Earning Additional Income on Laymans
Your legal expertise is valuable. Laymans makes it profitable - on your terms.
Whether you're looking to supplement your practice with unbundled legal services, build your reputation through free educational content, or lead movements that attract hundreds of clients - Laymans provides the infrastructure to grow your practice while maintaining full control over your schedule, pricing, and workload.
=� Quick Start: Earning Money Workflow
Follow our step-by-step guide for legal professionals: Earning Money on Laymans - Set up organization � Advertise services � Manage analytics and payments
Why Laymans for Additional Income?
Traditional legal practice limits your earning potential to billable hours. Laymans changes that equation:
| Traditional Practice | Laymans Platform |
|---|---|
| Hourly billing only - Time = money ceiling | Unbundled services - Fixed prices for discrete tasks |
| Full representation - All-or-nothing client relationships | Flexible scope - Consultations, document review, limited appearances |
| Fixed location - Office overhead required | Remote work - Practice from anywhere with secure video conferencing |
| Marketing expenses - Pay for ads, directories, referrals | Built-in marketplace - Clients find you through search and movements |
| Payment friction - Retainers, invoices, collections | Stripe integration - Instant payments, automatic invoicing |
| Cold outreach - Chasing leads one at a time | Reputation building - Free seminars attract clients who need paid services |
Income Streams for Legal Professionals
1. Unbundled Legal Services
What it is: Discrete legal tasks offered at fixed prices - consultations, document review, motion drafting, court appearance, etc.
Why it works:
- Clients know exactly what they're paying for upfront
- You control which services you offer and when
- No ongoing representation obligations
- Quick turnaround = faster payment
How to get started:
- Advertise Your Services - List services with clear pricing
- Set up Stripe - Connect your payment account
- Clients purchase directly from your profile
- Adjust pricing as needed
Example: Unbundled Service Pricing
| Service Type | Typical Price Range | Time Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| 30-min consultation | $150-$300 | 30 minutes |
| Demand letter drafting | $300-$600 | 1-2 hours |
| Court document review | $200-$400 | 1 hour |
| Limited court appearance | $500-$1,500 | Half day |
| Motion drafting | $600-$1,200 | 2-4 hours |
Income potential: 10 consultations/week at $200 = $8,000/month additional income
2. Educational Seminars (Lead Generation)
What it is: Free structured courses made from casefiles - templates, guides, how-tos, legal explainers.
Why it works:
- Builds your reputation - Position yourself as the expert in your field
- Lead generation - Students who need help beyond self-service become paying clients
- Trust building - People hire professionals they've already learned from
- Scalable visibility - One seminar can reach thousands of potential clients
Why seminars are free: Laymans keeps legal education free and open - like Reddit or Wikipedia. Charging for seminars would create incentives for snake oil and gatekeeping. Instead, you give knowledge away freely, and people who need more than education hire you for services.
How to get started:
- What is a Seminar? - Understand the educational model
- Create a Seminar - Organize casefiles into courses
- Choose public (marketplace) or private (organization-only)
- Link to your paid services in your profile
Example: Seminar Topics That Generate Clients
- "How to Fight a Wrongful Eviction in [Your County]" - Students who can't DIY hire you
- "Responding to Debt Collection Lawsuits" - Complex cases need representation
- "Small Claims Court: Filing to Judgment" - Some realize they want help
- "Divorce Without a Lawyer" - Contested divorces need attorneys
- "Understanding Your Lease Rights" - Serious disputes require counsel
The funnel: Free education → Some people handle it themselves (great!) → Others realize they need professional help → They already trust you → They hire you
Educational Content ≠ Legal Advice
Seminars teach legal processes and provide templates. Make clear disclaimers that content is educational and users should consult an attorney for specific legal advice (which conveniently, you offer as a service).
3. Briefcases (Lead Generation Packages)
What it is: Bundled collections of casefiles, templates, and seminars - complete resource packages for common legal problems that showcase your expertise.
