ROUND ROCK, TX, June 11, 2019 — Dell has announced its decision to work with Paladin, an innovative pro bono platform whose mission is to increase access to justice, to provide Dell attorneys with an easy way to find and take on pro bono opportunities that are well-suited to their skills and preferences. Dell will also leverage Paladin’s platform for its attorneys to seamlessly collaborate on pro bono work with outside counsels Baker Botts and Fish & Richardson.
Dell has a strong history of pro bono and commitment to volunteerism from Dell’s leadership team. Their Round Rock team leads a monthly clinic in partnership with Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas where Dell lawyers help people facing landlord/tenant and eviction issues, draft wills, assist with divorce and domestic violence cases, aid in bankruptcy issues, and more. Dell also works closely with American Gateways in Austin in preparing immigrants for credible fear interviews and assisting with asylum cases. Additionally, Dell and law firm partner Baker Botts work with Disability Rights Texas to provide legal services to children with disabilities and chronic health conditions who have been denied medically necessary treatment. In Boston, attorneys regularly work with PAIR on immigration work, and host working lunches where they answer the American Bar Association’s Free Legal Answers hotline together.
“At Dell Legal, we strongly believe in giving back to the communities in which we live and work. Paladin will enable us to more easily publicize to our team members the many pro bono needs that exist. That, in turn, will lead to greater engagement.”
– Scott Kearns, Senior Legal Director at Dell.
Baker Botts has a long history of providing legal services in the communities in which its employees live and work. On average, Baker Botts attorneys spend 30,000 hours per year on pro bono causes, including through providing immigration and asylum assistance, advocating for veterans seeking benefits, counseling non-profits, and assisting children and families in need.
By partnering, in-house and law firm teams not only amplify their impact, but also further their business relationships and shared values.
For example, Baker Botts recently found two Dell lawyers through Paladin’s system to join them on upcoming asylum cases, adding valuable skills and resources to its team.
“By working together with our clients’ in-house lawyers, we strengthen our existing working relationships with those lawyers,” said Scott Powers, Chair of the Pro Bono Committee for Baker Botts’ Austin, Texas office. “More importantly, our pro bono clients obtain the benefit of the skills and knowledge of the talented in-house lawyers with whom we have had the good fortune to work so closely over the years,” added Mr. Powers.
Pro bono work is also an integral part of the professional culture at Fish & Richardson. The firm strongly encourages all of its legal professionals to take on pro bono matters. In 2018, Fish lawyers donated over 19,000 pro bono hours, representing an average of 54 hours per lawyer. Fish sees their volunteer work as a crucial part of providing access to justice to all, and represents clients on a wide range of matters including immigration, patent and intellectual property, and civil rights work.
”Fish is pleased to deepen its relationship with Dell through its ongoing pro bono collaboration. In addition to helping Dell accomplish its pro bono objectives through the support of the Fish team, this partnership brings more lawyers together to do more of the important work needed to help clients in need.”
– Larry Kolodney, Principal and Chair of Fish’s pro bono program.
Paladin’s streamlined process is designed to help Dell continue to deliver rewarding pro bono opportunities to their lawyers with increased efficiency and real-time visibility. “We’re thrilled to be working with Dell’s visionary legal team to support their pro bono work and facilitate opportunities for them to partner with outside counsel to help even more people in need,” said Kristen Sonday, Paladin’s Co-founder and COO.
About Dell
Dell Technologies is a global company that designs, develops, and manufactures personal computers and related technology. It was started by Michael Dell in 1984 from his University of Texas dorm room with a vision for how technology should be designed, manufactured, and sold. Today Dell empowers countries, communities, customers and people everywhere to use technology to realize their dreams. Dell’s purpose is to drive human progress, through greater access to better technology, for people with big ideas around the world. Customers trust Dell to deliver technology solutions that help them do and achieve more, whether they’re at home, work, school or anywhere in their world.
About Paladin
Paladin’s mission is to increase access to justice by helping legal teams maximize their pro bono programs. They work with law firms, in-house legal teams, and legal service organizations to centralize pro bono opportunities, increase engagement, and capture outcomes and impact. Paladin is based in New York, with an office in Chicago. For more information, please visit joinpaladin.com.
Dell Works with Paladin to Double Down on Pro Bono Efforts was originally published in Paladin on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.