Legal Innovation Simplified: Design Thinking Tools and Legal Design for Future Law

What if legal work centered on solidarity? Hallie Jay Pope on legal design and rethinking power in lawyer services [Ep. 8]

Are lawyers the real changemakers in justice—or should we rethink our role?
For decades, lawyers have been at the forefront of advocacy, fighting legal battles and pushing for reform. But what if true change doesn’t come from lawyers leading the charge—but from shifting power to the communities most affected by injustice?
Today, we’re diving deep into solidarity by legal design—a radical approach to law that prioritizes co-creation, community leadership, and reimagining legal systems from the ground up.
And my guest? The brilliant Hallie Jay Pope, Director of the New Jersey Legal Design Lab at Seton Hall Law School. Hallie brings a unique mix of law, design, and visual storytelling to rethink how lawyers engage with communities—and why we need to stop trying to be the heroes of social change.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
 What “solidarity by legal design” means—and how it differs from traditional advocacy
The power of co-creating solutions with the people directly affected by housing injustice
Why the future of legal work isn’t about lawyers having all the answers—but about community-driven leadership
Real-life case studies from the New Jersey Legal Design Lab and their work with tenants’ rights organizations.
How legal design can help shift power and create systemic change—not just surface-level reform
Whether you’re a lawyer, law student, activist, or simply someone passionate about housing justice and legal innovation, this episode will challenge how you think about law and your role in it.
Because here’s the truth: Lasting change doesn’t happen when lawyers hold all the power. It happens when we share it.
Here’s the website for the New Jersey Legal Design Lab.
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Want to get my free audio training: Prototyping for Purpose and Profit - Turn AI Stress into Clarity and Confidence with Heart-Centered Legal Innovation? Get it here.
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Done with confusing contracts? How to use contract design and legal design to eliminate legalese (and serve clients better) [Ep. 7]

Are your contracts confusing your clients instead of serving them?
Do your contracts feel like a wall of text that nobody reads? Are you spending too much time explaining them, only for clients to still feel overwhelmed?
What if instead, your contracts were clear, easy to understand, and actually helped build trust and relationships—without sacrificing legal protection?
The good news? It’s possible! And it’s easier than you think.
If you're like most lawyers, you want your contracts to be legally sound—but you also want your clients to actually understand them.
What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode:
In today’s episode, I’m breaking down how contract design can transform your contracts from intimidating documents full of legalese into powerful tools for communication, trust, and collaboration.
You’ll learn how to start this transformation, including:
Using information design principles to make complex information understandable
Structuring content in ways that actually serve your users
Simplifying language without losing legal precision
Creating contracts by design rather than by default
Whether you’re drafting contracts for small businesses, large corporations, or startups, you can make them clearer and more client-friendly—without making them weaker.
Your contracts should empower your clients, not intimidate them.
🎁 Special Invitation! Join Contract Design School to learn how to simplify, visualize, and redesign your contracts with step-by-step guidance. Bonus module on AI in contract simplification included! 
📩 Exclusive Valentine’s Day Offer: Use code CONTRACTLOVE at checkout for a special discount on Contract Design School—only available for a limited time! 💖
If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow lawyer who needs to rethink their contracts! Your support means the world to me!

Tired of doing so much client work as a lawyer? How legal products and scaling law free your time with legal design strategies [Ep. 6]

