Professor Jeannette EicksProfessor Jeannette EicksVermont Law SchoolVermont Law School

Center for Legal InnovationCenter for Legal Innovation

Realities of Today Realities of Today

Domestic Violence Domestic Violence

Limited Resources Limited Resources

Scale Affordable Legal Services Scale Affordable Legal Services

Poverty Law ClientsPoverty Law Clients

2.3 Legal Problems Each Year2.3 Legal Problems Each Year

Middle Class Families Have Middle Class Families Have

They Do Not Seek Legal AdviceThey Do Not Seek Legal Advice

They Do Not UnderstandTheir Problem Is a Legal One

Consumer AlienationConsumer Alienation

““We need to restructure legal services from the ground up We need to restructure legal services from the ground up and focus on clients, not lawyers.” – Jim Sandman, LSCand focus on clients, not lawyers.” – Jim Sandman, LSC

A troubling thought: Our Access to Justice A troubling thought: Our Access to Justice challenge is a feature of our current system.challenge is a feature of our current system.

More Efficient Courts and Legal PractitionersMore Efficient Courts and Legal Practitioners

Small Innovations Borrowed from Other IndustriesSmall Innovations Borrowed from Other Industries

What Is Cybersecurity?Lawyers and technologists agree that cybersecurity• Protects information and computational systems

from attack, damage or unauthorized access • Impacts national security, corporations and

individuals • Has proactive and reactive aspects• Has grown as a field and deserves attention

Alternative Legal Business Practices Alternative Legal Business Practices

Predict Outcomes and Prevent Mistakes Predict Outcomes and Prevent Mistakes

Sustaining Innovation Sustaining Innovation

Disrupting Innovation Disrupting Innovation

Bigger Change Is Coming Bigger Change Is Coming

““Lawyers need to see our legal services challenges Lawyers need to see our legal services challenges not as problems, but as opportunities.”not as problems, but as opportunities.”

William Hubbard, Former ABA PresidentWilliam Hubbard, Former ABA President

Law Students Bring New Ideas and New EnergyLaw Students Bring New Ideas and New Energy

DIY Apps – the Legal Hackathon DIY Apps – the Legal Hackathon

Legal Hackathon Course•2 or 3 credit course•Open to J.D. and undergraduate students•Involved stakeholders in legal and policy field s•Vermont agencies, legislature & judiciary•Choice of projects•Prototyped web and mobile apps•Stakeholders, faculty and other interested parties judged apps

Project Charter – the project plan•Goals•Scope•Assumptions•Risks•Constraints•Deliverables•Schedule estimates•Criteria for success

Flowchart of legal logic

Rapid application prototyping tool

Iterative process - teams and stakeholdersParallel tasks for team membersPresentations and judging

The Apps:•Text-a-Lawyer•Pocket Lawyer (now OccupyLaw)•Agricultural Lease Agreement (sustainability)

Immediate Student Outcomes•Portfolio •J.D. advantage careers•Scope management•Project management via Agile (scrum meetings)•Plain English conveyance of legal concepts•Collaborative work•Formed partnerships with customer/stakeholder•Detailed understanding a specific area of the law•Responded to legal needs of underserved

Long Term Student Outcomes

Hackathons Foster the Ideas of TomorrowHackathons Foster the Ideas of Tomorrow

Empower Change LeadersEmpower Change Leaders

Questions?Questions?