TRIAL LAWYERS ADOPT · A NATIONWIDE ADOPTION MOVEMENT
For the pet-loving legal community 323-230-0082
Donate →
A NATIONWIDE ADOPTION MOVEMENT · EST. 2025

Every Shelter Animal Deserves An Advocate

Paws for Justice puts the legal profession to work for shelter animals who can't advocate for themselves. Through adoption events at the conferences attorneys already attend, partnerships with shelters nationwide, and direct funding, we turn courtroom advocates into a force for second chances, one adoption at a time.

See July 25 event → Or read how it works →
NEXT EVENT · July 25 · NATLE/AAJ Chicago
Dog
WHO WE EXIST FOR: BUDDY MILO TOBY JUSTICE FOR OUR FURRY FRIENDS IN NEED.
WHO WE EXIST FOR: BUDDY MILO TOBY JUSTICE FOR OUR FURRY FRIENDS IN NEED.
§ HOW THIS STARTED

Buddy, a Corgipoo. The reason
we exist.

AN ORIGIN STORY
Ric Perez

ric perez, founder

Paws for Justice exists because of a corgipoo named Buddy. For years, founder Ric Perez brought Buddy to legal conferences, where the little dog had a way of turning formal business meetings into something warmer — real conversations, genuine connection, friendships that outlasted the event. Buddy has since crossed the rainbow bridge, but the idea he sparked lives on: by bringing legal professionals and shelter animals together, we recreate that same connection and give animals in need a second chance. Lives transformed on both ends of the leash.

RIC PEREZ, FOUNDER · IN LOVING MEMORY OF BUDDY
Read Buddy's Story →
Lawyer with shelter dog
§ THE MODEL

Why lawyers?

Because we already gather where shelters can’t reach.

The legal community is always on the move through conferences, depositions, association meetings, and CLEs. Hundreds of attorneys gather under one roof for days at a time, and most of them are animal lovers who simply never cross paths with a shelter. Paws for Justice turns those gatherings into adoption events.

In each conference city, we partner with a local shelter to bring pre-screened, adoption-ready pets right into the venue. Attorneys meet the animals between sessions, fall in love, and complete the adoption on-site. For the shelter, it's access to an engaged, capable audience they could never reach on their own. For the attorney, it's a chance to leave with more than a conference badge. And for dogs just like Buddy, it's the moment everything changes.

CONFERENCE PARTNERSHIPS · LOCAL SHELTER LIAISON · ASSOCIATION NETWORK · FUNDING + LOGISTICS
Host us at your conference → Or sponsor an upcoming event →
THE PETS WE LOVE — APRIL '26

Come meet everyone.

A few of the faces from palm springs animal shelter.

meet pepper
FOUND HOME!
Pepper dog

pepper

1 yr · heeler · loves frisbees

Mango cat

mango

5 yrs · tabby · purrs at 80mph

Olive

olive

7 yrs · senior beagle · couch only

Finn

finn

4 yrs · golden mix · gentle giant

p.s. there are many more waiting at palm springs animal shelter — meet them on July 24th.
Luna

luna

2 yrs · husky mix · talker

§ HOW THE EVENTS WORK

We show up. They meet. They go
home.

FOUNDED 2025 · 3 EVENTS ON THE BOOKS
01

We show up.

We bring Paws for Justice to the major Trial Lawyers Association conferences attorneys already attend, most recently NATLE at the Hotel del Coronado, and CAOC in Palm Springs this May. No new event to plan, no calendar to clear. We simply meet the legal community where it already gathers.

02

They meet.

In each city, we partner with a local shelter to bring pre-screened, adoption-ready pets right onto the conference floor. Between sessions, attorneys meet them face to face, with shelter staff on hand to answer every question. Zero detours or appointments necessary, just waiting for the moment a connection happens.

03

They go home.

Found your match? On-site paperwork makes the adoption seamless so that many attorneys walk out with a new family member the same day. Not quite ready? We'll point you to fostering and other ways to help. Either way, the local shelter handles placement and follow-up. Our job is the spark.

§ THREE WAYS IN

Adopt. Donate. Or bring this to
your firm.

PICK ONE · TODAY
I.