Drowning in client work? Watching your kids grow up through your office window?
If you're a lawyer trapped in the time-for-money cycle, this episode will show you a different path. Imagine serving more clients, making a bigger impact, and having dinner with your family—all without working more hours.
In this episode of Legal Innovation Simplified, we're diving into the world of legal products—a game-changing approach to scaling law that could transform your practice. And if you're thinking, "My work is too complex to be standardized!" or "Each client needs a completely custom solution!"—stick around. I used to think the same way.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
Legal Products Demystified – Discover how to package your expertise into services that are easy to sell, deliver, and scale
The "Snowflake Trap" vs. Client-Centered Solutions – Why positioning your services around client needs (not just your expertise) is the key to growth
The Power of Standardization – How making your services more predictable actually makes them more valuable
My Journey: From Overwhelmed to Automated – The real story of how I transformed my practice while raising a baby who wouldn’t sleep
Your Product Potential – A simple 4-question test to identify which of your services is ready for productization
Key Insights:
Predictability Creates Profitability – Learn why clients will gladly trade "fully custom" for "clear and confident"
Scale Without Sacrifice – How to grow your practice without sacrificing quality or personal time
From Manual to Magical – See how automation can turn your expertise into 24/7 revenue
Impact Through Innovation – Why legal products aren't just about efficiency—they're about making quality legal help accessible to more people
Real Results: I'll share how I went from working late nights as a single mom to selling my first automated legal product while feeding my baby. If I could do it with zero tech background, so can you.
Remember to leave a 5-star rating and review for Legal Innovation Simplified. Your support means the world to me!
Want to get my free audio training: Prototyping for Purpose and Profit - Turn AI Stress into Clarity and Confidence with Heart-Centered Legal Innovation? Get it here.
Curious about Legal Innovation Incubator? Learn more here
Interested in working with me 1:1? Book a strategy call here

What skills do innovative lawyers need now? Explore legal innovation, law firm innovation tools, and the future of law with Joey Gartner from ABA Center for Innovation [Ep. 5]

What if legal expertise isn’t the most important thing your clients are looking for?
In this episode of Legal Innovation Simplified, I sit down with Joey Gartner, Director of the ABA Center for Innovation, to uncover the lawyer skills that truly set you apart in today’s legal landscape and explore how innovation in legal services is reshaping the profession.
Most law firms assume that clients prioritize legal expertise—but the reality is, expertise is just the baseline. What clients really value is how you engage with them, how you listen, and how you create a seamless, client-centered experience.
Joey breaks down why emotional intelligence, client experience, and adaptability are the real differentiators for innovation lawyers—and how you can use them to future-proof your practice.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why legal expertise is just the starting point—and what actually matters to clients.
How emotional intelligence and client experience impact law firm success.
Why lawyers must shift from risk-averse to iterative mindsets to embrace innovation.
The importance of emerging legal careers and non-traditional career paths.
How to turn friction points into opportunities for business growth and client trust.
Key Highlights:
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Legal Services – Learn why listening, empathy, and connection drive client trust more than expertise alone.
From Friction to Opportunity – Discover how to spot inefficiencies in your legal practice and transform them into growth strategies.
The Future of Lawyer Skills – Explore how adaptability, project management, and legal design thinking can set you apart.
Beyond the Billable Hour – How automation and client experience improvements can help lawyers work smarter, not harder.
Here’s the website for ABA Center for Innovation.
Remember to leave a 5-star rating and review for Legal Innovation Simplified. Your support means the world to me!
Want to get my free audio training: Prototyping for Purpose and Profit - Turn AI Stress into Clarity and Confidence with Heart-Centered Legal Innovation? Get it here.
Curious about Legal Innovation Incubator? Learn more here
Interested in working with me 1:1? Book a strategy call here

What’s next for the modern lawyer? Using legal design to rethink your legal career path with Cat Moon at Vanderbilt Law [Ep. 4]

