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Legal Tech for Small Firm Practice (Fall 2023)

About the Instructor​

Quinten Steenhuis, QSteenhuis@suffolk.edu

Quinten Steenhuis is a practitioner in residence at the Legal Innovation and Technology Lab at Suffolk where he is the technical lead of the Court Forms Online project. Before joining Suffolk Law School, Quinten was a legal aid attorney, systems administrator, and software developer at Greater Boston Legal Services for 12 years.

Quinten is also the owner of Lemma Legal Consulting and builds apps using legal technology for law firms around the world, including MADE and UpToCode. He received his B.Sc. in Logic and Computation with an additional B.Sc. in Political Science from Carnegie Mellon University and J.D. (cum laude) from Cornell Law School.

In 2021, Quinten was named a "Legal Rebel" by the American Bar Association Journal. His work has been cited by the White House. In 2023, he was named a member of the annual Fastcase 50.

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Meeting Time​

LAW-2156-AD

Tuesday 02:00PM - 03:50PM, Sargent Hall, Room 375

This course makes extensive use of Microsoft Teams, and does not use the Canvas online course management system. You will be invited to join the Microsoft Team. Teams will be used for turning in assignments and viewing grades and rubrics.

We may have at least one class via Zoom, which will be preannounced.

Course overview​

Becoming familiar with legal technology as a consumer, author, or project manager is a competitive advantage in today's legal market. Lawyers today use technology to:

  • Run the business side of the law firm, including
    • Tracking client information
    • Reaching new clients
  • Help make decisions
  • Reduce repetitive tasks through automation and templates
  • Deliver legal services directly to consumers

Legal Tech for Small Firm Practice is a survey-style seminar that aims to introduce you to the use of legal technology in the practice of law. We will focus closely on the access to justice problem and the needs of people who cannot afford to hire attorneys.

50% of your grade will be based on a final project that incorporates legal technology. Most students will create a simple "app" that solves a legal problem using the tools and processes of the Document Assembly Line. You may also choose a different technology to develop your final project. You do not need any prior coding background or experience to earn an "A" in this class.

About half of our in-class time will be spent on discussions and exercises that get you thinking about legal technology, and about half will be hands-on training with a representative sample of legal technology tools. We will spend special attention to the free and open source Docassemble application.

We will have frequent guest speakers and readings that address different aspects of legal technology and law.

Course materials​

There are no required textbooks for this class. All readings will be available online for free.

Course Goals & Learning Objectives​

GOALSOBJECTIVESASSESSMENTS
Gain familiarity with technologies used by lawyers for legal workIdentify and categorize different types of legal technology, comparing the benefits and drawbacks of each tool in various scenariosIn-class discussion, presentations
Recognize ethical and regulatory challenges presented by legal technologyDescribe the current regulatory landscape, delineate challenges posed by ethical rules regarding legal technology, and discuss potential moral considerations in automation decisionsIn-class discussion
Decompose processes into component parts analyticallyMap specific processes, pinpointing inefficiencies and proposing potential improvementsDemonstrated through project work
Develop a software application tailored to legal tasksDefine a legal technology need, collaborate with clients to outline a project scope, formulate software requirements, and automate a chosen process from initiation to completionFinal project; interim assignments
Segment legal rules or knowledge into automatable unitsBreak down a legal rule or knowledge into discrete, automatable segments using diagrams and software toolsAssessments and in-class discussions
Explore career trajectories for tech-savvy lawyersEnumerate and discuss the diverse roles of technology in legal practice and how technical acumen can augment various job rolesIn-class discussion

Grading​

There is no forced curve in this class. Grading of your final project is holistic, focused on your growth and ability to apply the skills we learn in class.

I try to assign final grades based on natural cutoffs in the distribution of student work across assignments. Typically, an "A" grade is equivalent to a cumulative grade of 92 or above.

