Crowdfunding - a method of online fundraising popular in the media and technology world - comes to the legal sector tomorrow.

CrowdJustice, described as the first litigation crowdfunding platform in the UK, is due to go live tomorrow.

Founder Julia Salasky (pictured) says the website will fill a gap left by cuts to legal aid funding.

Salasky, a non-practising solicitor, formerly with magic circle firm Linklaters and the UN, says CrowdJustice will raise funds and build community engagement for 'public interest litigation'. Its first case will be an action brought by a Colombian trade unionist against a UK-based oil company. 

'CrowdJustice provides a platform for communities to come together to fund legal issues that they care about and that affect them,' she said. At the moment, cases are selected 'by invitation only,' she said. 'Whether it is going to be five or 1,000 cases we don't really know at the moment. We will try and pick cases that really capture the public imagination.'

The platform functions much like popular crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, with an 'all-or-nothing funding' model for projects. It will be at www.crowdjustice.co.uk.