The Future of Contracts Design Derby is a chance to solve real problems and to imagine a better future for contracts practice. We use human-centered design principles and processes, mix them with law students’ natural creativity and thoughtfulness, and together we created new ways of doing things.
“I did not know what to expect of the design process and ended up really enjoying it! I think law students and lawyers can really benefit from a process that makes you think creatively and identify multiple problems before jumping into a solution. We are often driven to find the right answer and plow through the brainstorming process, but the design process really allowed us to spend time in that creative step before searching for a solution.”
– Law Student Participant
An initiative of the Duke Center on Law & Tech, the Design Derby provides an opportunity for law students to engage with legal practitioners and others to rethink the ways that legal resources are used to solve people’s problems and meet people’s needs.
Latest News
Read about our 2024 Future of Contracts Design Derby and meet the winners!
Join Us
We are offering our Spring 2024 curriculum open-source here on our website, where students focused on challenges related to online click-wrap agreements and modifications of Terms of Service. Host the Derby at your law school.
The Future of Contracts Design Derby happens in three primary steps that track core components of typical human-centered design processes.
- Exploration
- Imagination
- Creation
“Participating in a design process is very fun and rewarding. It is also a useful exercise for law students, considering that most of our studies are more focused on analysis rather than creativity or innovation.”
-Law Student Participant
Email us at designderby@law.duke.edu with questions.