LPS :: The Process
Design doing.
UNDERSTAND
the tools and methods of human-centered design and other creative
problem-solving constructs
For context, we do a deep dive into the current state of the legal profession, to understand the range and scope of service delivery challenges faced across the spectrum, from access to justice challenges to BigLaw struggles, and everything in between.
From there, we engage in a series of readings and conversations that introduce the tools of human-centered design thinking and systems thinking, providing case studies and concrete examples of how these tools can serve to solve a myriad of legal services delivery challenges.
We also hear from experts in the fields of legal design, agile project management, and legal tech, as well as design doers from other disciplines.
EXPERIMENT
with design thinking and other problem-solving tools, to learn how they work in the real world
In each class session, we'll undertake hands-on design and creative problem-solving activities and challenges, to learn how design thinking and other methods really work in the wild.
Students will get comfortable using the core elements of design thinking (empathy inspiration through discovery, ideation, prototyping, and iteration) to solve problems.
In-class experiments focus on tools used throughout the design process, including journey maps, the five whys, expectation maps, personas, storyboards, service blueprints, the business model canvas, and more.
MAKE
real solutions to real legal service delivery challenges faced today by real clients
The course culminates in a capstone design challenge undertaken by students in small teams. In the Fall 2018 iteration of LPS, students collaborated with VUMC students and staff and engineering students to redesign informed consent for surgical patients at Vanderbilt Medical Center, resulting in a case study in the volume Health Design Thinking. In the Fall 2019 iteration of LPS, students worked with local pro bono and legal aid organizations to create access to legal information, understanding, and services through human-centered design methods.
In 2021, student teams will be designing the project plan to solve this challenge: How might we design a civil justice system that enables everyone to get access to the information and effective assistance they need — when and where they need it —and in a format they can use?
A cohort of students will carry the project into 2022 as part of the Legal Design Studio, housed in Vanderbilt's innovation center The Wond'ry.The capstone design challenge serves to coalesce the various elements of understanding and experimenting proceeding it and draws heavily on collaboration and communication skills integral to real-world problem-solving.
LPS :: The Prof
Prof Caitlin (Cat) Moon is in charge of this website.
In addition to teaching Legal Problem Solving, she teaches courses and workshops in
law as a business, legal operations, technology and data, and leading innovation to
law students at Vanderbilt and practicing attorneys via Vanderbilt Law's PoLI Institute.
She also is the Director of Innovation Design in the Program on Law and Innovation (PoLI) at Vanderbilt Law,
and Director of The PoLI Institute, bringing innovation curriculum to practicing legal professionals.
Question about any of this? Please contact her.
Director of Innovation Design
Director, PoLI Institute
Lecturer in Law
Vanderbilt Law School
