Disciplinarity and the Modes of Legal Design

Doherty, Michael (2024) Disciplinarity and the Modes of Legal Design. In: Legal Design : Dignifying People in Legal Systems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 327-340. ISBN 9781009437073

Abstract

This chapter examines the emerging field of Legal Design through a critical reflection on the literature on academic disciplines and disciplinarity and argues that Legal Design does meet the criteria for recognition as an emerging academic sub-discipline. Its central contention is that Legal Design academics (together with their collaborative partners) have a timely opportunity to intentionally design the modalities of their nascent discipline. Academic disciplines can be understood in various ways. Whether this is, for example, from a sociological or an anthropological perspective, Legal Design has the chance to examine the human experience of disciplinarity and to consciously build an academic discipline that promotes dignity and value for its users, be they academic practitioners, students, or wider professional communities.