Adopt.

Come meet your future best friend at our next conference event, or visit Palm Springs Animal Shelter directly. We make the introductions; the local shelter handles the placement. Every adoption opens up space for the next animal who needs it.

See July 25 event →
II.

Donate.

Every gift puts pets and people in the same room. Your donation funds shelter support, conference logistics, and our partnerships with local rescues. Giving starts at $25 and comes with a personal thank-you, our impact newsletter, and a PAWS gift.

Give $25 →
FOR LEGAL ASSOCIATIONS
III.

Sponsor.

This is where firms and associations come in. Partner with Paws for Justice to host us at your next conference, sponsor an event, or rally your members around a cause that's easy to love. We handle the logistics; you get the goodwill, and shelter animals get a stage they'd never reach otherwise.

Get in touch →
§ FROM OUR FOUNDING STORY

Buddy demonstrated the unique
power animals have to bring out the
best in people.

VERBATIM FROM OUR ABOUT PAGE · READ THE FULL FOUNDING STORY →
§ THE SUPPORTERS

The firms that make this possible.

Meet the law firms, attorneys, and legal associations powering our mission. Their generous support helps us connect more pets with loving homes — and provides much-needed funding to understaffed shelters.

BECOME A SPONSOR →
STRATEGIC CAPITAL HICKS LAW FIRM ADVOCATE MEDIA TOOR LAW KAZLG FORGE STOCK ADR + MANY MORE →
§ THE CALENDAR

One coming. Lots we're proud of.

SUBSCRIBE FOR INVITES →
EVENT Nº 04·
UPCOMING
07.25 SAT

AAJ/NATLE Annual Convention

Fri July 24, 2026 · Social media fundraiser for PAWS Chicago · Hosted at the Chicago Hyatt.

VIEW
EVENT Nº 03 ·
UPCOMING
05.02 SAT

CAOC Palm Springs Seminar — partnered with Palm Springs Animal Shelter

Sat May 2, 2026 · Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, 41000 Bob Hope Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA · Partnered with Palm Springs Animal Shelter to connect attendees with adoptable animals in need of forever homes.

RECAP
EVENT Nº 02 ·
PAST
02.21 FRI

NATLE Conference — Hotel Del Coronado

Feb 21–22, 2026 · Hotel Del Coronado, 1500 Orange Ave · 65 NATLE member associations representing nearly 70,000 attorneys, supporting access to justice and the 7th Amendment right to trial by jury.

RECAP
EVENT Nº 01 ·
INAUGURAL
05.02 FRI

CAOC Palm Springs Seminar — Inaugural Adoption Event

Fri May 2, 2025 · Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa · Where it all started, partnered with Palm Springs Animal Shelter.

RECAP
§ HONEST ANSWERS

Things to know —
before you fall in love.

Don’t see your question? Email info@pawsforjustice.org. A real human reads it within a day.

Email us →

We set up at the conference venue alongside our local shelter partner, and adoptable pets join us during scheduled breaks. Attendees meet them right on the conference floor between sessions, which means no appointment + no detour. The shelter's team is there too, ready to answer questions and process applications directly.

Honestly. Your gift covers shelter support, the logistics of running events at conferences, and our ongoing partnerships with local rescues — the behind-the-scenes work that gets pets and people into the same room. We keep our operation lean so that as much of your donation as possible reaches the animals.

Absolutely, and we'd love that! If your firm or association is planning a conference, we'll bring the whole program to you: the local shelter partnership, the adoptable pets, and all the logistics. You provide the venue and the audience; we handle the rest. Reach out and we'll find a date.

The local shelter, always. We make the introductions and create the moment, but every part of the adoption process including the screening, the paperwork, the placement, and the follow-up is handled by the licensed shelter partner in that city. They're the experts, and they stay with you and your new pet long after the event ends. Our job is the spark; theirs is the forever home.

Yes. Paws for Justice is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 99-2759554), so your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

§ THE NEXT EVENT
BRING EVERYONE

Saturday, 25 July.

Adoptable pets, the Chicago Animal Shelter, and a roomful of trial lawyers walk into a conference.

RSVP — NATLE/AAJ Chicago → See All Events