Four basic lessons lawyers can learn from designers

Design thinking is a unique set of skills, and it is undeniable how much it is changing the daily lives of innovation managers, and the ones of our clients. However, I believe that some of its lessons could be applied to legal professionals as well.

1)    Designers are customer-centric. It is hard for lawyers to understand that sometimes they are not the starting and the ending point of the game, but a step in a bigger process. Being customer-centric means looking at the scenario with the eyes of our clients, thinking like them and adopting the best possible solutions for their interest, even when in contrast with our personal one. It means shifting from “what the law tells you to do” to “finding solutions to do what you want in accordance with the legal framework”. A simple move that can have ground-breaking effects;

2)    Designers love to keep it simple. In a world where words are counting always less, and where attention span is dropping, it is difficult to think that legalese won’t be affected. Designers teach us that keeping it simple is our best choice, because it means being understandable, linear, and crystal-clear. Keeping it simple is cutting out all the noise while leaving the essential. Unfortunately, adopting this approach is harder than it seems. As a famous renaissance man, Leonardo Da Vinci, was used to say, simplicity is the most sophisticated form of art;

3)    Designers are constantly searching for the MVP (minimum viable product). The legal world is obsessed with the concept of excellence – sometimes to justify the legal bills we are producing – but unfortunately this mindset is in contrast with the request of highly specialized work, in multiple areas, mostly in cross-border matters, and always in a shorter amount of time. Searching for the MVP means accepting that sometimes the best is the enemy of good, and it is worth to invest in a different product, where ideas are constantly tested with the end-user through continuous interactions. The client becomes part of the journey and of the legal thinking process as well. Once again, not easy, but highly effective. And remunerative in terms of trust and relationship with clients;

4)    Designers challenge themselves. Someone told me once that lawyers need to be the smartest guys in the room and love to speak only if they are confident about what they are saying. The approach of design thinking can be very different, because designers are striving for collaboration, and constantly looking for a bunch of diverse opinions, in order to benefit not only from the different ideas, but also from the brainstorming process arising from that. My favorite part of challenging ourselves, however, is the acceptance that the final outcome will be better that the sum of its parts. Legal alchemy. An achievable goal?