Why it works:
- Demonstrates expertise - Shows clients you understand their problem comprehensively
- Reusable - Create once, share with unlimited potential clients
- Natural upsell - People who use your free resources hire you when they need more
- Trust building - Giving away valuable resources builds goodwill
How to get started:
- How to Make a Briefcase - Bundle resources together
- Include casefiles (templates), seminars (education), and services (monetization)
- Share links with clients or post publicly
- Track engagement and conversions
Example: Briefcase Packages
"Landlord-Tenant Defense Package"
- Casefile: Lease review template
- Casefile: Security deposit demand letter
- Casefile: Answer to eviction complaint
- Seminar: Your rights as a tenant
- Service: 1-hour consultation ($250)
- Service: Court representation ($1,500)
Value proposition: Client gets templates and education for free, then hires you for execution
Conversion rate: If 100 people download your briefcase and 5% hire you for consultation = 5 clients � $250 = $1,250 from one briefcase
4. Movements (Mass Client Acquisition)
What it is: Organized collective legal actions - the infrastructure before class actions, mass torts, or regulatory campaigns.
Why it works:
- Hundreds of clients at once - One movement can generate dozens of cases
- Shared resources - Create once, distribute to all participants
- Funding mechanisms - Advertise case funding opportunities to attract litigation financiers
- Leadership visibility - Position yourself as the go-to attorney for that issue
How to get started:
- Identify a systemic issue (wage theft, consumer fraud, civil rights violations)
- Create briefcases with templates and resources
- Lead a Movement - Aggregate clients, share strategy
- Offer bundled services to all participants
- Manage applications - Review cases, accept participants
Example: Movement Revenue Model
Scenario: You create a movement for "Uber Driver Misclassification" in your state
Resources provided:
- Briefcase with wage claim templates
- Seminar: "Understanding Employee vs. Contractor"
- Private chat for anonymized collaboration
- Your services: Consultation ($200), Arbitration filing ($800), Full representation ($3,000)
Growth:
- 200 drivers join the movement
- 50 purchase consultations = $10,000
- 20 hire for arbitration filing = $16,000
- 5 retain for full representation = $15,000
Total from one movement: $41,000 in additional income
Payment Infrastructure: Stripe Integration
Laymans uses Stripe Connect for seamless payments - you get paid, we handle the infrastructure.
How It Works:
- Set up Stripe with Laymans - One-time integration
- Clients purchase services - From your profile or through campaigns
- Automatic invoicing - Stripe invoices generated for each transaction
- Direct deposit - Funds transfer to your bank account
- Price flexibility - Adjust, refund, or finalize pricing as needed
Payment Features:
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Campaign pledges - Clients raise funds through litigation fundraising | You get paid even if clients don't have cash upfront |
| Case fund integration - Litigation financiers pledge support | Access institutional funding for your clients |
| Flexible pricing - Fixed-fee, sliding scale, or negotiated | Adjust to client needs without billing friction |
| Instant payments - No waiting for retainers to clear | Cash flow improvement for your practice |
Track Your Earnings
View your legal fees and expenses - Full transparency on income from services, seminars, and movements
Getting Clients: The Laymans Marketplace
Unlike traditional legal directories where you pay for placement, Laymans is a demand-driven marketplace - clients find you based on:
1. Search and Filters
- Localization by county - Clients in your jurisdiction
- Practice area matching
- Price range filtering
- Issue-specific searches
2. Movements and Education
- Leading movements positions you as the expert
- Seminar creators get attributed on every course view
- Briefcase creators receive engagement notifications
- Public profile with ratings and reviews
3. Organic Discovery
- Purchase Services marketplace
- Homepage featuring for active professionals
- Referrals from other attorneys using the platform
Real Use Cases: How Legal Professionals Earn
Solo Practitioner - Immigration Law
Background: Small immigration practice, wants to scale without hiring staff
Strategy:
- Created free seminar: "Applying for DACA Renewal"
- Offered unbundled service: "DACA application review" ($300)
- Full service: "Complete DACA filing with attorney oversight" ($1,200)
Results over 3 months:
- Seminar viewed by 400+ people (free - builds trust and visibility)
- 60 viewers purchased application review = $18,000
- 15 hired for full service = $18,000
- Total from service conversions: $36,000 (the seminar was free but drove paying clients)
BigLaw Associate - Side Income
Background: Corporate attorney, wants weekend income without conflicts
Strategy:
- Created briefcase: "LLC Formation Package" (templates + guides)
- Offered service: "1-hour business consultation" ($400)
- Weekend-only availability
Results:
- Briefcase shared 200+ times
- 8 consultations per month
- Additional monthly income: $3,200 without affecting day job
Retired Attorney - Giving Back
Background: Semi-retired, wants to help public without full caseload
Strategy:
- Created 5 seminars on consumer protection (FDCPA, FCRA, TCPA, etc.)
