At Marble Law – we believe everyone should have access to the legal care they need. Eighty percent of Americans dealing with law-related issues are unable to access legal representation – not because they don’t want it – but because they can’t afford it.1 That is why Marble reaffirmed its commitment to serving the community by collaborating with Paladin for this year’s Pro Bono Week. This partnership will add more resources to Marble’s toolkit and boost the firm’s pro bono practice Marble Does More.
Marble was founded in 2020 with the intention of making world-class legal services cost-effective and available to everyone. Since then, we have served over 45,000+ clients in 17 states. In 2021, Marble launched the Marble Does More program to provide no-cost, high-quality legal services for civil legal matters, including homelessness, child welfare issues, domestic violence threats, and those needing guidance navigating immigration matters.
“Marble’s mission has always centered on strengthening the communities in which we operate by providing greater access to vital legal services,” said principal attorney Jeff Pollak. “Marble Does More is our way of ensuring that nobody gets left behind, especially those who are most in need.”
Since its launch, the Marble Does More program has allocated over $1.5 million worth of pro bono services. The firm’s initiative has assisted more than 250 clients with more than 500+ representation services. Nearly half of such cases dealt with domestic violence and more than a third involved threats of violence against children.
Furthermore, one-third of Marble Does More clients were facing homelessness or the threat of eviction, 18% were on social security or food stamps, and the vast majority of clients are female.
To further these efforts, Marble recently partnered with legal tech provider Paladin, which specializes in increasing pro bono engagement, while reducing administrative costs. This partnership will enable attorneys who co-counsel with Marble free access to a centralized database, where they can discover more opportunities for pro bono services that align with their expertise.
“Marble and Paladin both deeply value providing access to legal services in new and innovative ways.” says Kristen Sonday, Paladin’s Co-Founder and CEO. “We are excited to work with them as they scale their firm to also expand their work in the community.”
Each year, countless economically disadvantaged individuals and non-profit organizations rely on free legal services to meet community needs. At the same time, pro-bono programs also provide an incredibly valuable experience to lawyers who volunteer their time. Many attorneys view pro bono work as a way to further their passion and give back to the community, while others see it as a way to hone their legal skills and become better lawyers.
