - anywhere you need to work |
| Version control | Edit casefiles and track changes over time |
Pro tip: When you start a case, Leyla can directly reference your casefiles - extracting dates from a notice, identifying parties from a contract, pulling amounts from receipts. The better organized your casefiles, the stronger your AI-assisted case will be.
Get started: What is a Casefile? | Create a Casefile
Access Legal Research Tools
Pro se litigants need to understand the law they're using - and Laymans provides multiple ways to learn and research.
Legal education through Seminars
Seminars are curated educational courses created by legal professionals. They teach you:
- Procedural steps - How to file in small claims, what to include in a complaint, how to serve documents
- Substantive law - Understanding landlord-tenant rights, employment law basics, consumer protection statutes
- Practical tactics - How to negotiate settlements, what to say in court, how to respond to motions
- Document templates - Examples of successful filings you can model your own documents after
Why this matters: You can learn the process before you start, reducing costly mistakes and building confidence.
Legal templates through Briefcases
Attorneys don't write every document from scratch - they use proven templates. Briefcases give you access to the same resources:
- Form libraries - Court-approved forms for your jurisdiction
- Precedent documents - Anonymized examples of successful filings
- Clause banks - Pre-written legal language for contracts and agreements
- Checklists - Step-by-step guides for completing complex forms
When you create a case, you can reference a Briefcase template, and Leyla will adapt it to your specific facts.
Court records through UniCourt
Need to see how similar cases were filed? UniCourt integration lets you search real court records:
- Find cases similar to yours
- See what arguments worked
- Review court orders and decisions
- Understand local court procedures
Get started: Conducting Your First Search
Organize What You Find
As you research, save important templates, cases, and resources to your bookmarks for quick reference later. Learn how in Managing Your Bookmarks.
Get Support from Legal Professionals (When You Need It)
Pro se doesn't have to mean completely alone. Laymans lets you choose when to involve attorneys - for specific services, consultations, or document review - without committing to full representation.
Unbundled legal services:
| Service Type | What You Get | When to Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Document review | Attorney checks your filing before submission | Before filing important court documents |
| Limited consultation | 30-60 minute advice session | When stuck on a legal question |
| Court representation | Attorney appears for a specific hearing | For complex motions or trials |
| Coaching | Ongoing advice while you handle the case | Throughout your pro se litigation |
Why this works: You only pay for what you need. Get professional input on critical decisions while handling routine tasks yourself.
How it works:
- Search for services by practice area and location
- Filter by your issue to find specialists
- Purchase services directly or with campaign funds
- Meet via secure video or document review
Join Movements for Community Support
What if your individual pro se case is part of a bigger pattern?
Movements on Laymans are collective legal actions - groups of people facing similar issues who share resources, strategies, and funding.
Why join a Movement as a pro se litigant:
| Benefit | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| Free legal templates | Access to curated briefcases specific to your issue |
| Shared research | Educational seminars and casefiles from others' experiences |
| Strategic coordination | Learn what arguments work (and what doesn't) from other members |
| Collective funding | Pool resources for shared legal services or expert witnesses |
| Anonymized collaboration | Discuss your case securely with others in similar situations |
| Potential class action | If the issue is widespread, movements can evolve into formal class actions |
Examples of pro se-friendly Movements:
- Tenants fighting wrongful evictions
- Consumers challenging predatory fees
- Workers disputing wage theft
- Defendants facing similar traffic citations
- Individuals challenging HOA violations
Movements require a Case
To apply to a Movement, you need an active case on Laymans. Organizers review applications to ensure your issue fits the movement's scope. This protects both you and the group's legal strategy.
Get started: How to Apply to a Movement
Fund Your Pro Se Case
Even as a pro se litigant, you may need money for filing fees, service of process, expert witnesses, or limited attorney consultations. Laymans provides multiple funding options:
Campaigns (Crowdfunding)
Create a public campaign to raise funds from:
- Friends and family - People who want to support you personally
- Community donors - Others who believe your case matters
- Litigation financiers - Professional funders who invest in promising cases
Your campaign shares your story (without revealing confidential legal strategy) and converts pledges when you actually purchase legal services.
Learn how to create a campaign
Case Funds
Apply for grants or contingency funding from established legal funds. These review your case merits and provide financing based on likelihood of success.
Learn how to apply to a case fund
Community Pledges
By contributing to Laymans - writing helpful comments, creating educational casefiles, sharing your pro se experience - you build reputation. Other users can pledge directly to support your work.
Follow our workflow: Raising Legal Funds
Keep Your Case Secure
As a pro se litigant, you're handling sensitive personal information, evidence, and legal strategy. Laymans provides enterprise-level security:
Security features:
- End-to-end encryption - Your documents are encrypted before leaving your device
- Multi-device access - Securely access your case from phone, tablet, or computer
- Backup recovery - Never lose your case materials
- Document verification - Prove authenticity of your evidence
Why this matters: In litigation, document tampering accusations can destroy your credibility. Laymans' verification services timestamp and certify your documents, proving they existed at a specific date and haven't been altered.
Pro Se Success Checklist
| Phase | Actions | Laymans Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Gather evidence, research similar cases, understand procedures | Casefiles, UniCourt, Seminars |
| Drafting | Create demand letters, court filings, or contracts | Start a Case, Build with AI, Text Editor |
| Review | Get professional input on critical documents | Purchase unbundled services |
| Filing | Finalize and submit documents to court or opposing party | Finalize Case, certification services |
| Funding | Raise money for costs | Campaigns, Case Funds |
| Collaboration | Connect with others facing similar issues | Movements |
Getting Started as a Pro Se Litigant
| Step | Action | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Create your free account and set up encryption | Start Registration |
| 2 | Learn about your legal issue | Search for seminars |
| 3 | Upload your evidence | Create a Casefile |
| 4 | Research similar cases | UniCourt Lookup |
| 5 | Start your first legal document | Start a Case |
| 6 | Consider joining a movement or raising funds | Apply to Movement |
Essential Tools for Pro Se Litigants
| Tool | What It Does | Learn More |
|---|---|---|
| Search | Find legal resources, templates, and similar cases | First Search |
| Bookmarks | Save important templates and resources for your case | Manage Bookmarks |
| County Filter | Find local court forms and jurisdiction-specific resources | Localize to Your County |
| Translation | Use Laymans in your preferred language | Use Another Language |
| Expense Tracking | Monitor your legal costs and campaign funds | View Legal Fees |
| Video Conferencing | Meet with attorneys or consult with movement organizers | Access Video Conferences |
Why Pro Se Works on Laymans
The challenge: Courts expect professional formatting, proper legal citations, organized evidence, and clear arguments - things most people don't know how to create.
The solution: Laymans gives you professional-grade tools:
- AI that understands legal structure - Leyla formats documents correctly
- Evidence organization - Casefiles keep everything accessible
- Legal education - Seminars teach you the process
- Template libraries - Briefcases provide proven starting points
- Community support - Movements let you learn from others
- Optional attorney help - Unbundled services when you need expert input
The result: You can represent yourself with confidence, knowing your documents are professional, your evidence is organized, and you have support when needed - all without the $20,000 attorney bill.
Ready to Start?
Follow the Your First Case workflow for a complete walkthrough of building your first pro se legal document with Laymans.