Case Management for Legal Professionals
Laymans isn't just a case management system - it's an intelligent legal workspace that handles the heavy lifting so you can focus on what matters: serving your clients.
Built for solo practitioners, small firms, and legal aid organizations, Laymans combines AI-assisted drafting, secure client collaboration, evidence organization, and practice management into one unified platform. Whether you're managing 5 clients or 500, Laymans scales with your practice while keeping costs low and quality high.
Step-by-Step Guides
New to Laymans for professionals?
- Getting Started - Registration and setup
- Set Up Your Organization - Professional profile creation
- Advertise Your Services - Marketplace listing
Why Legal Professionals Choose Laymans
| Traditional Case Managers | Laymans Case Management |
|---|---|
| Expensive per-seat licensing ($50-200/month/user) | Affordable flat-rate pricing |
| Siloed systems for documents, billing, client communication | All-in-one platform with unified workflow |
| Manual document drafting or rigid templates | AI assistant drafts documents from your evidence |
| Clients locked out of their own case information | Client-facing portals with transparent access |
| Learning curve for complex enterprise software | Intuitive interface built for modern practices |
| No community or lead generation | Built-in marketplace connects you with clients |
What makes Laymans different?
Client-First Philosophy: Your clients can create their own casefiles, start cases, and organize evidence before they even hire you. When they bring you on, all their work is already organized and ready to review.
AI That Actually Helps: Leyla (our AI assistant) doesn't just fill in blanks - she analyzes attached casefiles, extracts facts, structures arguments, and drafts professional documents based on the evidence you provide.
Blockchain Security: End-to-end encryption plus blockchain-backed verification ensures document authenticity, tamper-proof records, and client confidentiality.
Community & Revenue: Generate leads from Laymans marketplace, accept payments through Stripe integration, and build reputation through published seminars and movements.
Manage Multiple Clients at Scale with Briefcases
Briefcases are Laymans' secret weapon for attorneys managing multiple clients with similar legal needs. Think of them as reusable case templates that can be mass-applied to dozens of clients simultaneously.
What Briefcases do:
| Feature | Professional Use Case |
|---|---|
| Client Onboarding | Add multiple clients at once using a single briefcase template |
| Template Libraries | Store standard clauses, forms, and document structures for reuse |
| Mass Updates | Update language in one briefcase, apply to all connected cases instantly |
| Practice Area Organization | Maintain separate briefcases for employment law, family law, housing, etc. |
| Knowledge Management | Attach research, case law, and resources that auto-populate in client cases |
Real-World Example
Scenario: You're a tenant rights attorney with 50 clients facing similar unlawful eviction issues.
Traditional approach: Manually draft 50 demand letters, customize each with client facts, track deadlines individually.
With Briefcases:
- Create one "Unlawful Eviction - Demand Letter" briefcase with your standard language
- Add all 50 clients to the briefcase
- Leyla drafts 50 customized letters using each client's attached casefiles
- Review, edit, and finalize in bulk
- Export to secure PDFs with blockchain verification
Time saved: 20+ hours of drafting per batch
Start now: What is a Briefcase? | Create Your First Briefcase
AI-Assisted Document Drafting That Actually Works
Laymans Cases are intelligent legal documents - letters, contracts, complaints, motions, amendments - that package evidence, research, and arguments into professional work product.
How it works for attorneys:
1. Start with Context
Create a case by naming the project and selecting document type:
- Letters - Demand letters, cease-and-desist, pre-litigation correspondence
- Contracts - Settlement agreements, retainer agreements, service contracts
- Litigation - Complaints, answers, motions, briefs
2. Connect Resources
Attach existing work to give Leyla context:
- Parent Cases - Base new filings on previous documents (e.g., amended complaint from original)
- Reference Casefiles - Pull facts from client evidence (tickets, notices, contracts)
- Briefcases - Apply template language and standard clauses
3. Let AI Draft
Leyla analyzes your attached resources and structures arguments:
- Extracts facts from casefiles (dates, parties, amounts, events)
- Applies briefcase templates and standard language
- Structures pleadings according to jurisdiction rules
- Suggests legal theories based on attached research
4. Edit Collaboratively
Use the secure collaborative text editor to:
- Review and refine AI-generated drafts
- Share editing access with co-counsel or paralegals
- Track changes and version history
- Add custom sections and specialized language
5. Finalize and Export
Finalize your case to generate:
- Court-ready PDFs with proper formatting
- Blockchain-certified documents for authenticity
- Notarized copies through integrated services
- Secure encrypted exports for client delivery
Quality Control
AI drafting accelerates your workflow but doesn't replace attorney judgment. Always review, fact-check, and customize AI-generated content to meet professional responsibility standards. Leyla is your assistant, not your substitute.