Graded assignments​

Your final grade will be based on the following work:

ComponentPercent
Legal tech assessment10% (opportunity for extra credit)
Weekly reading and journal entries10% (pass/fail)
Plain language exercise15%
App "teardown"10%
Final project outline10% (pass/fail)
Final project presentation5%
Final project40%

My goal is to give you a chance to demonstrate your mastery of the material in multiple ways over the course of the semester and to avoid a single high stakes assessment. You will have an opportunity for frequent feedback and advice on your final project.

Class participation not graded​

Class works best when everyone is an active participant. However, research shows that using class participation as the basis for grading is often arbitrary and unfair. Therefore, class participation will not factor into your final grade.

Philosophy​

The philosophy of this course is that by becoming familiar with legal technology and using it to solve real problems, you will be able to become a better critic, regulator, purchaser, and consumer of legal products as a practicing attorney. I do not expect you to become expert software developers. You should learn "just enough" to be useful in your future work.

I will do my best to provide you opportunities for growth in this class, and I expect you to come into the class with a "growth mindset".

The process of computer programming often involves repeatedly running into errors. Errors are an opportunity to learn. In addition, creating a successful product requires iteration. The first draft is often the first chance to do real discovery about what works and what does not work.

As new coders, you will need to ask a lot of questions. I will never "hide the ball" or refuse to answer direct questions. Questions are part of the learning process, especially for new coders. Failing to ask questions may frustrate and slow you down.

Rule of thumb

If you are stuck on a problem for more than 30 minutes, ask for help! Use Teams, ask a friend, or send me an email. Chances are there will be a more interesting problem to solve after we get past your "blocker".

Software development is a highly results-oriented domain. It is not just okay, but expected to use libraries, prewritten code, and samples to reduce reinvention of basic components of your product. I expect each student to produce unique work, but not to waste time rewriting code that already works to achieve a goal.

Being successful in this class means:

  • Asking for help and feedback early. You will not be graded negatively if you don't understand everything right away. It's expected to need to ask many questions early on.
  • Accepting that you will run into errors and perhaps dead ends
  • Your first draft will look very different from your final product
  • It is not just okay, but an important part of the process to collaborate, share early drafts, and gather feedback.

Software development is a creative endeavor that can be truly exhilarating. There is the struggle of creation and then the excitement and joy of producing something that can live on in the world. Most of all, it should be fun.

Learn more about growth mindset

Policies​

Assignment due date flexibility​

I have arranged a schedule of assignments that paces the work over the full semester. But I understand that it may not account for work in your other courses or life responsibilities.

If the deadline for any assignment does not work for you for any reason, I am embracing a flexible deadline approach to this course. Work may be turned in on an alternate schedule without any grade penalty. To use this flexibility:

  1. Propose a new deadline for the assignment. I will let you know if the new deadline works. (Up to 1 week will normally be automatic).
  2. Understand that it may take me longer (at times substantially longer) to review work that is not turned in on the regular schedule, which may delay your grade and feedback on the assignment.

Accommodations​

If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course due to the impact of a disability, it is important that you contact the Law School's Dean of Student Office for further information and assistance, including information on disability-related accommodations. We can then plan how best to coordinate any accommodations.

Attendance Policy​

Observe Suffolk Law School's general attendance policy. All work can be turned in electronically through Teams. In the event that the University cancels classes, such as for severe weather, you are expected to continue with assignments as originally scheduled unless otherwise communicated through email.

As of this writing, missing more than 2 classes may require a meeting and permission from the dean to allow you to remain in the course.

Course Schedule​

The schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, or to ensure better student learning. This course is a work in progress, and I'm always looking for ways to improve. Therefore, mid-course corrections should be anticipated! This online version will be the most "up to date," so if you print this, just be aware that the "official" version will be the digital version available at this web page.

Policy on use of generative AI and large language models (e.g., ChatGPT)​

What are generative AI tools?​

The line is getting fuzzier by the day, but in general, any tool that you provide a prompt and get back new or substantially revised text is one I would describe as generative AI. These tools all have a creative function that distinguishes them from tools that simply correct your work.

