What If Law Was Easy to Understand?

My Research Journey

I sent out a survey called “What If Law Was Easy to Understand? Help Me Explore” to gather real opinions from legal professionals about how they experience legal documents, websites, and processes. This research explores the gap between legal complexity and human understanding, seeking insights into what makes law accessible—or impossibly confusing.

Survey Responses

Practicing Lawyers

Law Students

The Process: From Question to Discovery

The Question

Why does law feel so inaccessible? I wanted to understand if legal professionals themselves recognize the barriers their clients face—and what solutions they'd support.

The Survey

I gathered 30 responses from practicing lawyers and law students, primarily in Gujarat, India. The survey explored client understanding, document confusion, platform usability, and attitudes toward visual legal tools.

The Analysis

I analyzed both quantitative patterns and qualitative insights, looking for trends in how legal professionals view accessibility challenges and potential solutions.

Key Findings Dashboard

The numbers tell a story—and it’s not a happy one for legal accessibility.

Say clients understand "Sometimes"

0 %

The Client Understanding Challenge

Have seen clients struggle with legal platforms

0 %

Platform Struggles Are Real

Strongly support adding communication courses

0 %

Education Gap Recognition

Say court procedures/forms confuse people most

0 %

Document Confusion Leaders

Are open to or enthusiastic about visuals

0 %

Visual Revolution Ready

Average platform rating out of 5

User Experience Issues

Client Understanding Reality

Most legal professionals admit their clients only “sometimes” understand explanations. This is a wake-up call for the profession.

Confusion Culprits

Court procedures and terms & conditions top the confusion charts. These everyday legal documents are failing real people.

Visual Revolution Readiness

Legal professionals are surprisingly open to visual elements—we just need to show them how it works.

Education Revolution

There’s overwhelming support for adding communication training to law school. The profession knows change is needed.

Deep Dive: What Legal Professionals Really Think

The Pain Points

Here’s what keeps legal professionals up at night when it comes to client communication:

Court summons and notice system - delays and confusion

Legal language - overcomplicated and intimidating

Court procedures and forms - most confusing documents

Court summons and notice system - delays and confusion

What They Really Said

Some of the most revealing responses from legal professionals:

"If I had to redesign one legal process to make life easier, it would be the court summons and notice system, which is currently riddled with delays, inefficiencies, and confusion."

— Practicing Lawyer

"Legal language is: Overcomplicated (e.g., 'heretofore,' 'notwithstanding,' 'inter alia') Intimidating (even to educated people). Built more for tradition than clarity."

— Legal Professional

"Terms and Conditions so that people atleast read it"

— Survey Respondent

Who Answered: The Voices Behind the Data

Client Understanding Reality

Most legal professionals admit their clients only “sometimes” understand explanations. This is a wake-up call for the profession.

Professional Mix

73.3%

Practicing Lawyers

23.3%

Law Students

3.3%

Court Staff

The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters

This research isn’t just about surveys and charts—it’s about access to justice. When legal professionals admit that clients only “sometimes” understand explanations, we’re looking at a systemic barrier to justice.

The legal design movement worldwide is recognizing that clarity isn’t just nice-to-have—it’s essential for democracy. From the UK’s plain English campaigns to Singapore’s visual law initiatives, the world is waking up to what my survey confirms: legal complexity is a barrier, not a feature.

Part of a Global Movement

Plain Language Movement: Making government and legal documents understandable

Visual Law: Using design and visuals to explain legal concepts

Access to Justice: Breaking down barriers between law and people

Legal Design: Human-centered approach to legal services

What’s Next?

Deeper Research

Expand the survey to more regions and specialties to understand how legal accessibility challenges vary across different legal contexts.

Design Solutions

Create prototypes of visual legal tools based on what professionals said they’d actually use—starting with court forms and terms & conditions.

Education Impact

Work with law schools to develop communication-focused curricula that address the gaps identified in this research.

The Real Goal

Law doesn’t have to be intimidating. This research shows legal professionals are ready for change—they’re just waiting for someone to show them how. That’s the challenge I’m taking on: making law as clear and accessible as it should be in a democracy.