Association of Corporate Counsel and Paladin team up to promote pro bono engagement in-house

The Association of Corporate Counsel and pro bono platform Paladin have teamed up to promote pro bono engagement among in-house corporate attorneys, as legal teams look to scale up their efforts in line with ESG initiatives.

Through the partnership, Paladin, which recently announced an $8m Series A, will provide training and education to ACC members on scaling their internal pro bono programmes, 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.

“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.

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. The company currently works with a number of Fortune 500s across the financial services, technology, and insurance industries to streamline their case work.

“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.”