Joe Regalia
What is it about being a law school professor that inspires or motivates you?
The students. No question about it. I became a law professor because I love seeing one of my students get it. I love watching my students tackle tough challenges and overcome them. I love following my students after they graduate— I’m often stunned by the incredible things they do. And I love learning from my students (which I always do).
Our graduates do so many amazing and world-changing things after they graduate. I don’t need to look any further than them for inspiration.
What are the most important things you are working on right now?
I’m working on three projects that really excite me.
The first is an initiative to train our students about how to leverage cutting-edge technology and innovation mindsets. These skills will equip our graduates to meet the many challenges facing them in legal practice today. I’ve brought together leaders from legal tech, corporate America, law firms, and tech-law professors to figure out what skills and tools our students need to succeed and how to train them better. Boyd is already a national leader for our legal writing and practice skills training. It just makes sense to be a leader in technology and innovation, too. This board is also developing plans to roll out a legal-tech incubator to support local entrepreneurs, and a program to bring legal tech speakers from around the world to educate our law students and lawyers.
The second is our re-launching of the Pro Se Bootcamp (PSBC) in Las Vegas. This program trains members of the public (especially vulnerable ones) the skills they need to navigate the legal system and be heard. Unlike other programs, PSBC focuses on training practical skills so that folks can better advocate for themselves. PSBC has been incredibly successful both in Vegas and in Chicago, where I ran it for the past couple of years.
Finally, I’m working on several writing projects that are really exciting me. One is an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the water law case Mississippi vs. Tennessee; another is research into how judges can use big data and analytics to spot bias in their own decision making; and finally I’m wrapping up a project that uses cognitive and behavioral science to build more efficient and productive law firm teams.
What is the most significant issue facing your field and how should it be addressed?
My work straddles several fields, but legal technology and innovation stands out as an area that we should all be watching. Tech is transforming what it means to be a lawyer. And although the tech revolution can be scary, I’m excited. Getting good at technology and innovation frees lawyers up to do so much more with their JD. We get to be entrepreneurs. We get to be creative. We get to find new ways to add value for our communities and clients.
The most important first step for all of us is to just better understand how technology intersects with lawyering. Second, both students and lawyers would do well to start investing time in developing their tech, design, and innovation skills.