Created in 2011, each year the Fastcase 50 award honors a diverse group of lawyers, legal technologists, policymakers, judges, law librarians, bar association executives, and people from all walks of life. Fastcase “recognizes people who have made important, but unheralded contributions.”

Pro Bono Net’s Senior Product Manager, Jessica Stuart, has made this year’s Fastcase 50! Jessica joined the Pro Bono Net team in August 2008, working first as LawHelp Program Associate and now as Senior Product Manager for Pro Bono Manager. Prior to joining Pro Bono Net, Jessica lived in Los Angeles and worked in Digital Marketing at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Her interest in technology systems started while working on the rebuild of a B2B Asset Management application used by a number of different internal and external stakeholders. She now enjoys applying her interest in operations and product management to helping law firms use technology to make their pro bono programs run more efficiently. Jessica earned her B.A. in Communication Processes from the University of Connecticut, and now lives in Brooklyn.

Jessica is passionate about access to justice, and her motivation has fueled the development of Pro Bono Net’s Pro Bono Manager. For over 10 years, Pro Bono Manager has helped law firms run their pro bono programs more efficiently. Pro Bono Manager’s web-based system has been invaluable to firms’ pro bono programs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With a centralized pro bono database at their fingertips, pro bono teams have easy access to the data they need no matter where they are, helping them support the attorneys who conduct valuable pro bono work for communities in need. 

Jessica has also helped lead the platform development and product strategy for Pro Bono Net’s Remote Legal Connect platform. Our Remote Legal Connect technology allows legal services providers, pro bono initiatives, courts, and community partners to rapidly build and manage a legal support program regardless of location. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the platform enabled legal services organizations to maintain operations during unprecedented shelter-in-place orders. Jessica has been crucial in implementing the development strategy for Remote Legal Connect adopted by partners: Atlanta Legal Aid which launched Georgia Legal Connect; and Legal Aid of Nebraska which launched  Nebraska Legal Aid Connect. 

“The past year has presented challenges that provided opportunities to advance the law, and even accelerated some innovations into the mainstream. We celebrate the diligence, discipline, passion, and creativity of these Fastcase 50 honorees. We are as proud as ever to spotlight the eleventh class of the Fastcase 50, highlighting now 550 people who have inspired our profession, since our first class in 2011.” says Pro Bono Net Board Member, Vice Chair and CEO of Fastcase, Ed Walters. 

Congratulations to Jessica and all of the other 2021 Fastcase 50 honorees. Check out the full list at: https://www.fastcase.com/fastcase50/?class=2021 

To learn about Pro Bono Manager, visit: https://www.probono.net/our-work/advocates/pbm/; or to learn more about other Pro Bono Net initiatives, visit: https://www.probono.net/programs/