Examples of "generative AI" tools:

  • ChatGPT
  • Bing Chat
  • Google Bard
  • Google Docs's "Help me Write" feature

Examples of tools that are not "generative AI":

  • Spellcheck and grammar check
  • Microsoft's "Editor" tool
  • Grammarly
  • WordRake

Why we provide guidance on use of generative AI​

  1. To ensure substantive accuracy of output;
  2. To help you understand how to avoid violation of client confidentiality and privacy;
  3. To help you build competency in the use of these tools and to be able to produce your own work in instances where the tools will fail;
  4. To provide transparency into your authorship so that I can appropriately assess your work.

Limits on use of AI​

You may use generative AI tools on all assignments in this course. Where possible, I will provide instruction on how to appropriately use AI on a given assignment.

You should also always follow these general rules:

  1. Don't substitute the AI's judgment for your own. When I ask you to reflect, synthesize, or argue, I am asking for your thoughts, not those of the AI. You may use the AI as an "editor." For example: you can ask it if your reflection is missing anything.
  2. Don't put private or confidential information into commercial AI tools. I hope to provide you access to a Suffolk-owned tool which will be safe to use for this purpose.
  3. Follow the "50% rule": your original writing combined with any prompt to the tool should reflect at least 50% of the word count of the final content.
  4. Check your work for accuracy. Large language models are predictive tools and can make mistakes. Your job is to verify your work.
  5. Let me know how you used each tool. I'll occasionally ask you to provide a log of your conversation with an AI tool, but you should always use attribution.

Class Schedule and Assignments​

About the Legal Tech Assessment

You will all receive a login to the Procertas Legal Tech Assessment. This is a self-paced learning module that should take between 10-15 hours for most students to complete. It will teach you advanced Word, Excel, and PowerPoint skills. You can start this at any time.

The syllabus includes a suggested schedule for working through the LTA.

Learning objectives

In this module you will learn about the access to justice gap and the advantages and disadvantages of the dominant method of delivering legal services in our country. By the end you should have a brief overview of the problems and possible solutions to delivering legal services in an affordable and accessible manner to the majority of the country.

Class 1: August 29, 2023 Intro to the access to justice problem​

Readings

In-class topics:

  • Class overview, policies
  • Growth mindset
  • What is access to justice?
  • Case study: MADE

Module 2: Introduction to computer-aided decision systems​

Learning objectives

In this module, you will learn to translate a legal problem into a form that can be understood by an average person as well as a computer. By the end of this module you should be able to create a flowchart representing a legal problem and translate it into a QnAMarkup chatbot.

Class 2: September 5, 2023 Introduction to programming with QnAMarkup, guest David Colarusso​

Readings
Complete Legal Tech Assessment tutorial

In-class topics:

  • Applying QnAMarkup to DACA
  • Short QnAMarkup example exercises
  • Practice time with QnAMarkup

Module 3: Speaking the right language​

Learning objectives

Tools that help consumers and self-represented litigants must be easy to understand and use. But writing with plain language in mind is not easy. By the end of this module, you should be able to recognize common problems with writing that make it difficult to read and be able to make simple changes to writing to improve it.

Class 3: September 12, 2023 Plain Language, Guest Caroline Robinson​

Readings
Complete Legal Tech Assessment Excel module

Module 4: Generative AI for law​

Learning objectives

Generative AI is an emerging tool that is already becoming deeply embedded into the work of lawyers. In this module, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate proficiency in using generative AI tools to draft legal documents and conduct research within a law firm setting.
  • Evaluate and critique the ethical and practical implications of AI-generated outputs in legal scenarios, considering client confidentiality and data security.
  • Formulate and present strategies for seamlessly integrating AI tools into a law firm's operations, emphasizing training and quality control.

Class 4: September 19, 2023 Introduction to Generative AI​

Due

Set up a meeting with Professor Steenhuis to discuss your final project ideas

Readings
Complete Legal Tech Assessment Powerpoint module

In class topics:

Class 5: September 26, 2023 Generative AI continued, Guest Sam Flynn​

Readings
Plain language assignment due

Module 5: Automating all the things​

Learning objectives

In this module, we will take a closer look at document automation and legal process automation more broadly.

