Bay Area legal tech firm announces partnership with non-profit legal aid group Bay Area Legal Aid
SAN FRANCISCO, June 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- One Legal, a North Bay based legal technology company, has today announced an extended partnership with Bay Area Legal Aid (BayLegal), the Bay Area's leading provider of civil legal aid to the most vulnerable members of the community. This joint venture adds a revenue-sharing element to the ongoing donation of the firm's technology, and has been launched in response to steep budget cuts proposed in the current draft of the federal budget for 2018.
Headquartered in Oakland and serving seven Bay Area counties, BayLegal may be faced with losing up to one-fourth of its total funding in the coming year. Next year's proposal eliminates the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), an independent agency established by Congress, which provides financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. Last year, BayLegal received $4.1 million from LSC, and client services will be severely cut if they cannot supplement the difference moving forward.
With the Giving Back program, One Legal is stepping up to fill the gap made by federal budget cuts. In addition to providing no-cost access to its legal services and products to BayLegal, One Legal will invite law firm customers to enroll in a program whereby 5 percent of the net revenue arising from their use of the One Legal platform is donated directly to BayLegal. It is one of the most generous corporate/non-profit partnerships ever announced in the legal sector.
"We have both an opportunity and a responsibility," One Legal President, Robert DeFilippis said. "Our organization is well aligned with BayLegal's mission and I believe many of our law firm customers are as well. We're just connecting the dots with our Give Back program."
"Access to needed legal services isn't just a matter of justice--important as that is," said BayLegal Executive Director, Alex R. Gulotta. "For many of the underserved of our communities, it is food, shelter, employment, family."
The California State Bar reports that for every one legal aid staff attorney there are more than 8,000 vulnerable people in the state who qualify for free legal assistance, which makes this an ideal opportunity for leaders in the industry to explore new areas of corporate social responsibility that have a real impact close to home.
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SOURCE One Legal
