Don't feel like reading? That's ok – listen to the episode below.
The law, as a system, has been a fundamental cornerstone of society for centuries. However, as time has progressed, the law has become entrenched in its own conventions and methodologies, leading to a stagnation that has left many feeling apathetic towards its potential.
Look at the website of a random law firm. Conference rooms, polished wood tables, and stern-looking attorneys in expensive suits. Pictures that are designed to retain the status quo. No dreams. No visions of a better world.
In order to break this apathy, we need to believe that we are going somewhere.
Where are we going? Where am I going?
As long as we maintain the status quo, we will continue to exist in maintenance mode, making incremental changes to a system that is inherently flawed. We need to think bigger, reimagine what the law could be, and collectivize people around a new vision.
One of the key insights into how to achieve this collective vision comes from Elias Canetti's classic book Crowds and Power. Canetti argues that a crowd exists as long as it has an unattainable goal. Once the image is acquired, and there is nowhere else to go, the crowd dissipates. Direction is essential for the continuing existence of the crowd.
In the context of law, this means that we need to develop new pictures of what the law could be.
Picture is only inspiring if it is unattainable. And we need a creative director to paint these unattainable pictures for us. Visions. Dreams. Escapes.
The concept of a creative director for law is about creating a new image of what the legal system could be. This new image would be rooted in the fundamental principles of justice and fairness, but it would also be innovative, forward-thinking, and responsive to the needs of society.
This is the only way to break the apathy.