MaRS LegalX and LegalRnD announce partnership dedicated to legal sector innovation and improving access to legal services

TORONTO, November 6, 2015 – MaRS Discovery District and LegalRnD – The Center for Legal Services Innovation at Michigan State University College of Law today announced a partnership dedicated to legal sector innovation and improving access to legal services.

MaRS LegalX and LegalRnD’s collaboration will foster information sharing, research and development, innovation and improved legal-service delivery that will contribute to improving access to legal services.

“A working relationship with LegalRnD at Michigan State University College of Law makes sense on many levels,” said Aron Solomon, Lead, MaRS LegalX. “As one of the most innovative law school programs in the world today, we can help them with their footprint in Canada and all the global markets in which LegalX does and will play.”

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with the innovators and entrepreneurs at MaRS and LegalX,” said Daniel W. Linna Jr., Director of LegalRnD. “Lawyers in the United States and Canada are grappling with the problem that too many lack access to affordable, high-quality legal services. The indigent and middle class need improved access, as do many businesses. LegalRnD’s collaboration with MaRS LegalX will foster improvements in legal-service delivery that will contribute to improving access to legal services for everyone.”

MaRS LegalX innovators and MSU Law LegalRnD students and faculty will explore improved legal-service delivery and the future of law through a series of sessions covering lean systems thinking, data and analytics, technology and design.

“MaRS LegalX has already attracted an impressive list of legal startups and Toronto is taking off as an international innovation hub,” said Linna. “Ontario has regularly been among the top two feeder jurisdictions for MSU Law, not including Michigan. So MSU Law already has a strong connection to Toronto and Ontario. This partnership strengthens that link.”

About MaRS Discovery District
MaRS Discovery District (@MaRSDD) in Toronto is the one of the world’s largest urban innovation hubs. MaRS supports promising young ventures tackling key societal challenges in the health, cleantech and ICT sectors. In the last three years, these ventures have raised $1.3 billion in capital and earned $640 million in revenue. In addition to helping startups launch, grow and scale, the MaRS community is dedicated to cross-disciplinary collaboration, commercialization of discoveries and driving ideas to impact.

MaRS LegalX is dedicated to moving the legal sector forward through enterprises — whether startup or established corporates and law firms. Working at the intersection of high-growth ventures, technology, design and the legal industry, LegalX connects the technologists, designers, engineers and lawyers who are driving change.

About LegalRnD – The Center for Legal Services Innovation
LegalRnD (@LegalRnD) at Michigan State University College of Law is dedicated improving access to legal services through lean systems thinking, data and analytics, and technology. LegalRnD is training 21st century “T-shaped” lawyers—lawyers with deep substantive legal knowledge accompanied by an understanding of the business of delivering legal services, process improvement, project management, data and analytics, technology, and innovation and entrepreneurship.

For media enquiries, contact:
Lara Torvi
MaRS Discovery District
416-673-8100
ltorvi@marsdd.com

Kristen Parker
Arts & Humanities, International, Law & Students
Michigan State University
(517) 353-8942
Kristen.Parker@cabs.msu.edu

Kelly Kussmaul
Michigan State University College of Law
517-432-6848
kussmau3@law.msu.edu