‘I’m Not a Lawyer But’: Meet the content creator behind the TikTok account that explains celebrity trials

Using the phrase “I’m Not a Lawyer But …” as the username for her account and in the introduction of all of her videos, Goolsby gained notoriety for creating succinct videos explaining celebrity court cases. She doesn’t have a law degree, nor is she a journalist. But followers have gravitated to her as a layperson who posts daily recaps of court cases in a way that is quick and accessible.

Credit: Courtesy

Credit: Courtesy

A Spelman College alumnus and former Atlanta resident, Goolsby’s professional background is in TV programming, specifically children’s content. She worked at CNN and Cartoon Network in Atlanta before relocating to Los Angeles and working for Netflix. She was laid off by the streaming service in 2022.

“I had always been working in children’s content, but my heart’s interest has always been legal and cases,” she said.

During COVID, Goolsby and her sister Melissa Fredericks started the podcast “UnderReported” with the hopes of shedding light on crimes committed against Black women and girls. It was on this podcast that she first mentioned the murder trial of former Florida State University football player Travis Rudolph in 2023. Listeners expressed an interest in hearing more about the case, she said. Rudolph had been acquitted of four charges after a 2021 altercation and shooting at his Florida home that resulted in the death of one man.

So, Goolsby filmed a quick TikTok video about the not guilty verdict while headed to her birthday dinner.

“My sister voice noted me and she said, ‘You should start off by saying ‘I’m not a lawyer, but let me tell you about this case.’ And, so, I did. And that’s how it was born,” she said.

Goolsby only had about 500 followers at the time, but within hours, the video had received nearly 250,000 views.

In the age of TikTok, Goolsby is one of several content creators who have replaced traditional media or true crime shows about legal cases. Her video about Rudolph’s trial featured Goolsby giving a summary of the 2021 incident and subsequent trial in the same way one might recap something to a friend. It was accessible and lacked legal jargon or any sense of formality, setting it apart from similar content made by high-profile attorneys or reporters.

The full-time content creator said it didn’t take long for her to realize people were using her videos to understand legal matters. Later in the year, she purchased court documents and made a TikTok video about singer Cassie’s lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. The lawsuit, which was quickly settled, accused Combs of rape and physical abuse, among other things. In 2024, Combs was indicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

Goolsby said she tried to simply summarize the lawsuit without inserting any of her opinion when she first posted about it in 2024. “When I read [the lawsuit], I was like, ‘I want people to know what exactly is being claimed. . People should know the details of what is being said.’ I did that video with that in mind, and it went to like 14 million views,” she said.

That same year, Goolsby was one of the first people to interview jurors in the YSL case.

“I posted a video on TikTok, and I said, ‘If you were a juror and want to talk, holla at me,’” she said. “Within a very short period of time, I had an email, and it was like, ‘Hey, our family said that they love your coverage and they told us that you posted this video and that we are the person you should talk to.’ And, I was like, ‘Well, let’s talk.’”

Her interview with three of the jurors from the trial was streamed live on YouTube and has garnered nearly 150,000 views to date.

Goolsby said she tries to discuss these cases with a sense of integrity and credibility. “I take it very personally when people think that I have a side because, honestly, most times, I don’t. ”

In the process, Goolsby has amassed a group of supportive lawyers — some of whom were once involved in the high-profile cases she’s posted about — who are willing to help her understand complex legal issues. She’s started to make sure she reaches out to people on all sides of the cases she’s covering. “I’ve been thinking about saying, ‘OK, just remember this is one side. We’ll wait to hear from the other.’ Just something like that to remind people,” she said.

She monetizes her work through social media platforms and Patreon, where she publishes the legal documents she pays for to allow others to read them, too. Last year, she also created branded content for Hulu’s Atlanta-filmed legal drama “Reasonable Doubt.”

She said the A$AP Rocky trial earlier this year — during which the rapper was found not guilty of felony assault against a former friend — was one of the first court cases she was actually able to attend in person in its entirety. It wasn’t nearly as chaotic as attending the Combs trial, however. While she often purchases the daily transcripts and aggregates reporting of the federal court case, Goolsby said she’s flown to New York to attend several days of the court case in person. The content creator has created a TikTok folder with more than 40 videos that allows viewers to catch up on the trial in one place.

She’s hoping to attend again if Combs’ former chief of staff Kristina Khorram is called to testify and depending on who the defense calls as a witness. “I really want to hear the jury instructions (in person). (It’s) just the nerdy side of me, but also because that’s, of course, the stuff people need to know,” she said.

The content creator started making “I’m Not a Lawyer But” content while she was in-between jobs. Three years later, her legal content on TikTok has opened her eyes to a completely new career path.