Zurich North America Connects Its Attorneys With Pro Bono Needs in Illinois

Insurer Zurich North America is collaborating with the digital legal company Paladin to connect Zurich’s attorneys with pro bono service opportunities.

Approximately 97% of respondents to a recent survey by Legal Services Corp. expected a sharp increase in legal needs arising from COVID-19, involving matters such as evictions, foreclosures and unemployment assistance.

Through the collaboration, Zurich lawyers will be able to search and sign up for pro bono opportunities across Illinois, including from legal services organizations such as Equip for Equality and the Center for Disability and Elder Law.

The arrangement is meant to enhance the operation and impact of Zurich’s pro bono program, which it established in 2011. Zurich attorneys engage in projects ranging from representing clients in immigration proceedings to staffing hotlines and legal aid clinics.

In 2019, Zurich worked with its outside counsel at Seyfarth Shaw to present a session on job interviewing to dozens of leaders of Chicago-area nonprofits attending Zurich’s annual SkillShare Summit.

Zurich said it will leverage Paladin’s technology, its own legal services projects and Paladin’s connection to the Chicago Bar Foundation’s digital Pro Bono Opportunity guide to access more than 100 pro bono opportunities across more than 30 legal services organizations.

Topics Illinois