The Power of Imagination: Breaking Free from the Copy-Paste Syndrome in Legal Innovation

Imagination is a uniquely human gift, a force that allows us to transcend the present and create entirely new futures. Yet, as the legal profession confronts the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and shifting client expectations, it faces a troubling challenge: a deficit of imagination.

Rather than using new tools to rethink foundational aspects of legal work, there’s a tendency to replicate traditional practices with slight modifications. We call this phenomenon the “vegan sausage syndrome.” Just as plant-based foods are crafted to mimic the taste, texture, and appearance of animal protein, the legal sector often adapts existing models instead of imagining fundamentally new ways of working, delivering services, or solving problems.

The vegan sausage syndrome manifests wherever new technologies are used to imitate old forms rather than rethink their purposes. A striking example is humanoid robots—machines designed to look, move, and act like humans. While the allure of a robot shaped like a person is understandable, it reveals a profound failure of imagination.

Why should a robot resemble a human at all? Instead of designing robots that mimic human form and functions, why not envision machines that optimize their designs for entirely new capabilities, tailored to tasks in ways human bodies never could be?

This failure to break free from the past is often rooted in comfort and familiarity. But this approach reinforces a static vision of what technology can achieve, tethering innovation to the limits of human design rather than allowing it to transcend those boundaries.

Similarly, in AI applications, we see this syndrome play out in attempts to recreate human decision-making processes. For example, chatbots that simulate human lawyers or courtrooms that mirror physical spaces in virtual environments fail to question whether these human-centered models are still the best way to deliver justice. Instead of merely replicating how humans operate, AI could enable radically new approaches: self-executing legal agreements, proactive risk monitoring systems, or dispute resolution platforms that eliminate traditional litigation altogether.

In this short piece, we explore why imagination matters, why it is currently in deficit, how it can be cultivated, and why fostering imagination is essential for creating entirely new paradigms in legal practice to fully leverage the potential of emerging technologies and respond to the needs of a rapidly changing world.

Imagination is the foundation of innovation. It enables individuals and organizations to think beyond the constraints of current systems, envisioning possibilities that do not yet exist. In his book with the title The Creative Spark, Agustín Fuentes, anthropologist, highlights how imagination has driven humanity’s greatest leaps, from the creation of tools to the establishment of complex societies. For legal professionals, imagination is not just about creativity in argumentation or drafting, it should be about rethinking the very structures of legal practice.

For example, the rise of AI and legal technology has created opportunities to rethink how legal services are designed and delivered. Yet, many firms and organizations use AI merely to replicate existing workflows more efficiently: automating document review, streamlining research, or creating AI-assisted chatbots that mimic human lawyers. These applications, while useful, fail to capitalize on the deeper potential of reimagining what legal work could look like if freed from its traditional boundaries.

Consider this analogy: early cars were initially designed to look like horse-drawn carriages, even though they didn’t need to be. It took decades for designers to imagine a car as a vehicle unbound by the constraints of horses. Similarly, legal professionals must use imagination to create wholly new models of practice, rather than simply ‘digitizing the old’.

Why, then, is the legal profession so resistant to imaginative thinking? Several factors contribute to this deficit:

Tradition and Conservatism. The legal profession is deeply rooted in tradition. Precedents in common law systems, codification in civil systems create a reliance on legal certainty. While precedent provides stability, it can also block creativity. Lawyers are trained to work within established frameworks rather than question or reinvent them.

Risk Aversion. Law is inherently cautious. The consequences of failure in litigation, compliance, or contract drafting are often severe. This risk-averse mindset discourages experimentation, making it difficult to pursue unconventional ideas that might lead to transformative change.

Focus on Efficiency Over Innovation. Many legal technologies prioritize efficiency, seeking to do the same tasks faster or cheaper. This approach, while valuable, often overlooks the possibility of fundamentally redefining what tasks need to be done in the first place. For example, instead of automating document review, why not imagine a legal process that eliminates the need for such reviews altogether?

Educational Constraints. Legal education emphasizes analytical reasoning, attention to detail, and mastery of existing laws. Imagination and creativity are rarely prioritized in law school curricula. As a result, lawyers often lack the tools and confidence to get out of the box first and then allow themsevles to think new.

Client Expectations. Clients often expect legal services to have a predefined look and feel. This reinforces traditional models. This “client comfort zone” can discourage firms from introducing radically new approaches.

The vegan sausage syndrome defined by the the fact that new creations replicate old paradigms instead of imagining entirely new ones, mirrors a failure to fully embrace imagination. In the legal world, this manifests as AI tools that mimic human lawyers, virtual courtrooms that recreate in-person procedures, or contract automation platforms that replicate traditional agreements in digital form. These innovations, while useful, fall short of rethinking the fundamental purpose and design of legal systems. Let’s take three examples.

