As sponsors of one of Tzedek DC’s prior Equal Justice Works Fellows, PayPal and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP expressed interest in pro bono opportunities at Tzedek DC. Together, the organizations decided that having PayPal and Orrick employees conduct intakes would be the most helpful to Tzedek DC and provide an easy and rewarding opportunity to volunteers. When volunteers conduct intakes, Tzedek DC staff attorneys can devote more time to their other cases, increasing the capacity of Tzedek DC to assist DC residents.

To set up the project, Tzedek DC staff trained volunteers from PayPal and Orrick, both attorneys and non-attorneys, and shared the recording of the training with those who were unable to attend live. Afterwards, volunteers were initially assigned 1-2 intakes to complete on their own time over the next few weeks. Some volunteers teamed up to complete intakes, particularly at PayPal where attorneys and non-attorneys often worked in pairs.

As of September 2024, 35 volunteers have completed 70 intakes. After the volunteers completed the intakes, cases were transferred to staff attorneys who provided referrals, advice, or representation for each client. Many volunteers expressed interest in continuing to assist with intakes and have begun taking intakes on a regular basis.

In one instance, a volunteer attorney completed an intake for someone who had outstanding medical debt from a bike accident. After the volunteer completed the intake, the EJW Fellow advised the client on her options for trying to lower the bill or pay it off in affordable payments. In another case, a volunteer attorney completed an intake for a client who was being contacted by a debt collector. Tzedek DC’s staff attorney advised the client on his right to request that the debt collector verify the debt and how to negotiate a settlement.

The clinic has been popular among pro bono attorneys who are able to conduct as many or as few intakes as they want on their own time and who do not have to worry about the unpredictability of litigation.  For Tzedek DC, this work has provided critical bandwidth in managing the ebbs and flows of intakes, both on the demand side when intakes surge relative to what was anticipated and on the supply side when staff members are on leave, particularly during the holidays when Tzedek DC staff are likelier to be on leave and Orrick and PayPal attorneys have more free time to volunteer.

As Orrick’s Pro Bono Counsel Rene Kathawala explained, “This is the kind of project that is a win-win for all involved – our lawyers get great insight into the problems that vulnerable and poor clients face and we increase the capacity of Tzedek DC to do the amazing advocacy they do for DC residents, which has translated into this project being very popular for all of our volunteers.”  According to James Lindfelt, Head of Legal Pro Bono at PayPal, “Our work with Tzedek DC has been and continues to be a valuable way for our legal team members to give back to the communities where they live and work.”

Tzedek DC, Orrick, and PayPal are all excited to see this project continue to grow, so that they can work together to provide greater access to justice for DC residents.