Felicity Conrad (Paladin)
Felicity Conrad is an NYU Law grad and a true believer in the power of the legal system to improve the world. Not only did she enter law school wanting to “help people,” she walked away from top-tier, powerhouse firm Skadden Arps, and bet her career on it. Believing strongly that America’s 1.3 million lawyers already have what it takes to represent the unrepresented, she’s building a technology-enabled company to steer that raw problem-solving power toward scalable solutions.
Enter Paladin. Like many of the legal entrepreneurs we have interviewed in the annals of alt.legal, Felicity found that the traditional ways lawyers reach the under-represented are impactful, noble and worthy of praise, but ultimately fall way short. Simply put, in her view, while lawyers, as individuals, want to help people, the legal system (and profession) had no viable solution that could scale to the problem.
So, Felicity is structuring her solution in a different way. Paladin is a “benefit corporation,” meaning that while it is run for profit, it is “committed to having a social impact.” If this “benefit corporation” model proves successful in legal, it could open up the world of pro bono (and other legal problems) to the world of public investment. Once investors see dollar signs, I hope they empower more lawyers to bring their superior legal minds to the problem via the magic of technology.
This model has certainly worked in other industries. Companies like TOMS and Etsy came to mind for Felicity as examples of other businesses that drive a positive impact. Others, like glasses giant Warby Parker and its “buy a pair, give a pair program,” came to mind for me. Impacted world, happy investors. In this column we have always argued that anything that makes the legal system better, faster, cheaper, is an inherent good and a benefit for the world, but by making this benefit an explicit goal of the company, Felicity may draw much needed attention to the alt.legal world.
Finally, is it working? Well, Fast Company covered Paladin’s story in early March, noting that “demand for its service came faster, and with higher stakes, than the company might have imagined.” We look forward to watching Paladin in the future.
Enjoy the interview.
Joe Borstein: So tell me about Paladin, and your mission.
Felicity Conrad: At our heart, Paladin is about using technology to close the justice gap. We’re working to make pro bono easy, accessible and inspiring for legal employers and legal service organizations.
JB: What brought you here? Tell me about your journey from NYU Law to alt.legal entrepreneur.
FC: Like many lawyers (and contrary to most lawyer jokes!), I got into law to help people. But it wasn’t until I took on an asylum case as an associate that I tangibly experienced how law changes lives. In sharing my story with my lawyer friends, I realized that most hadn’t had a similar experience, and I became obsessed with changing that. Did you know that if America’s 1.3 million lawyers worked 50 hours a year of pro bono each, you’d have 65,000,000 hours? That is a powerful force for good that Paladin can help unlock.
JB: I bet our readers are curious about how you managed to keep one foot in the tech world while pulling all-nighters at a large law firm. How did you maintain that balance and find the right time to exit?
FC: Lawyers are a risk-averse bunch, and we tend to want our ducks in a row before doing something rash like starting a tech company. But while I’m a lawyer, I’m also an optimist and closet tech nerd. So, after I shared my vision of Paladin — and closing the justice gap — with enough experts in the pro bono and startup worlds, I knew it was time to spring into action! As for balancing it all, I can’t pretend I’ve figured it out. Paladin is all-encompassing, but the mission makes it worth it.
JB: So let’s talk tech. How does Paladin work, and how deep down the rabbit hole did you dive in terms of personally building the technology (versus hiring designers and developers)?
FC: Paladin helps law firms, in-house legal teams and law schools reduce the administrative costs of pro bono to improve outcomes. We deliver personalized opportunities from partner legal aid organizations, streamline coordination, and automate tracking. Our clients can work together on larger projects or legal clinics, and create content highlighting success stories. Although I’m a lawyer and entrepreneur, I’m certainly not an engineer! So while we did a full six-months of research before developing the platform, it was built by Paladin’s talented CTO, Matt Tucker, and a team of engineers.
JB: So Paladin is designed to promote pro bono and increase access to justice. That said, it is a for-profit business. How do you balance the desire to better the world with the need to make your investors happy?
FC: We’re inspired by companies like TOMS and Etsy, whose businesses drive impact, and we think there is huge potential to use similar models in law. To ensure accountability, we incorporated as a benefit corporation and are committed to having a social impact.
JB: Any last words of encouragement (or warning!) for would-be legal entrepreneurs out there? How about all those hardworking, do-gooder lawyers who are not familiar with how technology can help solve the problem of access to justice?
FC: Starting a business is like taking the LSAT — over, and over, and over again. It’s a huge commitment, you never feel prepared for it, and it forces you far out of your comfort zone. But it’s totally worth it. The legal world needs big innovative ideas and people who will work hard to make them a reality, so if any readers are interested in taking the leap, I’m happy to be a resource!
Joe Borstein is a Global Director with Thomson Reuters Legal Managed Services, delivering Pangea3 award-winning legal outsourcing services and employing over 1800 full-time legal, compliance, and technology professionals across the globe. He and his co-author Ed Sohn each spent over half a decade as associates in BigLaw and were classmates at Penn Law. (The views expressed in their columns are their own.)
Joe manages a global team dedicated to counseling law firm and corporate clients on how to best leverage Thomson Reuters legal professionals to improve legal results, cut costs, raise profits, and have a social life. He is a frequent speaker on global trends in the legal industry and, specifically, how law firms are leveraging those trends to become more profitable. If you are interested in entrepreneurship and the delivery of legal services, please reach out to Joe directly at joe.borstein@tr.com.
