By Pablo Yannone Sancho, Journalist at GLTH
Laura entered the legal field as a court interpreter. It was more than two decades ago, in the courtrooms of the Madrid region, that she “fell in love” with the legal industry, and all its problems. That connection was genuine from the start, as it didn’t stem from an idealization: “I saw many unsolved challenges, and observed so many things that could be done and improved in the legal space,” she claims.
Then she worked in a law firm as a legal marketing specialist. There, she understood the importance of technology to improve the legal industry. From that point, she got involved in Legal Hackers, a grassroot worldwide movement, participated in hackathons and co-founded a legal tech and innovation consulting company. That’s when she discovered her true passion: Legal design. Once again, she fell in love. She had finally found the method, and the toolbox, that would help her address all those issues that had initially drawn her to the legal industry.
The Two Narratives of Legal Tech and Legal Design
There are countless definitions of legaltech. As Laura says, some people include all kinds of innovative processes, even those that do not strictly involve tech, such as legal design. “I think we all choose the one we like the most,” she says, “so I would let our audience choose their own definition of legal technology.” Legal design's definition is akin to legal tech's: “you also have a narrow definition and a broad definition.” Let's get to know them!
“The narrowest definition would be to consider legal design as the design of legal documents or legal information.” Then, there is the one that Laura prefers, the broader one: “The use of design thinking in the legal industry to create and improve services, products, organizations and communities. That's the most important part of my job. We use this technique to solve problems in a human-centric and creative way.”
Access to Justice and Legal Design
When Laura was a legal interpreter, she was supposed to translate from legal Spanish to legal French, for people who had no legal background. Wasn’t this role paradoxical? Of course, she couldn’t avoid communicating with the person and providing “some context and some explanation”, allowing the individual to “understand what was happening in the courtroom.” Though she was bridging many different languages at the same time, she was not supposed to do that, as she was asked to “just translate what was being said”.
“I realized we had to change this, and to close this gap between people and justice,” says Laura, “We all feel stupid in front of the law if we don't understand it. For people to feel empowered as justice-users - be them individuals or entities - they have to understand it.”
Usually, as Laura explains, “it's a question of human-centricity and empathy.” Which is why design thinking is crucial to develop a product or a service”.“Like this, you can ensure that the product you're building is actually serving the needs of the person you're trying to serve,” claims Laura.
She envisions a future where legal technology and innovation will bring justice closer to people. “That's what I want to think. I am an optimist… and a hard worker.” She’d like to tell everyone reading this: “You can always add more creativity and more empathy to what you are doing.” By this, Laura means it's essential to “find and cultivate your creative confidence”. “There are so many ways to do just that, and innovate,” she adds. And she is on a constant mission to do just that, “One person at a time, one company at a time, one community at a time. It’s never-ending, but it’s worth it.”
A Glimpse into Laura's Background
She was just one wall down teaching legal design at the Bar Association in Barcelona when the GLTH was founded. She was asked to join the advisory board of the GLTH by Albert and the team when a few people were already involved. “I was so happy to see this platform emerge, making it possible to contact many people from all over the world. For me, it was a very natural meeting with many friends.”
When she was a child, she dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. Perhaps she had that spirit, as she eventually unearthed from a variety of experiences - from theater acting to conference interpreting - the hidden treasure she didn't know she was searching for: legal design thinking. “I didn't know I would land here - both geographically and professionally - but that’s where I belong now - both geographically and professionally” she claims.
The only mantra she repeats to herself is OM. She loves yoga as much as she loves traveling: she has visited so many places that it’s difficult for her to choose just one for us. “I guess that would be Tahiti, in Polynesia. I lived there as a child and I came back a couple of years ago because I still have a brother living there. I feel it's my place on Earth.” she claims. “It's a place where nature provides, and it is not (yet) ruined.”
When asked where in time she’d like to travel, past or future, she replies she just loves the present. To understand the past, well, we have “books.” And regarding the future… Well… “The future is coming so fast that I'm not interested in knowing it beforehand.” says Laura. “It's coming too fast already, especially since I'm a mother. Traveling in time is not for me. Traveling the world - and designing the future - is all I can ask for.”
Founder, Legal Shake
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