Start now: How to Start a Case
Deep Dive: Three Ways to Build Your Case
Once you've started a case, there are three methods to develop it:
- Build with AI - Talk to Leyla in Co-Create for conversational case building
- Build with Forms - Use the Project Details Dialog to edit case variables directly
- Build with Text Editor - Write and refine documents with AI-assisted editing
Evidence Organization Built for Lawyers
Casefiles are secure containers for client evidence, discovery materials, court filings, and work product. Unlike traditional document management systems, Laymans casefiles are designed to feed directly into AI-assisted drafting.
Professional casefile capabilities:
| Feature | How Attorneys Use It |
|---|---|
| Mass Upload | Bulk upload discovery documents with automatic organization |
| UniCourt Integration | Search and attach real court records directly to cases |
| Video Conferencing | Meet with clients securely in casefile-specific rooms |
| Public Records Access | Pull official government documents as evidence |
| AI Fact Extraction | Leyla reads attached casefiles and auto-populates case drafts with extracted facts |
| Client Sharing | Clients upload their own evidence to casefiles before you're even hired |
Why this matters for your practice:
Client intake is automated. When a new client contacts you, they can create a casefile and upload relevant documents (lease agreements, court notices, correspondence) before your first meeting. You review organized evidence instead of scattered emails.
Discovery becomes searchable. Upload hundreds of pages of discovery documents. Leyla indexes content, making it searchable and referenceable when drafting motions and briefs.
Court filings stay current. Pull real-time court records through UniCourt integration. Attach docket entries, opposing counsel filings, and court orders directly to your cases.
Start now: What is a Casefile? | Create a Casefile
Client Collaboration Without the Chaos
Traditional legal practice keeps clients at arm's length - they email questions, wait for updates, and feel disconnected from their own cases. Laymans flips this model.
How client collaboration works:
Shared Case Access
Clients see their own cases in real-time:
- Current document drafts (with permission controls)
- Attached evidence and casefiles
- Case status and next steps
- Billing and payment information
You control what they see and when. Mark sections as "attorney work product" to keep strategy confidential while sharing relevant updates.
Secure Communication
Built-in messaging within cases:
- No more scattered email threads
- All communication attached to relevant case
- Video conferencing for remote consultations
- Encrypted end-to-end for confidentiality
Client Self-Service
Empower clients to help themselves:
- Upload new evidence as it emerges
- Review and approve draft documents
- Make payments directly through case portal
- Access educational seminars relevant to their issue
Benefits for your practice:
Reduced administrative burden - Clients answer intake questions, upload documents, and track their own case status without calling your office.
Higher client satisfaction - Transparency builds trust. Clients who can see their case progress are happier clients.
Faster case resolution - When clients can upload evidence immediately (photos of property damage, screenshots of harassment), you act faster.
Practice Management & Revenue Generation
Beyond case management, Laymans helps you run and grow your practice:
Marketplace Presence
List your services in the Laymans marketplace:
- Transparent pricing - Clients see costs upfront, reducing fee disputes
- Practice area filters - Clients find you by location, issue type, and service
- Reputation building - Reviews and published content build trust
- Lead generation - Clients search Laymans first when they need help
Learn how: Advertise Your Services | Manage Services & Analytics
Payment Processing
Accept payments through integrated Stripe:
- Direct billing - Clients pay through case portals
- Campaign funding - Clients raise money via crowdfunding, you receive payment when services are purchased
- Case fund financing - Third-party funders finance client cases, you get paid upfront
- Transparent ledger - Track legal fees and expenses in real-time
Setup guide: Use Stripe with Laymans
Educational Content & Thought Leadership
Publish seminars to:
- Demonstrate expertise in your practice areas
- Provide value to potential clients before they hire you
- Generate passive income from educational content
- Build community around legal issues you care about
Learn how: What is a Seminar? | Create a Seminar
Security & Compliance
Legal professionals require enterprise-grade security. Laymans delivers:
| Security Feature | Implementation |
|---|---|
| End-to-End Encryption | First-time encryption ensures only you and authorized parties access sensitive data |
| Blockchain Verification | Document verification services prove authenticity and detect tampering |
| Multi-Device Security | Encrypt secondary devices while maintaining access across your practice |
| Backup & Recovery | Re-encrypt from backup if devices are lost or compromised |
| Access Controls | Granular permissions for co-counsel, paralegals, and clients |
Getting Started as a Legal Professional
| Step | Action | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Create your professional account | Start Registration |
| 2 | Set up encryption | First-Time Encryption |
| 3 | Build your organization profile | Setup Your Organization |
| 4 | List your services in marketplace | Advertise Services |
| 5 | Create your first briefcase template | Make a Briefcase |
| 6 | Start managing cases | Start a Case |
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Laymans different from Clio or MyCase?
