Paladin, the leading legal technology company powering pro bono engagement across law firms, in-house legal teams, and legal services organizations, is thrilled to announce the launch of a pro bono platform designed specifically for law schools and their students. The platform will make it easier than ever for law school administrators to centralize and manage their pro bono and public interest programs at scale, and for students to create a meaningful and organized record of their volunteer experience. It will also set the foundation for engaging alumni, and partnering with law firms and corporate teams on pro bono in the future.
Paladin developed the new platform through close collaboration with leaders at 30 leading law schools, including Harvard Law School, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Stanford Law School, and UCLA School of Law.
The new platform adds value to both the administrator and students’ experience:
- Administrators can expand offerings to include more nationwide and remote pro bono opportunities; broaden connections for student relationship-building and mentoring; and track more granular data about their pro bono programs’ impact.
- Students can track professional skills and community impact in one place, as well as visualize progress toward pro bono hour targets for honors distinctions, participation pledges, or state bar requirements.
“At Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, pro bono work is a cornerstone of our commitment to public service and to training the next generation of lawyers to advance justice. By co-developing a platform that meets the real needs of law students, administrators, and legal services organizations, we’re making it easier for students to find meaningful opportunities, for administrators to track and support their work, and for community partners to connect with capable and passionate volunteers,” says Leah Gould, Assistant Dean of Public Interest at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
Similar to how Paladin works with law firms, the new platform will offer a centralized portal where students can browse, sign up for, and track vetted pro bono and volunteer opportunities across over 350 legal services providers. It will also include a new feature for students to log their hours for pro bono and clinical experience in one place, creating an individual pro bono portfolio to showcase their real-world experiences for employers. For administrators, Paladin will offer in-depth dashboards for tracking student participation, coordinating opportunities, and generating detailed reports. Paladin is also offering free accounts to student groups and legal services organizations to better manage student clinics, externships, and community outreach programs in a unified way.
The Association of American Law Schools reported that in 2024, nearly 19,000 law students contributed at least 4.7 million hours to pro bono legal services. However, most of this information was tracked via a combination of handwritten forms, spreadsheets, and online job boards. “We are excited about the potential of Paladin to consolidate many administrative aspects for students and for our pro bono team. Rather than using multiple platforms to promote pro bono opportunities, track hours, and send out newsletters, Paladin offers the potential for these functions to happen on one single platform,” says Erin Han, Director of the Judge Rand Schrader Pro Bono Program at UCLA School of Law.
For law schools, pro bono is also a powerful vehicle for professional development. As AI and document automation are quickly changing the landscape of how junior attorneys are trained, there is simply no substitute for real-world experience. “One of the best introductions to the practice of law that we can offer our students is through opportunities to engage in pro bono legal assistance. Not only does pro bono give students the chance to learn about the legal needs in the community and use their growing skills to provide meaningful help, but it also helps students develop a deeper understanding of their career interests and goals while also building practical, substantive legal skills,” says Laura Burstein, Assistant Dean for Public Interest & Pro Bono at SMU Dedman School of Law.
For the community, pro bono volunteers are also critical to serving low-income clients with urgent legal needs. “Having a central database of pro bono related opportunities can greatly help our students provide support to nonprofits across the country and expand their understanding of various access to justice needs. Aligned with our values at Denver Law, this partnership has the potential to grow meaningful connections among students and legal service providers, hopefully planting seeds for students’ lifelong commitment to service and pro bono,” says Prof. Alexi Freeman, Director of Externships and Social Justice Initiatives at University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
Law schools involved with the co-development include:
- Albany Law School
- Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
- Belmont University College of Law
- Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Tech
- Emory University School of Law
- Georgetown University Law Center
- George Washington University Law School
- Harvard Law School
- Lewis & Clark Law School
- Marquette University Law School
- Minnesota Justice Foundation
- New York Law School
- Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
- Oklahoma City University School of Law
- Seattle University School of Law
- SMU Dedman School of Law
- Stanford Law School
- St. John’s University School of Law
- UCLA School of Law
- University of Denver Sturm College of Law
- University of Kansas School of Law
- University of Nebraska College of Law
- University of Wisconsin Law School
- Vanderbilt Law School
“Law students are eager to make a difference and build professional legal skills, and we want to empower them with tools that match those goals,” said Kristen Sonday, Co-Founder and CEO of Paladin. “This new platform will support students in gaining real-world experience while giving back to their communities, and give schools the essential infrastructure to support, track, and celebrate that work.”
Schools interested in learning more about the platform can visit joinpaladin.com, read our one sheet here, or reach out directly to [email protected].
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