- Offers occasional consultations ($200) for complex questions
- Refers cases to younger attorneys when needed
Results:
- Seminars accessed 1,000+ times
- Known as the consumer rights expert on the platform
- 2-3 consultations per month from seminar viewers
- Refers overflow work to other attorneys (builds professional network)
Pricing Strategy: What to Charge
Unbundled Services:
| Complexity | Hourly Equivalent | Fixed Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| Simple (review, consultation) | $150-$300/hr | $150-$500 |
| Moderate (drafting, research) | $250-$400/hr | $500-$1,500 |
| Complex (court appearance, negotiation) | $300-$500/hr | $1,500-$5,000 |
Pricing tips:
- Start competitive, increase with positive reviews
- Bundle services for higher perceived value
- Offer sliding scale for movements (volume discount)
- Price based on value delivered, not time spent
Seminars and Briefcases:
These are always free - they're lead generation tools, not products:
- Seminars build your reputation and attract potential clients
- Briefcases showcase your expertise and link to your paid services
- The value is in conversions: people who learn from you hire you when they need more help
Time Commitment vs. Income Potential
| Activity | Setup Time | Ongoing Time | Scalability | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unbundled services | 2 hours | Per project | Linear | $5K-$20K/month direct income |
| Seminars | 4-8 hours | Minimal | High | Lead generation (free) |
| Briefcases | 3-6 hours | Minimal | High | Lead generation (free) |
| Movements | 10-20 hours | Moderate | Very high | $10K-$100K+ from aggregated clients |
Recommendation: Start with unbundled services (immediate income), create seminars to build reputation and attract clients (free lead gen), then launch movements when you've built credibility (scale).
Getting Started Checklist
| Step | Action | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Set up professional organization | How to Setup Your Organization |
| 2 | Connect Stripe for payments | How to Use Stripe with Laymans |
| 3 | List your first services | How to Advertise Your Services |
| 4 | Create an educational seminar | How to Create a Seminar |
| 5 | Build a briefcase package | How to Make a Briefcase |
| 6 | Track your analytics | Manage Your Services and Analytics |
Common Questions
Do I need malpractice insurance for unbundled services?
Yes, always maintain malpractice insurance. Unbundled legal services are still attorney-client relationships subject to professional responsibility rules. Many carriers now offer specific policies for limited-scope representation.
Laymans provides tools and infrastructure, but you remain responsible for:
- Conflict checks
- Engagement letters (use our templates)
- Professional competence
- Client confidentiality
How do I avoid conflicts with my current firm?
Check your employment agreement for:
- Non-compete clauses (usually unenforceable for legal services)
- Moonlighting restrictions
- Client ownership provisions
Best practices:
- Use different practice areas than your firm
- Serve different client demographics
- Disclose side practice if required
- Use separate malpractice policy
- Keep work strictly outside business hours
BigLaw associates commonly use Laymans for consumer/family law while doing corporate work at their firm.
What if I create a seminar and someone uses it to practice without a license?
You're providing education, not representation. Include clear disclaimers:
- "This seminar is for educational purposes only"
- "Not a substitute for legal advice"
- "Consult an attorney before taking legal action"
Laymans automatically includes these disclaimers on all seminars. You're teaching legal processes (which is protected speech), not creating attorney-client relationships.
Many attorneys offer free seminars � students realize they need help � they hire you for execution.
Can I use Laymans if I'm barred in multiple states?
Yes. Set up one organization, then:
- Localize services by county
- Specify jurisdictions in service descriptions
- Create state-specific seminars and briefcases
- Filter client searches by your bar admissions
Example: Immigration attorney barred in CA and NY can offer services to clients in both states, with separate pricing and localization.
How much does Laymans take from my earnings?
Stripe processing fees apply (typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction). Laymans platform fees vary by account type - check current pricing when you set up your organization.
No hidden fees - you set your prices, clients pay that amount, processing fees are transparent.
Why This Works: The Economics of Unbundled Legal Services
Traditional legal practice creates a barrier: clients need $5,000-$20,000 upfront for full representation. Most people don't have that, so they:
- Represent themselves poorly
- Don't pursue valid claims
- Accept bad settlements
Laymans changes the equation:
- Clients: Can afford $300 for a consultation or $600 for document drafting
- Attorneys: Get paid for discrete work without ongoing representation risk
- Platform: Facilitates campaigns and pledges so clients can raise funds for your services
Result: More access to justice + more income for attorneys + scalable platform
Ready to start earning? Follow the Earning Money workflow to set up your organization, advertise services, and start accepting clients today.