Traditional case managers like Clio and MyCase are comprehensive practice management suites focused on billing, time tracking, and document storage. They're powerful but expensive ($50-200/month/user) and have steep learning curves.
Laymans focuses specifically on case creation and client collaboration. We're not trying to replace your billing software - we're trying to make drafting, evidence organization, and client communication dramatically faster through AI and intelligent automation.
Key differences:
- AI-first: Leyla drafts documents from your evidence, not just templates
- Client-facing: Clients can use Laymans independently, bringing organized cases to you
- Community-driven: Marketplace generates leads; movements organize collective action
- Affordable: Flat-rate pricing instead of per-seat licensing
- Interoperable: Export to any format, integrate with your existing tools
If you need comprehensive practice management with trust accounting and CRM, use Clio. If you want AI-assisted drafting with client collaboration, use Laymans. Many attorneys use both.
Can I use Laymans alongside my existing case management system?
Absolutely. Many attorneys use Laymans specifically for document drafting and client intake, then export finalized work to their primary case manager (Clio, MyCase, Smokeball, etc.).
Common workflow:
- Client creates casefile on Laymans, uploads evidence
- You review organized evidence, start a case
- Leyla drafts documents from attached casefiles
- You edit, finalize, and export PDFs
- Import exported documents to your primary case manager
- Use primary system for billing, calendaring, and time tracking
Laymans complements existing systems by handling the parts traditional case managers struggle with: AI drafting, client collaboration, and evidence organization.
How does billing work? Can I track time?
Laymans handles payments through Stripe integration but is NOT a time-tracking or billing platform. We focus on flat-fee and unbundled services rather than hourly billing.
What Laymans does:
- Accept direct payments from clients through case portals
- Process campaign funds when clients crowdfund their legal fees
- Facilitate case fund financing from third-party funders
- Track expenses associated with specific cases
What Laymans doesn't do:
- Time tracking for hourly billing
- Trust accounting and IOLTA compliance
- Invoice generation with detailed time entries
- Client billing statements
If you bill hourly, continue using your existing system (Clio, QuickBooks, etc.). If you offer flat-fee or unbundled services, Laymans payment processing may be sufficient.
Is Laymans secure enough for sensitive client data?
Yes. Laymans uses the same security standards as major legal tech platforms:
- End-to-end encryption - Data encrypted at rest and in transit
- Blockchain verification - Tamper-proof document authentication
- Zero-knowledge architecture - We can't access your encrypted data even if compelled
- SOC 2 compliant infrastructure - Enterprise-grade security controls
- Regular security audits - Third-party penetration testing
You control access permissions. Mark documents as attorney work product to restrict client access. Use multi-factor authentication and device encryption for added security.
Compliance: Laymans helps you meet professional responsibility rules for client confidentiality. However, you're responsible for following your jurisdiction's specific ethics rules regarding technology and client data.
How many clients can I manage with briefcases?
There's no hard limit. Attorneys have used single briefcases to manage hundreds of clients with similar legal issues.
Typical use cases:
- Solo practitioners: 10-50 clients per practice area briefcase
- Small firms: 50-200 clients across multiple briefcases
- Legal aid organizations: 500+ clients for high-volume issues (evictions, debt collection defense, etc.)
Performance stays fast even with large client counts because briefcases use intelligent indexing and AI-assisted batch processing.
Pro tip: Create separate briefcases for different case types (e.g., "Unlawful Eviction Defense," "Wage Theft Claims," "Disability Discrimination") to keep clients organized by practice area.
Support & Training
- Documentation: You're already here - explore How to Manage guides
- Search: Find guides quickly
- Settings: Customize your experience
- Navigation: Get around efficiently
Ready to transform your practice? Create your professional account and start managing cases smarter, not harder.