Legal Design for the Common Good: Proactive Legal Care by Design
in ‘Legal Design: Integrating Business, Design and Legal Thinking with Technology’ edited by Marcelo Corrales Compagnucci, Helena Haapio, Margaret Hagan and Michael Doherty, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., 2021
Posted: 29 May 2020 Last revised: 21 Mar 2022
Date Written: May 1, 2020
Abstract
Many legal problems are caused by misunderstandings. People do not read complex documents. Even if they do, they may not find what they look for or understand what they find. This chapter shows how proactive legal care can help, not only to deal with challenges of complex legal information, but also to improve access to justice and prevent unnecessary problems. Enhancing clients’ self-care by promoting their legal literacy is a central strategy for this purpose. Changing how documents are framed and presented is another. We propose a new mindset for lawyers, with a focus on the users and on using the law for the advancement of the common good. With this mindset, it becomes natural to look for skills and tools to present legal information in more engaging and actionable ways. Design patterns offer a way to identify and share such tools, for the benefit of lawyers and clients alike.
(https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/legal-design-9781839107252.html)
Keywords: Design patterns, information design, legal health, legal literacy, Proactive/Preventive Law, self-care
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