Robin, we’re thrilled to have you on board!
Tell us about your background.
Throughout my career as an IT professional, I have been able to work within multiple varied industries, including non-profit healthcare, academia, and most recently marketing & customer data. Working primarily within technical support and training, I love tackling complex technical problems and empowering end-users to utilize technology competently and with confidence.
What drew you to Paladin?
Paladin’s mission and work to assist the most underserved and underrepresented members of our communities appealed to me greatly. Knowing that I will be assisting law firms in extending their reach to under-served and under-represented individuals within the justice system gives me a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment in my work. I am looking forward to adding my knowledge and skills to an already passionate and intelligent team to help Paladin continue to grow and succeed!
Why is access to justice important to you?
I believe that equality and equity is implicitly necessary in a society that values the rights and freedoms of every individual living within it. Access to justice is an essential component to an equitable system, and representation being easily available only to those who can afford it is unconscionable to me. Any decision made by the justice system will have a massive impact on the lives of those who interact with it, and expanding that access for vulnerable populations is important to continuing to build a more equitable and just society.
Desert island: one album, one book, one movie.
Album: Stereotype A by Cibo Matto
Book: Dune by Frank Herbert
Movie: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Which GIF best represents how you feel about building justice?
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.
More from Kristen
