Welcome to JT Abbott, our New Product Manager!

John, we’re so thrilled to have you on board at Paladin! Tell us about your background.

Born in Southern California, but mainly raised in Northern California in Redding. I briefly went to college in San Jose and then moved to Chico after switching majors. I graduated in 2016 with a Computer Information Systems degree, with a double minor in Business and Computer Science. I’m a jack-of-all-trades and am always very interested in learning a little bit about everything. I worked at a brewery throughout college before doing IT work for a local elementary school. Then moved on to customer support for a construction software company. From there I was promoted to Product and loved it. Since then I worked as a Product Manager at a business-to-business event management company, and now I’m super excited to join Paladin!

What drew you to Paladin?

Overall I was really intrigued by the mission. Paladin originally caught my eye because “Paladin” has always been one of my favorite words growing up. As I looked more into the company I was struck by the goal of the company and just thought it was a really interesting product. It also seemed like a good fit because in my last two jobs I have experience starting and helping build out Product teams. As I’ve grown my professional skills over the years, I’ve really wanted to find a place where I can continue to grow, while also helping make the world a little bit better and I think Paladin will be a great fit for that goal.

Why is access to justice important to you?

Some of my favorite books to read are philosophy, sociology, and travel books, and partly through these books I’ve come to develop a deep connection to humanity in general. I really feel like humanity is at its best when we all support and lift each other up. Justice is a core component of everyday life that we need to trust for society to function. When this expectation of justice is not met, it often has long-term consequences for those involved. I know that it can be really hard even just knowing what steps to start taking. Increasing the access, awareness, and knowledge of justice for those who need it most is a great step forward.

Desert island: one album, one book, one movie.

Album: Muse — Absolution

Book: 1984

Movie: Princess Bride

Which GIF best represents how you feel about building justice?