Copy-Paste example 1: Virtual Courtrooms

Virtual courtrooms replicate the physical courtroom experience, often down to the layout and procedures. But why should digital justice mirror in-person processes? Could we instead imagine entirely new systems for resolving disputes online ? It could be faster, more accessible, and more user-friendly.

Copy-Paste example 2: AI-Powered Contract Drafting

Many tools use AI to automate the drafting of traditional contracts. But what if we reimagined contracts themselves? Could they become interactive digital agreements that educate parties about their rights and obligations in real time? Could blockchain technology replace certain contract enforcement mechanisms altogether?

Copy-Paste example 3: Client Services

Legal services often rely on hourly billing, a model rooted in tradition rather than necessity. Imagine subscription-based legal coaching, self-service platforms, or legal apps that allow clients to address routine issues without needing a lawyer at all.

Let’s take a moment to let our imagination run, this is no proof of concept, just a moment of vulnerability as we get out of our boxes.

Redefine the Problem Space. Legal professionals would be well advised to start by asking, What are we trying to achieve? rather than How can we do what we’ve always done more efficiently? Instead of creating AI tools to draft traditional contracts, we could imagine new mechanisms for fostering trust and enforcing agreements that don’t rely on lengthy, jargon-filled documents. For dispute resolution systems, we could explore how gamification or virtual reality could help create faster, fairer, and more engaging ways to settle conflicts.

Create New Legal Products and Services. Lawyers have all it takes to think like designers, creating products and services that anticipate and address client needs in novel ways. Legal coaching subscriptions for small businesses, where clients receive on-demand guidance without the traditional hourly billing model could open new markets. A pre-emptive risk management platforms that use AI to predict and mitigate legal issues before they arise would be healthy way to reduce the need for litigation that most cannot afford anyway, leaving inequity propagate.

Leverage Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Working with professionals from other fields, say IT engineers, designers, and behavioral scientists can inspire fresh ideas. Cross-disciplinary teams can challenge legal professionals to rethink assumptions and experiment with new approaches.

Challenge Traditional Metrics. Success in law is often measured by billable hours, case wins, or efficiency gains. These metrics reinforce the status quo. By adopting new KPIs such as client satisfaction, social impact, or accessibility, lawyers can align their work with broader goals and embrace more imaginative approaches possibly even life centric and nature driven fringe objectives.

Imagination is not an innate talent. It is a skill that can be developed. We put forward some ways we use ourselves or taught others to mobilise and which could contribute effectively and efficiently to cultivate the power of imagination.

Adopt a Beginner’s Mindset. Approach problems as if encountering them for the first time. This mindset encourages curiosity and open-mindedness, making it easier to envision unconventional solutions.

Engage in Structured Creativity Exercises. Techniques like mind mapping, visual templates with themes and questions, scenario planning, or “what if” brainstorming can help lawyers break free from linear thinking. For example, imagine what legal practice would look like if time and geography were no barriers.

Learn from Other Industries. Legal professionals can draw inspiration from fields like healthcare, finance, and tech, which have embraced radical innovations. The rise of telemedicine could inspire new ways of delivering remote legal services. Lawyers know the power of thinking by analogy as a core legal skill anyway.

Practice Reflective Thinking. Set aside time to reflect on past work and imagine alternative approaches, ideally both individually and collectively to increase the diversity of thoughts to be harvested. Ask questions like: “If I could start over, how would I design this process?” or “What would this look like if there were no constraints?”

By breaking free from the copy-paste syndrome, the legal profession has the opportunity to redefine itself. Imagine a future where legal systems are designed around user experiences, prioritizing simplicity and accessibility. Futures literacy in legal education could emphasize legal design thinking and collective intelligence engineering skills alongside traditional analytical competencies and substantive law knowledge.

Imagination is the antidote. By focusing on function rather than form, we can design tools, systems, and processes that achieve desired outcomes in ways that have never existed before. For the legal profession, this means rethinking not just how work is done but what work needs to be done, creating entirely new paradigms for justice and legal services.

These shifts require not just technological adoption but a profound reimagining of the profession’s purpose and methods. Lawyers must see themselves not just as custodians of the past but as architects of the future. Imagination is the key to unlocking the full potential of the legal profession in an era of technological and societal change. By moving beyond the Copy-Paste syndrome, repeating  inflexibly old paradigms with new tools, legal professionals could create entirely new ways of working, new products and services, and, ultimately, a more dynamic and equitable legal system.