Today, we are thrilled to share that we have teamed up with the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), the leading global legal association that promotes the common professional and business interests of in-house counsel, to promote pro bono engagement among in-house corporate attorneys.
“ACC is a leader in corporate counsel innovation, and as in-house teams look to scale their pro bono programs in alignment with company impact and ESG initiatives, we’re honored to be alongside them to empower that work,” said Kristen Sonday, Paladin’s Co-Founder and CEO.
Through the partnership, Paladin will provide training and education to ACC members on scaling their internal pro bono programs, as well as offer opportunities for in-house departments to engage with pro bono casework directly. ACC companies will receive a discount on Paladin’s pro bono management platform.
“Encouraging pro bono service is a core operating value for ACC and permeates everything that we do,” said Tori Payne, vice president and chief membership officer of ACC. “Through ACC’s chapters, networks, Foundation, and our 2022 Annual Meeting, we take every opportunity to discuss with our members how to grow a robust pro bono program and its importance to their law department, organization, and communities. I’m excited for this partnership with Paladin and the opportunities it will provide for our members in the years to come.”
Currently, about 92% of low-income individuals’ legal needs in the United States are inadequately or not met, even though every lawyer has a professional responsibility from the American Bar Association to complete 50 hours of pro bono legal work per year. While in-house teams are typically supportive of pro bono work, it can be time consuming and manual to set up and maintain a formal pro bono program, which is where Paladin comes in.
We could not be more excited about collaborating with ACC to encourage even more in-house teams to build out their pro bono programs during such a time of need.
Kristen Sonday CEO, Paladin
Kristen Sonday
Kristen is the Co-Founder and CEO at Paladin. As a first generation-college Princeton graduate, Kristen first witnessed how complicated our judicial system is to navigate while at the U.S. Department of Justice conducting international criminal work in Mexico and Central America. As one of the few Latinos on the team, she saw the immense value of having an advocate with you throughout the legal process, which inspired her to want to build something to increase access for those in diverse communities. After DOJ, she joined the Founding Team of YC-backed Grouper, where she learned how to build a startup from the ground up. In addition to Paladin, Kristen Co-Chairs the Legal Services Corporation’s Emerging Leaders Council and is a partner at LongJump, investing in overlooked founders in the Chicago area.
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