ImpactAlpha, May 22 – Many law firms require attorneys to provide 50 hours per year of pro bono services for disadvantaged communities, communities of color and other underserved groups.
Paladin’s platform is intended to help legal services firms manage their pro bono engagements with a dashboard that tracks projects, logs hours, and tallies social impact. Harlem, based in New York, is investing an undisclosed amount in Paladin. “I had personally experienced the pain of well-meaning, but terribly managed pro bono services that often end up costing you more money than it saves you,” says Harlem Capital’s John Henry.
- Nonprofit provider… Pro Bono Manager software from the nonprofit Pro Bono Net provides similar services as Paladin’s platform. It has been used by 15 major law firms over the last decade.
- Diversity emphasis… Harlem Capital makes early stage investments with a diversity lens. Its portfolio of six investments is 65% minority led and 50% woman-led. Paladin is a Latina-run company.
Harlem has also backed Blavity, a media company targeting black millennials and Beauty Bakerie, a cosmetics company for women and girls of color.
