Paladin also used his platform to offer pro bono work to Ukrainians. In April, it launched Ukraine`s help portal, which can offer Ukrainians pro bono services such as refugee and immigration applications, as well as information on housing and labour rights. “Our vision is to empower and mobilize legal teams globally to help more people in need, and we`re excited to see more companies investing in ways to help their teams and communities better connect,” Kristen Sonday, CEO of Paladin, told legal media outlet LawNext. “We are honored to build the world`s first infrastructure to develop pro bono connections and look forward to working with our new investors to support even more people who can help. Sonday said the company`s corporate partners in the U.S. have asked to expand the platform globally, which they say speaks to the value they see in streamlining their volunteer programs through Paladin, as well as the need for innovation in the pro bono ecosystem. In other Paladin news, the company recently helped two states, Colorado and Indiana, launch pro bono portals, bringing the number of state portals it supports to seven. Harlem Capital is pleased to announce its investment in Paladin, the legal technology startup that aims to make pro bono services more efficient. The mission-driven team, led by two women, Felicity Conrad and Kristen Sonday, is passionate about closing the justice gap in the justice system.
Paladin, which makes software to connect lawyers in law firms and corporations with pro bono work, announced Tuesday that it has raised an $8 million Series A that included support for billionaire Mark Cuban. In Colorado, Succession to Service, a pilot program of the Colorado Attorney Mentoring Program (CAMP), partnered with Paladin to launch a national online pro bono opportunities portal in August. Through the portal, Succession to Service will connect volunteer lawyers with their communities through local legal aid organizations to help Colorado residents get legal assistance. Paladin said Clifford Chance, who nearly doubled his annual volunteer hours in his first year partnering with Paladin in the U.S., will be a key partner in the launch. “We believe in not only doing good, but also being smart the way we do, and Paladin is the perfect partner for any law firm pursuing the same goals,” said Tom Dunn, Pro Bono Director of Clifford Chance. “With just a few clicks, Paladin is best suited for those with skills they want to offer to those who need them, so everyone is better off.” Volunteer work in the legal world is extremely important for lawyers to gain experience, but it is also an act of charity for those who cannot afford a lawyer or legal services. A Chicago tech startup wants to make it easier for lawyers to find pro bono jobs and recently secured new funding. Founded in 2015, the startup`s platform allows lawyers and law firms to find pro bono work.
Through the platform, legal organizations can post pro bono opportunities, which are then picked up by lawyers. Paladin`s goal is “to improve access to justice by helping legal teams manage more effective pro bono programs,” said Kristen Sonday, co-founder and CEO. “As soon as I heard about Paladin, I knew I wanted to work with them somehow,” says John Henry, venture capital partner at Harlem Capital. “I had personally experienced the pain of well-intentioned but terribly run pro bono services that often cost you more money than you saved,” says Henry, who met with Paladin co-founder Kristen Sonday at a group dinner of Latino founders hosted by the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Enter Paladin. Their platform streamlines pro bono management for legal teams, allowing them to track charity projects, assign tasks to lawyers, and seamlessly record contributed hours, notes, and more. Legal aid organizations use free versions of Paladin software to enter pro bono cases into their system, Sonday said. Lawyers from law firms, corporate legal teams and bar associations who work with Paladin can search for and screen pro bono opportunities and track engagements on the platform, she said. Paladin, a legal technology firm whose platform enables law firms and legal aid organizations to streamline and manage their pro bono programs and opportunities, is expanding from the United States to the United Kingdom. Lawyers are responsible for dedicating 50+ hours per year to providing pro bono services (over 50% of legal staff reported volunteering in 2016). However, the pro bono department of many law firms has traditionally been underserved by technology, resulting in manual and inefficient processes.
As a result, cumbersome spreadsheets are the primary method currently used to track hundreds of thousands of pro bono hours recorded each year. disproportionate impact on communities of color. Paladin works with major law firms such as Dentons, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, McDermott Will & Emery and Clifford Chance. Legal teams at companies such as Verizon and Dell Technologies Inc. also use the Chicago-based company`s pro bono management platform. With this expansion, NGO partners, charities and clearing houses in London and Newcastle will be able to use a free version of the Paladin platform to post pro bono and community outreach opportunities as they present themselves for referral via a central dashboard. Pro bono work is charitable work done free of charge by law firms. The work is typically done by law students to gain practical experience while continuing to train for their careers, and is typically done for individuals or organizations that cannot obtain legal services. The American Bar Association also says lawyers should do at least 50 hours of pro bono work per year.