Are you feeling uninspired by the traditional law paths? What if you could design a career that aligns with your values, creativity, and vision for the future of law?
In this episode of Legal Innovation Simplified, I’m joined by the brilliant Cat Moon, Director of Innovation Design at Vanderbilt Law School. Together, we explore how human-centered design can transform not only the legal profession but also your personal career journey as a future lawyer.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How to rethink your law path using the principles of legal design.
Why traditional legal systems often fail both clients and lawyers—and how to fix them.
Simple tools, like the Persona Exercise and Odyssey Planning, to uncover your ideal career.
How self-awareness, optimism, and experimentation can help you thrive in law.
Key Highlights:
Designing Your Life in Law: Discover how Cat’s course at Vanderbilt helps future lawyers create intentional, values-driven career paths.
Innovating Legal Systems: Learn why improving legal services requires a focus on the well-being of the people delivering them.
Practical Transformation Tools: From the Perma Map to the Delta Model, gain actionable insights to redesign your career and legal systems.
Mindset Shifts for Success: Explore how embracing optimism, curiosity, and experimentation can drive impactful change.
Here’s a note from Cat:
“Before doing the mapping work, read Seligman’s PERMA+ Model Explained: A Theory of Wellbeing and watch this PERMA with Martin Seligman.
Then, complete this Map Your Happy worksheet [source: University of Arizona]. The exercise helps you to develop self-awareness around those areas that are already working for you (so you can leverage this) and the areas where you need to do some work. 
You can then start designing tiny experiments that engage you in those areas of your life that need attention.”
PoLI Institute at Vanderbilt Law School
Remember to leave a 5-star rating and review for Legal Innovation Simplified. Your support means the world to me!
Want to get my free audio training: Prototyping for Purpose and Profit - Turn AI Stress into Clarity and Confidence with Heart-Centered Legal Innovation? Get it here.
Curious about Legal Innovation Incubator? Learn more here
Interested in working with me 1:1? Book a free strategy call here

Too busy to innovate your legal business? How business mindset and legal design support creative lawyering with time freedom and a 4-day workweek [Ep. 3]

Are you caught in the grind of endless billable hours, back-to-back meetings, and a never-ending to-do list? Simply no time to innovate? This episode is for you.
I’m sharing five secrets I’ve discovered during my journey to a four-day workweek—secrets that go beyond productivity hacks. These are mindset shifts that will transform how you approach your work and life, creating space for creativity, energy, and meaningful progress.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
Why idle time isn’t unproductive—it’s essential for innovation.
How to define your “minimum viable work” and start saying no to the rest.
The power of prioritizing deep work and organizing your day into productive categories.
The importance of creating stillness to invite clarity and focus.
How checking your screen time is the easy start to reclaiming your day.
We also explore:
The myths behind billable hours and why energy—not time—delivers true value.
Lessons from groundbreaking four-day workweek experiments in the UK and Iceland.
Why joy and excitement should guide your decisions, not the cult of busyness.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
Studies on four-day workweeks in Iceland and UK.
Remember to leave a 5-star rating and review for Legal Innovation Simplified. Your support means the world to me!
Want to get my free audio training: Prototyping for Purpose and Profit - Turn AI Stress into Clarity and Confidence with Heart-Centered Legal Innovation? Get it here.
Curious about Legal Innovation Incubator? Learn more here
Interested in working with me 1:1? Book a free strategy call here

Stop procrastinating and simplify your workflow: How legal design drives practical legal innovation [Ep. 2]

Do you ever feel stuck in a cycle of perfectionism and procrastination?
You’re not alone, friend. Whether it’s fear of failure or feeling overwhelmed by the size of a project, procrastination can keep us from making meaningful progress. But what if there’s a way to move forward with clarity and confidence?
 
In this episode of Legal Innovation Simplified, I’ll share how legal design—a human-centered methodology—can help you overcome procrastination and drive innovation in your legal work. Learn what legal design is, how it works, and how you can start applying its principles to your own practice. With actionable insights, relatable stories, and a simple journaling exercise, this episode will inspire you to take that first step toward progress.
 
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Why perfectionism and fear of failure keep us stuck in procrastination.
The key components of legal design: process, toolbox, mindset, and intuitive expertise.
How the Double Diamond framework can simplify innovation into actionable steps.
A 5-day journaling exercise to identify areas for improvement and spark meaningful change.
Key Takeaways
Legal design is more than beautifully designed contracts—it’s a framework for solving real problems.
Breaking innovation into small, actionable steps can help overcome fear and overwhelm.
User-centered thinking is the key to creating impactful legal solutions.
Progress, not perfection, is the real driver of meaningful change.
Links & Resources
Learn More About Legal Design
British Design Council’s Double Diamond Model
Remember to leave a 5-star rating and review for Legal Innovation Simplified. Your support means the world to me!
Want to get my free audio training: Prototyping for Purpose and Profit - Turn AI Stress into Clarity and Confidence with Heart-Centered Legal Innovation? Get it here.
Curious about Legal Innovation Incubator? Learn more here
Interested in working with me 1:1? Book a free strategy call here

