At Passage Migration Consulting we are inspired by legal design in all that we do.
In August 2020, Lawyers Weekly described legal design as ‘the adoption of the design thinking process into the legal sector’... and in explaining its application, the article goes on to say that ‘It seeks to improve the law by focusing on the needs of the end user. People encounter the law almost everyday of their lives, from seeking legal advice on a dispute with a neighbour to receiving and signing an employment contract. However, in the traditional world of law, access to justice is often inhibited by costs, delay, and general confusion of the legal system’.
To practice legal design, it is required that we understand the needs of end users. But, not just at a surface level. We need to really know them. What drives them, how the navigate and digest information and where they fit within the world whether it be in their industry or as an individual entity. This is why we are different.
We are fascinated by the strategic framework of design thinking. For those that are unaware, this concept was traditionally used for designers to create better usability of products like the height of a bed in hospital for a nurse to properly to do their job. The process goes a little something like this:
The first part which traditional law has got wrong is the empathy part. It is no secret that the traditional model of law has forgotten to apply human emotion, but as a new version of law emerges, humanness is now more important than ever. The practicality of the empathy stage is to dig deep into the actual solutions that our clients need.
At Passage Migration Consulting we do this by first finding out what your intentions are, now and in the longer term. In the world of immigration in Australia, a short-term thinking decision can affect the trajectory of your migration journey for your long-term self (or business). So, if we know what you really want, we can assist you to get there in a way that works for you.
This is where the define stage comes in. We will define your end goal prior to giving you advice. Ever heard that line, start with the end in mind – that’s how we figure out what the best pathway is for you or your company. Maybe you define your end goal as being an Australian citizen, or perhaps as a business you need to source labour for a major project that is important to your company. Knowing this helps us prepare you for what steps will follow.
Then, we ideate. This phase for us is coming up with the alternatives for you or your business. Some of these ideas might be a bit out there, but this is essentially professional brainstorming. Think mind maps, coloured pens, and arrows. An advice piece will often start something like this:
But, looks much less like this once it gets to you.
Now that we have come up with all the possible solutions to your earlier defined end goal, we will prioritise these into what is going to work best. Luckily for you, we have spent 10 years in the prototyping stage working with individuals and organisations nationally to understand what works. So, this next part is the prototyping and testing phase all-in-one.
As immigration lawyers, we are not immune to the affect that border closures have had on the world, so we know that there is some tweaks and changes that need to make along the way to our carefully mapped out advice. The best part about this is that when you know where you are going and how to get there, it is easier to understand where there is flexibility in the process and where we need to plan for delays.
Then, the best part is that we can continuously assess if this solution is working for you. We can go back and ensure that the steps we are taking are still working towards our earlier defined end in mind. At Passage Migration Consulting we are in touch with our human side, so we will continue to revisit the human at the heart of our work – you (or your business).
If you would like to speak with a human lawyer, reach out to me at rachael@passagemigration.consulting – I would love to design a legal solution for you.
Otherwise, be human, be safe and happy Fri-yay!
Rachael is our Legal Practice Director, Youtube Host and Creator of Passage Migration Consulting.
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