Many legal aid organizations have operational needs that go far beyond their core services. Despite limited staff, budgets, and technology, they often stretch their resources to support as many clients as possible. Legal departments can help them scale even further. That’s why Cisco’s pro bono assistance “might start exclusively with legal engagement, but as we better understand a group’s needs, it can grow into more holistic support,” says Mark Chang, a data analysis manager on Cisco’s legal operations team.

Such is the case at the Tahirih Justice Center, a U.S. organization that provides legal and social services to survivors of gender-based violence. Cisco Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Leslie McKnew, is one of many who volunteer at legal aid clinics. “I talk to clients to understand their experiences,” she explains, “then weave those facts into compelling stories that are presented to judges.”

Others, like Chang, are focused on improving Tahirih’s technology by connecting and syncing disparate database systems, helping the group avoid the need for an outside vendor or time-consuming manual process. Another Cisco team recently translated key documents from English to Spanish and French for Tahirih clients. A planned hardware donation to Tahirih should further facilitate immigration court calls.

These types of activities save Tahirih’s staff time, reduce expenses, and enable everyone to focus on helping people in need. “Listening to these personal stories from victims of abuse and their children is really, really hard,” says Cisco compliance team leader Patty Sharp. “But the work we do in those few pro bono hours really changes people’s lives.”

Cisco was honored by Tahirih Justice Center in 2024 as “Partner of the Year. ” In addition to a monthly cadence of in-person and virtual pro bono clinics, Cisco’s professionals provide translation services and operational support to save staff time and drive greater efficiencies.

Published October 2024