Excellent resource compiled by the smart folks at Stanford Law School on applying design thinking in the legal landscape. Includes slideshows, case studies, and best practices for getting past the buzzwords and into real applications of design thinking.
Hey Jason, this link isn’t working and I want to read this article! Can you try re-posting it!
Maria, the link seems to be working on my end. Strange. The URL is: http://www.openlawlab.com
It is a pretty interesting concept, making law more accessible through design thinking. One of the links sought to make learning the law easier through designs and charts instead of the standard block of text. I guess thats useful, but in practice you are still going to have to sift through cases and statutes, so I’m not exactly sure how helpful that is for everyday practice.
Michael,
It’s true that the attorney creating the charts, flowcharts, and graphs must still sift through cases and statutes. Accordingly, the graph is unlikely to be of much utility for the attorney herself. However, it’s important to keep in mind design thinking’s focus on the end user. Your client may be able to understand a flowchart much easier than a block of text. They might also be able to better explain the flowchart to their own employees. Imagine your client is an employer and is required by law to put up the usual employment rights posters in the company break room. Your value as an attorney may be in delivering a clear, flow-chart style graph that your client’s employees can understand, proactively avoiding future litigation.
This sheds light on some of the financial disincentives to design thinking that lawyers face. The fact of the matter is, we make money when the law is confusing. Making the law too accessible may actually result in less litigation, and hence less business. Accordingly, re-thinking the legal compensation structure is a major first step for successful design thinking in the law.