Class 6: October 3, 2023 Docassemble Hello, World exercise​

Readings
Complete Legal Tech Assessment Word Brief

In-class topics:

  • Docassemble Hello, World
  • Basics of logic

No class on October 10th (Monday schedule)​

Class 7: October 17, 2023 Process automation, Guest Dorna Moini​

Readings
Complete Legal Tech Assessment Word Contract

In-class topics:

Class 8: October 24th, 2023 Using the Assembly Line Weaver​

Readings
Complete Legal Tech Assessment Word memo

Module 6: Case management systems​

Class 9: October 31, 2023 Hands-on with Clio, guest Jeremy Fernandes​

Due: Final project outline
Readings
  • Sign up for Clio University and for the Clio Academic Access program. :::
Learning objectives

In this module, we will learn about user-centered and legal design. We will also consider the ethical implications and limits of traditional user-centered design.

Due: set up a meeting with Professor Steenhuis
Readings

:::

Complete Legal Tech Assessment Discovery module (optional, extra credit)

In-class topics:

  • Design is everywhere:
    • Visual design
    • Process design
    • Usability and user experience
  • What is legal design?
  • Just remember "CRAP":
    • Contrast
    • Repetition
    • Alignment
    • Proximity

Second half of class: guest Nicole Bradick

Class 11: November 14, 2023 Usability testing and making sense of MVP​

Due: App "teardown"
Readings

In-class topics:

  • When is our work "done"?
  • Expert review vs usability testing
  • Demo of usability test
  • Perform a simulated usability test of a classmate's form

In-class work time on your final project

Class 12: November 21, 2023 REMOTE class workday​

Come prepared with at least 1-2 questions for extra credit.
Complete Legal Tech Assessment PDF module (optional, extra credit)

Class 13: November 28th Final project presentations​

Due: presentation outline or slides

In-class topics:

  • Class is reserved for your 5 minute presentations and feedback from peers.

Final project​

What tools can I use?​

This semester, we will spend several hours in class working with the open source tool Docassemble and the LIT Lab's Document Assembly Line project, framework. Many students will choose to use this for their final project. You will have the most support with this tool.

If you choose a Docassemble form that is appropriate to be hosted on CourtFormsOnline.org, there is a chance that it will eventually be published (usually at least a semester later). You may also choose a Docassemble project that is suggested by a state that the LIT Lab works with, including:

  • Alaska
  • Illinois
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Texas
  • Vermont

You may find a form on the Form Explorer index page. Note: there is no requirement to automate a "unique" form but many high-interest Massachusetts forms have already been automated, which may reduce the chance of your work being published.

You may also use:

  • QnAMarkup
  • Documate
  • Microsoft Forms + Power Automate
  • Josef Q
  • Or any other form building or chatbot tool, even if we didn't discuss it in class (with preapproval)

What to build​

Your final project should likely be a relatively simple, self-contained legal app that either does:

  • document assembly,
  • intake,
  • or triage and advice.

Students are often inspired by a legal process they have been part of or that came up in a law firm they worked for. Past projects have included:

  • divorce
    • intake
    • triage between 1A and 1B
    • pretrial memo
    • simple divorce automation
  • restraining orders
    • triage between 209A and 258E
  • housing
    • eviction answer
    • motion to stay execution
  • estate planning
  • intake for a personal injury firm

How complete should it be?​

Think of this as similar to a model bridge that an architecture student might build in class. Your project should be considered a useful prototype, not at the same level as a commercial tool. Specifically, it should:

  • Run through to the end
  • Make good use of plain language, a logical question order and organization
  • Be enough to convince a decision maker to invest in making a final, refined version of your tool

An excellent document assembly or intake project will:

  • have 10-20 screens and
  • complete a 1-2 page form

An excellent triage project will:

  • have 20-30 screens and
  • provide structured legal information about 3-5 possible scenarios

Expect to spend between 30-50 hours on your final project, including research, testing, and planning.

