Opening Plenary: Creating for Equity & Access to Justice

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Session Type: AALS Programs

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"Creativity takes courage" - Henri Matisse Matisse should know, as he revolutionized art in the early 1900s with his bright colors, expressive brushwork and abstract shapes. And he is right, for creativity calls on us to step away from what is familiar and safe, to risk rejection and ridicule, and to be true to our own identities and passions in the face of failure. This concept is often antithetical to what we do as lawyers and what students learn in law school about strict adherence to rules and precedent. Design process offers a synthesis of structure and creativity to foster creativity in legal thinking and delivery of services to marginalized, vulnerable constituencies. Creative designers experience an Aha! moment that inspires their designs, and designers who are the most creative spend more time exploring the design prompt and moving iteratively between the prompt and ideas for their expression/product. This session therefore unites experts in creative design process and deployment of technology and other innovations to advance access to justice to discuss how they work with creative designers and technologists and stimulate creativity in themselves and others. They also will share examples of creative work in equity and access to justice to help spark ideas in our own work.