Dentons, the world's largest law firm, today announced a partnership with Paladin, a pro bono platform with a mission to increase access to justice, to adapt Paladin's cutting-edge software to streamline law firm pro bono programs, led by Nextlaw Labs.

The partnership will engage stakeholders across law firms and legal service organizations to deliver a solution that intelligently refers and manages law firm pro bono. Paladin’s streamlined process will help Dentons, and other firms, continue to deliver rewarding pro bono opportunities to its lawyers with increased efficiency and real-time communication.

"Our commitment to creating social value in the communities in which our lawyers and professionals live and work is longstanding and has only deepened as we continue to expand," said Ben Weinberg, pro bono partner at Dentons. "The scope of our work, coupled with our steadfast commitment to innovation, are key drivers in our enthusiasm to partner with Paladin on this tool." With more people in more locations than any other law firm in the world, Dentons' ability to support and contribute to communities around the globe is unmatched.

Through the relationship with Paladin, Dentons becomes the first law firm to join top in-house legal teams such as Verizon and Lyft in its commitment to innovation in pro bono service. “We are thrilled to partner with Dentons, a leading firm in pro bono and innovation,” said Kristen Sonday, Paladin’s co-founder and COO. “We are working closely with their team to develop a product that will engage their lawyers and pave the way to meaningfully increase access to justice.”

Nextlaw Labs, Dentons' legal technology accelerator and innovation consultancy, facilitated the collaboration between Dentons and Paladin to launch a law firm–focused version of the platform. Paladin’s software, which until now has been focused on in-house lawyers, has groundbreaking potential not only to shape how the private bar provides pro bono service, but to increase the volume of public service contribution that lawyers can provide globally.

Given the growing volume of pro bono cases in the US, there has been a recent surge in lawyers taking on pro bono work to address critical needs in their communities, from immigration work to women’s rights and criminal justice. Pro bono is one of the fastest-growing segments of corporate social responsibility. Beyond impact, legal employers are also investing in pro bono programs to boost recruitment, improve employee satisfaction and retention, create marketing content and strengthen business development relationships.

"To execute the Nextlaw Labs vision of innovating the delivery of legal services in the pro bono realm is extremely gratifying," said John Fernandez, Dentons Global Chief Innovation Officer and Global Chair of Nextlaw Labs. "As Nextlaw Labs sought solutions to answer challenges in the pro bono arena, we knew we'd found a terrific partner in Paladin based on our shared mission of leveraging and adapting technology to reinvent the business of law."

About Nextlaw Labs

Nextlaw Labs is an industry-leading global legal technology accelerator and innovation consultancy. Nextlaw Labs leverages technology to reinvent the business and practice of law and is committed to delivering innovation as a service. Nextlaw Labs is an autonomous, wholly owned subsidiary of global law firm Dentons and the first legal tech venture created by a law firm. www.nextlawlabs.com

About Paladin

Paladin’s mission is to increase access to justice by helping legal teams maximize their pro bono programs. They work with in-house legal teams, law schools and law firms to centralize pro bono opportunities, increase engagement, and capture outcomes and impact. Thus far, Paladin has helped facilitate work with LGBT refugees, domestic violence survivors, and low-income entrepreneurs, among others. Paladin is based in New York with an office in Chicago, where they were part of last year’s Techstars class. For more information, please visit www.joinpaladin.com

About Dentons

Redefining possibilities. Together, everywhere. For more information visit dentons.com