Design in Legal Education

A visually rich, experience-led collection
exploring what design can do for legal education.

A visually rich, experience-led collection exploring what design can do for legal education.

In recent decades design has increasingly come to be understood as a resource to improve other fields of public, private and civil society practice. Today legal design – that is, the application of design-based methods to legal practice – is increasingly embedded in lawyering across the world.

This new publication brings together experts from multiple disciplines, professions and jurisdictions to reflect upon how designerly mindsets, processes and strategies can enhance teaching and learning across higher education, public legal information and legal practice. It will be of interest and use to those teaching and learning in any and all of those fields.

A conversation between the editors

Emily Allbon

Emily Allbon

Associate Professor of Law
City Law School
Amanda Perry-Kessaris

Amanda Perry-Kessaris

Professor of Law
Kent Law School

Explore the chapters

Designing for the future, today: How legal design is shaping satisfaction, standards, and substance

by Erika Concetta Pagano

This chapter examines the impact of legal design through the lens of three factors: communication, culture creation, and empowered information. It focuses on the people, process, and practicalities of what legal design means, who should apply it, and why it makes a difference. As the legal market matures, so too do the concept and application of legal design. The legal design team at Simmons Wavelength will chronicle its own journey going from startup to one of the world’s first and leading legal design teams with a biglaw home base, and provide the perspective of a range of players, from clients, to juniors, to senior leaders in the profession.

Erika Concetta Pagano is the Head of Legal Innovation and Design at Simmons Wavelength (Simmons & Simmons). She is an award-winning lawyer, innovator, and educator whose sweet spots include culture creation, leadership, strategy, teaming, technology, and cross-border initiatives. In 2021, Erika was named a legal tech trailblazer (LawTechUK) and Rising Star of the Year (WeAreTheCity). Erika serves as Guest Faculty at IE University, where she teaches undergraduate and masters courses. She sits on multiple boards (including Georgetown Class of 2008, LawWithoutWalls Advisory Board, University of Miami School of Law Alumni Board) and is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Miami.

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