What if I can't code?​

You will not be expected to know how to code before you join the class. I will teach you the skills that you need.

A large portion of your grade will be based the "soft" skills--selection of the right focus, breaking a rule into logical components, plain language, and question order and structure.

When (not if) you run into a bug or software challenge, just ask for help! That is part of the learning process, and asking for help is not just OK but expected to succeed in the class.

You may also select a tool based on the level of coding required. Choosing a tool that requires less coding knowledge will not harm your grade. But be sure that you understand the tradeoffs and fit the project to the tool.

December 15 Final project due at 5 PM​

Grading rubric​

Your final project grade will total 50% of your final grade, but two components are due early:

  • An outline (which should include draft questions and draft "next steps" instructions), 10% of your grade
  • A final presentation (your project will not be complete before you present - think of it as an elevator pitch), 5% of your grade.

The remaining 35% will be graded as follows:

CategorySummaryDue datePercent of final project grade
ResearchDocument the work done to understand the form's purpose and meaningGraded at end15%
CompletenessHow well does the project solve the problem?Graded at end27%
Polish and refinementHow refined is the user experience, including use of language, input types, and question order?Graded at end27%
Iteration and use of feedbackHow well did the student solicit and incorporate feedbackGraded at end16%
Final project descriptionHow well did the student document the process of development?Graded at end10%
Preparing for handoffHow well did the student document the next steps to continue refining the project?Graded at end5%

Getting started with your project​

Identify a topic, a potential client, and a goal​

In the process of selecting a project, consider:

  • Who your client likely is
  • What goal they would have
  • How your project can and cannot address their goal
  • What work they would need to do independently of your project to complete their goal, both before and after using your app

Research​

Use your legal research skills to identify the relevant statutes, rules, and context that your user would need to achieve their goal.

Now, put your proposed app in the context of the wider goal. Document the information that you can include in the app to help the user, and the information that you need to provide both before and after they use your app.

Document the location and sources that supports your work.

Draft an output document​

Start with the output first. Identify the questions that you need to ask your user to complete the output of your app.

If you have chosen one or more forms, the output already exists. If you are creating an intake questionnaire, you may want to start by creating a simple Microsoft Word document with the information.

Write draft questions​

Your questions should not be limited to the literal fields on an existing form. They will include:

  • Screening questions that decide if the tool is appropriate for the user
  • Questions that fill in the blank spaces on the form
  • Intermediate questions that help the user answer blank spaces
  • Questions that guide the user to correct "next steps"

Build a first prototype​

If you are working with Docassemble, you can use the Weaver to build a prototype that can be refined.

You may also find that QnAMarkup makes a good rapid prototyping tool. Flowchart.fun can also help you diagram your work.

Refine​

Your initial prototype will be the first chance for you to run the project through from start to finish. You will likely realize a lot of things that you want to change.

If you are developing a form in Docassemble, follow the editing guidelines to make some of the most common changes.

Gather feedback and refine again​

Now that you have built a rough version of your tool, get it in the hands of real users. You should consider two kinds of users:

  • Subject matter experts, and
  • Users that are relatively close to the profile of your real user.

Ideally, set up a time to walk through the app together with both kinds of users. You can run through the app over Zoom. Get feedback from at least 3 to 5 users.

Follow the guidance on running a usability test to get the most out of the feedback sessions.

Create a wishlist of improvements​

Getting feedback can be like drinking from a firehose. Some of it will be easy to act on. Some will contradict feedback from other users. Some will be plain wrong.

Do your best to sort through the feedback and come up with a prioritized list of future changes. Implement the top priority ones, and be ready to save the rest for a future person to pick up some day! You won't be able to implement all of the ideas within the time you have to complete this project.

Course-specific websites​

Software tools used in this class​

We may make use of some of the following free websites and software applications:

Required software will not need to be installed on your computer. You can use a Windows, Macintosh or Linux computer for all course assignments.

Independent reading​

If you would like to stay up to date with the legal tech world, I recommend: