Northeastern University had traditionally relied on a “legal clinic” model to prepare law graduates for their careers, but both faculty and students felt this approach was starting to lose relevance. Faculty recognized that experiential learning was gaining traction and could help prepare students for the changing needs of the legal industry. Staff proposed founding a legal law lab with the goal of empowering all members of their community to use the law, regardless of their level of legal training.
Faculty participated in ExperienceInnovation™ Learn in order to understand design thinking. They proceeded to launch an innovation laboratory that employed the collaborative mindset and human-centered tools they’d practiced in the half-day workshop. The lab was created to focus on generating legal solutions with measurable social impact. It introduced interdisciplinary collaboration, rapid prototyping and user testing to the curriculum. NuLawLab succeeded at bringing innovation and creativity into the learning process, and made Northeastern Law one of the only design-focused law schools in the country.
NuLawLab now focuses on community partnerships, interdisciplinary work, and legal education. Law students engage community stakeholders with empathy and are encouraged to solve problems with a cross-disciplinary mindset. Learning happens via an engaging process that uses both legal and non-legal skills to solve problems by imagining, designing, testing and executing their ideas. NuLawLab continues to push boundaries and transform the law into a collaborative, empowering tool for citizens and lawyers.
