LawWithoutWalls: an experiential learning community that leverages intergenerational, cross-cultural, multidisciplinary collaboration to create innovations in the business of law and, importantly, change the mindsets, skillsets, and behaviors of legal professionals.

LWOW Sprint: a 3 day in-person “weekender” hackathon focused on innovation, collaboration, and transformation in law. It is hands-on upskilling for practicing and aspiring legal and business professionals who seek to enhance their cross-cultural, collaboration, problem solving, and leadership skills while hacking alongside kindred spirits who share a passion for intrapreneurship and community exchange. 

LWOW Sprint is designed to match the demanding legal marketplace today which often requires extraordinarily talented multidisciplinary teams to be pulled together quickly to work collaboratively on urgent matters. As such, the LWOW Sprint is a team-based, inclusive, multidisciplinary, intergenerational experience. Over the course of 3 intense, high energy days, participants use The 3-4-5 Method™ (created by Michele DeStefano) to hack to solve a real business-of-law-problem or social responsibility challenge (or ESG) assigned to them by a sponsoring law firm, legal department, or law company. Teams create the foundation of a practicable solution and, at the end of the Sprint, present it to a panel of expert judges. In the process, participants learn design thinking principles and new ways of communicating, leading, and approaching collaboration and culture change that can be leveraged at work. The intensive LWOW Sprint mirrors real life sprints to meet client demands. As such it requires hard work and resilience, delivers personal and professional growth and, of course, celebrates the LWOW community of change agents.

  • Click here to read all about LWOW Sprint.

  • Click here for the Sprint 2025 Flyer and here for the Sprint 2025 One-Page Planner.

Watch LWOW Sprint in action

LWOW Sprint 2025 Planner

Previous LWOW Offerings (not currently offered):

LWOW Sprint-X: An all-virtual experiential learning program in law, innovation, collaboration, and transformation. Participants collaborate in multi-disciplinary teams composed of sponsors, legal and business professionals and students from law and business schools around the world who work together virtually to create viable solutions to real problems related to the business of law and social justice over the course of a 4 week period in January and February of 2021. In addition to creating and presenting the foundation of a practicable solution, participants learn design thinking principles and new ways of communicating, leading, and approaching collaboration and culture change that can be applied in the future within the organizations in which they work. Sprint-X equips participants with skills and experiences required to build and maintain successful client relationships. 

  • Click here to learn more Sprint-X.

LWOW Sprint-X INC.: 3 month all-virtual Project of Worth Incubation, February - April 2021. The student hackers, volunteer mentors/project managers (and any sponsor participants who so choose) will continue to refine, distill and incubate their team’s Projects of Worth developed during LWOW Sprint-X. The focus over these three months is on developing a full business plan, challenging assumptions, and prototyping. 

  • Teams attend webinars weekly on Wednesdays to contextualize innovation in law by covering the broad topics that will frame the narrower challenges assigned to teams in the LWOW Sprint-X and that provide substantive training for development of their projects. Topics of these recordings include consumer storytelling, prototyping, branding and business planning, and more. 

  • Teams are guided by volunteer mentors and a dedicated LWOW Project Managers and any Lead Hackers (sponsor participants that wish to stay on to assist). Teams attend guidance meetings with LWOW leadership to help guide their incubation process. 

  • Click here to learn more about Sprint-X INC.

LWOW Xed: All-virtual course for the LWOW Community and LWOW Students about the practical application of innovation in law consisting of two parts:

  • Live weekly 90-minute webinars featuring academics and thought leaders from around the world to explore the application of innovation and tech in the law with a global perspective.

  • Virtual teaming among the student participants to solve a real challenge related to social justice/entrepreneurship.

This course is open to the LWOW community. It is designed to arm participants with a deeper understanding of the global legal marketplace and how innovation is impacting the careers and work of legal professionals. It also serves as prep for future participation in other LWOW offerings like the LWOW Sprint or LWOW O. The webinar component contextualizes innovation in law by covering the broad topics that will frame the narrower challenges assigned to teams in both the LWOW Sprint and LWOW O. As such, participants can make more meaningful contributions.

  • Click here to learn more about LWOW Xed.

LWOW Original (aka LWOW O): 4-Month part-in-person/part-virtual experiential learning program designed for practicing and aspiring lawyers that brings a human-centered design perspective to law.  LWOW O unites teams of approximately four law and business professionals (who serve as “Team Leaders,” “Topic Experts,” and/or “Mentors”) along with three students (the “Hackers”) from more than 35 law and business schools around the world. Over the course of the 4 months, each team learns and applies the 3-4-5 Method of Innovation™ created by LWOW’s founder, Michele DeStefano, to co-create a Project of Worth: a business case and practicable solution to a real problem assigned and sponsored by a corporate legal department, law company, or law firm. Teams also attend weekly webinars that provide substantive training to help teams reach their goals (topics include consumer storytelling, prototyping, branding and business planning, and more).

  • Click here to learn more about LWOW “O” (Original) .

LWOW X: 4-Month all-virtual experiential learning program designed for practicing and aspiring lawyers that brings a human-centered design perspective to law.  LWOW O unites teams of approximately four law and business professionals (who serve as “Team Leaders,” “Topic Experts,” and/or “Mentors”) along with three students (the “Hackers”) from more than 35 law and business schools around the world. Over the course of the 4 months, each team learns and applies the 3-4-5 Method of Innovation™ created by LWOW’s founder, Michele DeStefano, to co-create a Project of Worth: a business case and practicable solution to a real problem assigned and sponsored by a corporate legal department, law company, or law firm. Teams also attend weekly webinars that provide substantive training to help teams reach their goals (topics include consumer storytelling, prototyping, branding and business planning, and more).

  • Click here to learn more LWOW X.

The future of law, today.