Legal Transformation Practice
Driving change and innovation in the legal sector
Treehouse is a trusted change partner for the legal sector. We bring human-centred design and emerging technologies together to help firms build more agile, change-ready cultures.
We help law firms collaborate with their clients, differentiate in the market, and identify new avenues for growth through human-centred design.
Legal Innovations Consultancy of the Year, SME News Legal Awards 2023
The challenge
Build more agile, change-ready cultures
Changing client demands, emerging technologies, shifting market conditions and regulatory frameworks all create both opportunities and challenges for law firms. Clients want more innovative pricing and delivery models. They also want legal teams to help them find fresh ways to tackle strategic problems.
To stay ahead, the most successful firms are embracing new ways of working, both internally and with their clients. Treehouse has helped leading firms in the UK, US and Europe integrate the principles of Human-Centered Design to win new clients, collaborate across practices, and build more agile, change-ready cultures.
Our framework
How we build agile, innovative cultures
Engaged leadership
For new ways of working to make a real impact, your leaders need to truly understand them and see their value. We work with you from the start to get everybody on board.
Awareness and capability
We identify, develop and support your internal champions. We also help you get the broader organisation up to speed with the tools and mindsets they need to enable transformation.
Real work application
It's vital that your team start seeing the impact quickly. We demonstrate impact through quantitative metrics and qualitative stories about how new approaches yield better outcomes.
AI is reshaping the legal landscape
Artificial intelligence is transforming how legal services are delivered, from contract analysis and due diligence to client advisory and knowledge management.
Firms that embrace AI strategically will unlock new efficiencies, deliver greater value to clients, and stay ahead of competitors. We help legal teams understand where AI fits within their practice, build confidence in using new tools, and develop responsible adoption strategies that complement human expertise.
Success story
How DLA Piper is transforming its culture
Delivering greater impact for clients through design thinking and a firm-wide Radical Change programme.
Global law firm DLA Piper, Law.com International's Law Firm of The Year 2020, saw an opportunity to capitalise on disruptive challenges to build stronger, more innovative client relationships. The result is an organisation-wide Radical Change programme designed to fundamentally change how the firm operates.
We partnered with DLA Piper to develop a bespoke framework, tools, training and support programme that resonated with lawyers and legal support staff. This has led to new client relationships, genuine co-creation between lawyers and their clients, and a lasting shift in mindset.
Read the full case studyFeatured
The Futures Lab at LegalTechTalk 2024
We partnered with LegalTechTalk to create the Futures Lab, an immersive experience giving visitors the opportunity to explore what the future of law might look like.
Download the report
Workshop in a box
Law 2035: Illustrated Futures
Stress test your strategy, spot opportunities, and provoke fresh thinking about what the future of the legal sector might hold.
Get yours nowOur services
How we can help you
We've helped law firms around the world drive growth by integrating Human-Centered Design into their day-to-day practices.
Human-Centered Design Training for Lawyers
Equip your people with the skills to lead with empathy, discover unmet client needs, and creatively respond with fresh solutions that create new value for clients and the firm.
Facilitate Client Workshops
Partner with us to tackle strategic challenges, develop innovative approaches to winning new work, and run engaging workshops with key clients to deepen relationships and co-create solutions.
Transformation Consulting
If you are a driver of change in the legal sector, we can help you build the internal capability and firm-wide engagement required to enhance adaptability, increase collaboration and de-risk innovation investment.
The methodology
What is human-centred design?
Used by some of the world's most forward-thinking companies, including Apple, Google and Procter & Gamble, human-centered design goes broader than what is commonly referred to as 'legal design'. It enables you to discover hidden human needs and develop innovative services, experiences and products people will use and pay for.
It's a fast-paced, highly collaborative approach involving storytelling, visualisation, business modelling, rapid prototyping and structured experimentation to come up with innovative solutions that better meet your clients' needs.
