How attorneys use PayIt2 to fund the cases no one else will touch
Five law firms. $2.9 million raised. Each came to PayIt2 looking for the same thing: a fundraising platform that wouldn't remove a controversial defense case under media or activist pressure. That is what they found, and that is why they kept using it.
Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP
A nine-attorney criminal defense firm in Los Angeles that has raised more than $2.5 million on PayIt2 across three campaigns and two cases, including some of the most publicized criminal trials in the country.
Three campaigns. Two cases. $2.5M raised.
Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP has run three separate campaigns on PayIt2 across two high-profile cases, with both running simultaneously without interference. Both reached large donor communities through national media coverage without the campaigns ever being taken down.
The Karen Read defense raised $1.13M across 14,435 donors through two trials, a mistrial, and nearly three years of relentless public attention. A bilingual companion campaign raised an additional $1.34M reaching English and Spanish-speaking communities nationwide. A third campaign raised $70,950 for civil defense and accountability proceedings.
One firm, one account, every case
WJQ runs three campaigns from a single attorney account: the original Karen Read criminal defense, a bilingual companion fund, and a separate civil defense and accountability campaign launched after the acquittal. Each one routes to firm-controlled accounts. None required a separate setup or a separate approval.
For a firm that handles defense work where fundraising needs to be ready to spin up quickly, the platform is built to be reused. Launch a new campaign in minutes when the next case comes in, manage every active fund from one login, and keep them running for as long as the case requires.
Different firms. Different cases. Same platform.
The remaining four firms range from a solo practitioner raising $5,000 for a post-conviction appeal to a New York co-counsel firm raising $138,000 for a high-profile murder case. Each picked PayIt2 because it fit a specific requirement of the case in front of them, from bilingual donor outreach to long-arc post-conviction work.
Chaudhry Law PLLC
Chaudhry Law ran a fully bilingual campaign in English and Spanish, with legal disclaimers in both languages throughout. A model for how attorney-organized campaigns reach multilingual communities without a separate platform or tool.
Sapone & Petrillo LLP
A New York-based criminal defense firm that ran the Joram Nunez Defense Fund directly under the firm's account. The campaign raised six figures from a community with strong personal ties to the defendant, with the law firm visible to donors as the organizer of record rather than a separate family-run page.
David R. Hennessy Law Office
Indiana-based attorney David Hennessy used PayIt2 to raise funds specifically for expert witnesses in the Richard Allen case, the Delphi murders prosecution that has drawn national attention. The campaign was narrowly targeted - raising the money needed for expert testimony, not general legal expenses - and reached its goal from donors following the case closely.
Zernhelt Law
Attorney Matthew Zernhelt used PayIt2 for post-conviction proceedings in the Pamela Smart case. Smart has been imprisoned since 1991; Zernhelt is working on claims related to trial errors in her original conviction. The campaign raised funds specifically for new legal proceedings, reaching donors who have followed the case for decades.
What every one of these firms gets from PayIt2
Five firms, four states, cases ranging from a post-conviction appeal to a national-coverage murder trial. The cases are different. The features the firms rely on are largely the same.
- A platform that won't remove your case Mainstream crowdfunding platforms have removed legal defense funds for high-profile cases under media or activist pressure. PayIt2 has no political review process, so opposing counsel and a press complaint cannot take a fund offline mid-trial.
- The law firm as organizer of record Attorneys, not families or supporters, create and manage the campaign. Donors see the firm's name. Funds route directly to firm-controlled accounts. Average donation, donor consistency, and campaign lifespan are all higher when the attorney is on the page.
- Bilingual campaign pages out of the box Several firms here run fully bilingual campaigns in English and Spanish, with legal disclaimers in both languages. There is no separate tool, plugin, or paid add-on. Write the page the way you would write a brief.
- One account for every case the firm handles Multiple campaigns under a single attorney login. Spin up a fund in minutes for a new matter without rebuilding the account, and keep older campaigns active as long as the case requires. WJQ runs three campaigns this way; Zernhelt opened a fund years after the original conviction.
- Funds in the firm's control Money routes to the firm's bank account or a designated client account. No intermediary holds the balance pending review. Reporting, donor records, and reconciliation are clean enough for trust accounting and any court-related disclosures.
- Stripe-backed donor checkout Donors pay through Stripe, the same checkout used by major retailers. The professional payment experience matters when the campaign is being shared in national news coverage and donors are looking it up before they give.
What attorneys actually need from a fundraising platform
Legal defense fundraising has different requirements than a typical crowdfunding campaign. The cases are longer. The scrutiny is higher. The donors are more engaged. Here's what every firm on this list depends on PayIt2 to handle.
- Campaigns that stay up. A legal defense fund can run for years. PayIt2 does not remove campaigns based on the political nature of a case, the public controversy around a defendant, or pressure from media coverage. The Karen Read fund ran through two trials and a mistrial without interruption.
- No approval process. Attorneys can launch a campaign in minutes. There's no review committee, no content policy applied to the subject matter of the case, and no requirement to justify why a client deserves public support.
- Attorney controls the funds. Money routes directly to the law firm's bank account or a designated client account. No intermediary holds the funds pending a review of how they'll be spent.
- Bilingual campaign pages. Write the page in any language. PayIt2 does not require English-only campaigns. Several firms on this list ran full English and Spanish campaigns with legal disclaimers in both languages throughout.
- Multiple campaigns under one account. WJQ ran three separate campaigns from the same attorney account. Firms don't need to create a new account for each case - they can manage all their campaigns from one login.
- Stripe-backed payment processing. Donors pay via credit card through Stripe. Professional checkout experience trusted by donors who may be contributing to a high-profile case they've followed in the news for months.
- Transparent donor records. Attorneys can see who donated, when, and how much. Full reporting for the firm's records, accounting, and any court-related disclosure requirements.
- No platform fee on top of Stripe. PayIt2's fee structure is straightforward. Attorneys know what the platform costs before they launch.
From a solo practitioner to a 9-attorney firm, the platform works the same
The smallest fund on this list raised $5,259 for a post-conviction appeal. The largest raised $2.5 million across two trials of a national-coverage case. The setup is the same. The fee structure is the same. The control over your funds is the same. A solo attorney has the same access to the platform as a 9-attorney firm in the middle of a national news story.
If you haven't set up a defense fund before
The firms above have raised $2.9 million on PayIt2, so the question of whether the platform works is already answered. The questions worth your time: which case to start with, how quickly you need the funds available, and how you want the money to route into your firm.
Setup is roughly thirty minutes. There is no application, no review committee, and no policy review of your client or your case. Once the fund is live, donors can give immediately, and funds clear into the firm's designated account on the standard Stripe payout schedule.
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