In-house Lawyers and Legal Design with Christine Inkinen

In-house lawyers are busy people. Legal design or legal design thinking for in-house counsel takes time. It’s a change in mindset that challenges a profession where risks and mistakes are unacceptable. The time necessary to fully explore and learn legal design is time the in-house team or the company doesn’t always anticipate. The “real” work always takes priority, as it should. This week on Legal Design IRL, we explore the real-life challenges in-house counsel face when introducing design thinking in their team and for their users – and how to overcome them. 

My guest is Christine (Kiki) Inkinen, a junior legal counsel at Neste, legal designer, an ex-partner at Dot. and co-founder of Legal Design School. Her legal design journey dates back to 2017, when she first volunteered at the Legal Design Summit, immediately becoming an advocate. She is now dipping her toes in corporate waters, feeling that as a young professional, she needed a proper understanding of legal culture and everyday work. ”For legal design to seep into legal work, we need to win over the lawyers who do that legal work.”

Tune in and learn about overcoming the barriers to implementing legal design in in-house teams.

The things we discuss are listed below.

1. The two primary challenges for in-house lawyers and companies who want to implement legal design
2. Why support for legal design at the corporate level is essential
3. How to gain support for legal design and the company level
4. Why in-house counsel has different roles in legal design
5. How to overcome concerns about making mistakes when implementing legal design
6. Two key obstacles legal designers face when working with lawyers are how to empathize and overcome
7. How to connect with Kiki. 

Legal design thinking: IRL. Episode 54

I am Hannele Korhonen, the founder of Lawyers Design School and the host of Legal Design IRL (In Real Life). Each week, I offer legal professionals a fresh vantage point on their profession. Collaborating with accomplished guests, we delve into novel insights and developments in legal practice. Our chats include Legal Design, design thinking, Contract Design, innovation, visualization, and the concept of Lawyer 2.0. I aim to illustrate how embracing novel opportunities can empower you to evolve into a more fulfilled and innovative lawyer proficient in delivering legal services that resonate with your distinct approach.

If you enjoyed the talk, you could join me live every Wednesday at 8 am ET on LinkedIn. The chat is open for your questions. 

Lawyers Design School is an educational hub for legal professionals and practitioners who want to discover new horizons within the legal field. Our focus is guiding individuals through the shift from conventional practices and mindsets, empowering them to flourish professionally. With comprehensive courses, interactive workshops, and complimentary weekly sessions of Legal Design IRL interviews, I aim to provide tangible demonstrations of design thinking and innovative strategies in real-world contexts. If you’re a forward-thinking legal professional or someone who recognizes the need for change but seeks guidance on where to begin, you’ve discovered the ideal platform.

Learn more about Legal Design and Contract Design and how it can transform your work and career in the law. Courses are open now.

You can catch a replay of episode 54, Legal Design Thinking: IRL, or join me live next week and ask questions. 

Want to know more about in-house innovation in law?

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Prefer email? Drop me an email at [email protected]. While you’re here, peek at the Lawyers Design School and check out other ways to use legal design thinking to grow your law firm and thrive in your business.
Watch all the Legal Design IRL Episodes episodes.