- Differentiate in the marketplace by engaging with clients in new, more innovative ways
- Create competitive advantage by anticipating emerging client needs
- Develop innovative new service delivery and pricing models
- Increase organisational agility and responsiveness to change
- Improve collaboration across practices and locations
- Boost employee engagement with a more creative working environment
McKinsey & Company: "Design-led organisations realise 10% more revenue than ones that aren't."
The Design Management Institute found that design-driven organisations outperform the S&P 500 by 228%.
"It's increasingly important for lawyers to be familiar with Human-Centered Design. At a minimum this is so they can speak the same language as their clients, many of whom are using Human-Centered Design at senior levels, but even more importantly because so many of the elements are helpful in enhancing client relationships as well as developing innovative solutions to new client challenges."
Julia E. Robinson, Head of Professional Development & Training, Europe & Asia, Ropes & Gray
Your team
Meet the people behind the practice
Adam Billing
Jana Blount
Duncan Brannan
Nathan Waterhouse
El Tong
Steve Baker
Angela Tang
Insights
Thought leadership
Exploring the impact of generative AI on the future of professions
How will generative AI shape the future of legal services, private equity, investment banking, accounting, and consulting.
Improving access to justice
Despite huge developments in lawtech, for many consumers and SMEs services remain difficult to access and afford.
Why law firms need design thinking now more than ever
Every article about law firms and innovation starts in the same way. They talk about the pressures the profession is facing...
Why lawyers make great designers. No, really.
In an increasingly competitive market, law firms have to do something to stand out from the crowd.
Slaughter and May, The Lens: Listen to your user... but not too much!
Design thinking applied to challenges within law firms and by clients within their organisations.
How DLA Piper is using design thinking to transform the business
"If our clients don't want something, it doesn't matter how excellent or radical it appears." (Jana Blount)
Building a Culture of Innovation in Legal Services
What does innovation look like for a traditional industry such as law?
Roundtable: GCs draw their nightmares
An incessant stream of worries has troubled the minds of in-house counsels across the world...
Managing Partner Magazine: Innovation Cover Story
Can design thinking help law firms be more innovative?
Ready to drive innovation in your law firm?
Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with a senior member of our team to discuss your aspirations and challenges.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Who is this for?
Our Legal Transformation Practice is designed for law firm leaders, innovation heads, professional development teams, and anyone driving change within a legal organisation. Whether you are a global firm or a specialist practice, we tailor our approach to your context and goals.
What is human-centred design and why does it matter for law firms?
Human-centred design is a creative, structured approach to problem-solving that starts with understanding the needs of the people you serve. For law firms, it means developing services, pricing models, and client experiences that genuinely respond to what clients value, leading to stronger relationships and new avenues for growth.
How long does a typical engagement last?
It depends on your goals. A standalone workshop or training programme can be delivered in a day or two, while a broader transformation engagement typically runs over several months. We work with you to define the right scope and pace for your firm.
Can sessions be delivered remotely?
Yes. We have extensive experience running workshops and training programmes both in person and virtually. Our remote sessions are designed to be just as interactive and engaging, using digital collaboration tools to keep participants fully involved.
What kind of results can we expect?
Firms we have worked with have seen new client wins, deeper client relationships, improved cross-practice collaboration, and a measurable shift in how teams approach innovation. We focus on delivering tangible outcomes, not just theoretical frameworks.
How is this different from other legal consultancies?
We combine deep expertise in human-centred design with practical experience in the legal sector. Rather than delivering a report and walking away, we embed new capabilities within your teams so the impact lasts well beyond our engagement.
How does AI fit into your approach?
We help legal teams understand where AI can add genuine value, from streamlining internal processes to enhancing client delivery. Our approach ensures AI adoption is strategic, responsible, and grounded in real client needs rather than hype.
How do we get started?
Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with a senior member of our team. We will discuss your aspirations and challenges, and explain how we can help. There is no obligation and no hard sell.