Ukrainians who need legal assistance can communicate with LDN's team through an online chat box and chatbot Pravoman, according to Paladin. If they qualify for pro bono help, nonprofit social enterprise LinGo will connect them with free attorneys through Paladin.
Paladin co-founder and CEO Kristen Sonday said in a statement Thursday that the company is "honored" to offer its technology to help Ukrainian people obtain pro bono legal assistance.
"All of us have been devastated watching the war in Ukraine unfold, and we want to help however we can," Sonday said.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, several law firms have stepped up to provide pro bono legal aid to Ukrainian refugees and have donated money to charities in Ukraine.
In March, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC's legal tech subsidiary SixFifty rolled out a free tool that automates immigration paperwork for Ukrainians living in the United States who want to stay in the country during the war, and Morrison & Foerster LLP disclosed that it's providing pro bono counsel to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, including guidance on Western sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion.
Lawyers and business professionals who want to offer pro bono assistance to Ukrainians can sign up on the portal, Paladin said.
Ukrainians urgently need pro bono attorneys who are licensed to practice across Europe, especially in Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Moldova, the company said.
The top legal assistance requests that LDN has received from Ukrainians are for how to recover lost documents, immigration conditions, business relocation, labor rights and general support for socially vulnerable groups, according to Paladin.
LDN has already provided nearly 2,500 Ukrainians with legal assistance in person and through remote tools, Paladin said.
LDN executive director Yevgen Poltenko said in a statement Thursday that legal assistance is as necessary to Ukrainian refugees as other humanitarian aid.
"We are grateful to Paladin for the opportunity to help these people and encourage us to take part in the initiative," Poltenko said.
--Editing by Patrick Reagan.
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