Paladin, a prominent pro bono management platform, has partnered with the Practising Law Institute (PLI) to offer enhanced pro bono opportunities and training for law students. This collaboration aims to couple skills training with practical pro bono work, offering students a robust experience that is closely aligned with real-world legal practice.
The initiative allows students utilizing Paladin’s platform to access PLI’s extensive on-demand training programs. This can be particularly beneficial when students engage in pro bono matters like immigration clinics, elder benefits cases, or innocence project research. The targeted training from PLI aims to provide students with the requisite skills to efficiently manage these cases. Read more.
PLI, known for offering practical training at no cost to law students via its Law School Hub, provides resources on pro bono competencies, burgeoning AI applications in legal contexts, and various other legal practice areas. Complementing this, Paladin initiated its law school program in August 2025, involving 30 schools. Since then, students have taken on more than 5,600 pro bono cases through their platform.
Kristen Sonday, cofounder and CEO of Paladin, emphasizes the vital role of integrating legal training with practical pro bono experience in the evolving landscape of legal education. She highlighted the need for real-world experiences given the rapid changes in legal tasks, particularly with AI advancements. Sonday praised Paladin’s partnership with PLI, suggesting that it marks a new era in experiential learning for law students.
Additionally, Kirsten Talmage, PLI’s Chief Strategy Officer, describes the partnership as a strategic move to aid law schools in providing vital practical training. She advocates that such synergy not only strengthens students’ skills but also fosters empathy, enhances community bonds, and augments their overall sense of purpose and satisfaction in their legal careers.
Paladin boasts connections with over 350 legal services organizations and facilitates partnerships with law firms, corporate legal departments, and bar associations seeking pro bono engagements. By bridging the gap between pro bono initiatives and formal legal training, this partnership sets a promising precedent for future legal education reforms.