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CrowdJustice raises $2M to let people crowdfund their legal battles
Legal battles can be incredibly expensive, which can make it difficult for the average Joe to take on governments or major corporations. U.K.-based startup CrowdJustice wants to fix that by allowing people to crowdfund their legal cases, and today the company announced that it has secured $2 million in seed funding to expand its platform.
The funding round was led by First Round Capital and Venrock, along with participation by new investor Bessemer and previous investor Kindred Capital.
Founded in 2015, CrowdJustice said it wants to democratize access to the legal system, and its goal is to “help make the law a powerful tool for everyone, not just a tool for the powerful.” Much like other personal fundraising platforms such as GoFundMe, CrowdJustice allows users to create a campaign page that explains their case and sets their crowdfunding goal. Other users can then pledge money to the campaign, and the pledges are only collected if the campaign reaches its goal by a set deadline. CrowdJustice also offers stretch goals for campaigns that exceed their initial target, which include bonuses such as the ability to hire expert witnesses or fund additional legal action.
CrowdJustice’s platform has already been used to fund a few high-profile court cases, including the “People’s Challenge” to Brexit, which raised more than $218,000, as well as a federal case against President Trump’s immigration ban, which raised $36,600.
“It’s never been a more important time to ensure that the law can be used by anyone, large or small, to defend and protect rights, or hold the government to account,” said founder Julia Salasky, who previously served as a United Nations lawyer. “At CrowdJustice our goal is to revolutionize how legal cases are organized and funded, level the playing field and democratize access to justice. Whether that’s a David bringing a case against a Goliath, or a non-profit holding the government to account, we want to give people access to the law.”
CrowdJustice has a number of different campaign categories for a wide range of social good cases, including environment, human rights, equality and others. The company plans to use its new funding to expand its platform, particularly in the U.S.
Photo: Phil Roeder Supreme Court of the United States via photopin (license)
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