Legal communication that is both empathetic and efficient
Some everyday tasks are becoming more convenient and user-friendly. From watching movies to ordering food delivery, hailing a taxi, signing contracts, or opening a bank account, these activities can now be easily done from the comfort of your home using just a smartphone. Additionally, these new platforms are more customer-oriented, providing discounts, personalized content, and cashback offers.
The business environment is changing and becoming more vibrant, largely due to innovative technology companies that are transforming traditional industries and providing user-focused products and services through empathetic communication.
This is why we are doing it – it benefits business and also benefits everyone involved. Treating customers well, offering them kindness and attention is appreciated by all. It has been realized that customers should be seen as allies, rather than adversaries. Moving away from contracts based on exceptions and constant conflicts is more effective and sustainable.
In the field of law, we are a part of a social science that progresses alongside societal practices and customs. These modern practices impact the legal system, which in turn affects everyday life. The current trend of enhanced and compassionate communication is also shaping our interactions between organizations and customers.
The law is often seen as complex and inaccessible, with a focus on formalities and tradition rather than fairness and understanding. This creates a barrier for those who are not experts in legal matters, as they are still affected by legal documents and regulations in their daily lives. It is important for everyone to have a basic understanding of the law, as ignorance of it is not a valid excuse for non-compliance.
Reality is quite different. The law should be accessible to everyone, not just a select few. This should be improved by creating simpler and visually appealing legal instruments that maintain legal certainty while using more accessible language and putting the reader at the center. This approach should also be applied to all legal documents and communications. While laws will still be edited in the traditional way, there is room for using cartoons, storyboards, one-pagers, and videos to promote a deeper understanding of legal norms beyond mere formality.
Due to a broader context, the ongoing change is starting to show initial instances in Brazil. Visual Law, which involves clear communication and document design for better understanding, can be seen as a response to this shift.
Drafting legal content using design principles to simplify and synthesize the material in order to enhance comprehension and establish a connection with the reader.
Visual Law aims to be simple, compassionate, multidisciplinary, engaging, consistent, and effective. It involves applying design methods to legal matters to enhance communication, utilizing tools from various fields such as design, linguistics, psychology, and statistics. Embracing Visual Law may require challenging existing paradigms, but it does not necessarily entail becoming an expert in multiple disciplines.
It’s time to let go of old ways of working and embrace a new, more diverse and interdisciplinary approach to your profession. Specializing in your field is important, but being a good communicator is equally crucial in today’s fast-paced and connected world. Embracing change and adapting to new ways of working is essential to staying relevant in the evolving professional landscape.
Every journey starts with taking the first step. Whether you are already on the path to transforming your career or just beginning, it’s important to stay calm and patient as things evolve gradually. Brazil houses the world’s largest legal collection, comprising a vast array of laws, decrees, contracts, and more. With many individuals struggling to interpret complex texts, there is a significant demand for Visual Lawyers to help bridge this gap.
Can you see the innovative possibilities of combining Visual Law with Jurimetry?
Ability to convert data into information and use critical indicators to make decisions.
Present solutions, content, and results in a more appealing manner compared to the average customer.
Jurimetry and Visual Law work together in various ways. Data is transformed into graphs and then into infographics, organized to convey a narrative. This results in Visual Law. Thomson Reuters, in collaboration with legaltech company Juristec+, accomplished the challenging task of systematizing these techniques by developing Legal One Analytics. This platform, serving as Brazil’s inaugural Legal BI, introduced groundbreaking one-page templates, a key application of Visual Law. Users can now generate executive reports in the coveted one-page format within seconds.
You only need to absorb the information gradually, but here are some suggestions on where to begin: start by researching references on various topics such as articles, webinars, books, etc. Look at existing examples in the market, familiarize yourself with user-friendly design tools like Canvas, enroll in courses, and actively participate in the transformative legal field. Your career will benefit from these efforts!
Rui Caminha
Attorney, online business owner, University of São Paulo graduate with a degree from FGV-SP.
Founder and CEO of Juristec+ and Co-Founder and Director of Villa | Visual Law Studio, serving as a Professor of Visual Law and an international speaker for over 15 years, specializing in legal innovation, technologies, jurimetry, legal data science, AI in law, analytics, and Visual Law.
Discover more about Visual Law if you’re interested in expanding your understanding of this innovative legal method.