Will AI replace lawyers? A look at legal innovation through the lens of human-centered design [Ep. 1]

Have you ever wondered if your job as a lawyer could be taken over by AI?
You’re not alone—this question is making waves across the legal industry. But here’s the thing: innovation isn’t just about technology, and AI isn’t the whole story.
Welcome to the very first episode of Legal Innovation Simplified! In this debut, let’s address the big question: Will AI replace lawyers? Spoiler alert—it’s not as simple as you think. Instead, discover how tapping into your human-centered superpowers, like intuition and empathy, can help you thrive in this era of transformation.
I’ll share my unique perspective as a legal design expert and PhD researcher, exploring why real innovation starts with people—not just tools. You’ll walk away inspired, empowered, and equipped with practical steps to navigate the rapidly evolving legal landscape.
What you’ll learn in yhis episode
Why innovation isn’t just about AI—it’s about people.
How to turn fear of AI into opportunities for growth and creativity.
The transformative role of intuition and empathy in modern legal practice.
A simple exercise to unlock clarity and connect with your inner resources.
Key takeaways
AI is a powerful tool, but it’s not a replacement for the human touch.
Stillness and intuition are essential for transformative ideas.
A human-centered approach to innovation focuses on empathy and collaboration.
You have the power to shape your future in this AI-driven world—AI complements your expertise, not replaces it.
Links & Resources
Clio Legal Trends Report 2024 (Explore AI’s impact on the legal industry)
Stanford’s Creativity in Business Course (Learn how inner work drives innovation)
Asta Raami’s Research on Intuition (Discover intuition’s role in breakthroughs)
Remember to leave a 5-star rating and review for Legal Innovation Simplified. Your support means the world to me!
Want to get my free audio training: Prototyping for Purpose and Profit - Turn AI Stress into Clarity and Confidence with Heart-Centered Legal Innovation? Get it here.
Curious about Legal Innovation Incubator? Learn more here
Interested in working with me 1:1? Book a free strategy call here

Welcome to the Legal Innovation Simplified Podcast: Design thinking tools and legal design for future law

Welcome to Legal Innovation Simplified Podcast–where legal design meets business strategy and a growth mindset. 
This podcast is for creative, heart-centered lawyers and legal entrepreneurs who know the old ways of lawyering just don’t cut it anymore. If you’re tired of the rigid, snobbish, work-till-you-drop culture and dream of building a business with purpose, freedom, and impact—you’re in the right place.
Here, we ditch the outdated and embrace the creative. We approach legal innovation as a human capacity rooted in your potential, drawing on your intuition and purpose. If you thought that legal innovation was all about AI, let me show you another way. 
I’ll bring you practical strategies and bold ideas—from design thinking and client-centered strategies to simplifying legal tech, tackling mindset blocks, and unleashing your creativity. Whether you want to innovate your legal practice, scale your business, or make your work feel transformational (not just transactional), this podcast is for you.
I’m Hannele Korhonen—an ex-corporate lawyer turned law firm founder, legal tech co-founder, designer, PhD researcher, and your legal innovation coach. I went from burnout and paralyzing fears to owning a business of helping lawyers around the globe build businesses they love while staying true to themselves.
My mission? To help you escape the grind of billable hours lawyer, design the legal business you’ve been dreaming of by scaling law with heart.
So, grab your favorite mug, settle in, and let’s dream big. Ready? Let’s do this!
Thanks for listening to the trailer! If this resonated with you, I’d love your support. Please take a moment to leave a five-star rating and review—it helps me spread the word to more legal innovators like you. Thank you, friend!
Want my Prototyping for Purpose and Profit audio training freebie? Grab it here.
Connect with me:
🌐 Website: lawyersdesignschool.com
📸 Instagram: @curious_hannele
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hannelekorhonen