Coding the Law
Suffolk Law School: Fall 2023
by @Colarusso

Setup a Docassemble Account
~5 min

For this level's mission you will need an account on Suffolk's docassemble server. Once you create an account, you'll have to ask for me to elevate your permissions, so I suggest you do this first thing. Sign up for one here. You'll get an email asking you to confirm, after which you can sign in. When you do, go to your Profile (available in the dropdown in the upper right) and select Request Developer Account from the Other settings dropdown. When I see your request, if you're an enrolled student, I'll make you a developer.

Notes on Pacing

It is worth noting that this course is intentionally front-loading project work so you will have the skills and time you need to complete your final project. That is, we are starting with a sprint and then mindfully slowing down. For example, the last few levels will focus on reading discussions and guest speakers and will not include any programming missions. The time you "save," however, is intended to free you up to work on your final project. So as the time spent on weekly projects goes down, the time you spend on your final project should go up.

The Document Assembly Line Project
10-30 min. Protip: You can watch YouTube videos at more than 1X speed.^†

Optional Media. If you want to learn more about some of the topics discussed in the video above, and you have some free time, you might enjoy the following.

• Letter to the Bar from Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants. The letter discussed in the video above.
• The Document Assembly Line Project. Learn more about the project, including how to help out.
• Mass Access: File court forms online during the emergency. MassAccess is the work product of the Assembly Line Project.
• MassAcess 209A interview and forms MassLegalServices Webinar. Attorney Barry takes a more detailed look at the 209A packet, including questions and answers.
• Making MADE: User-centered Design in Practice. Attorney Steenhuis explains his work on MADE—Massachusetts Defense for Eviction (MADE): Self-Guided Eviction Help.

Readings
~ 3 Hours

• Substantive Legal Software Quality—A Gathering Storm? by Marc Lauritsen and Quinten Steenhuis (~32 pages, equivalent) OR if you'd rather listen to roughly the same material, you may opt to listen to this podcast with the authors instead: Evaluating Legal Technology Applications (37 minutes, or you can listen at 2X here).
• The Model Rules of Autonomous Conduct: Ethical Responsibilities of Lawyers and Artificial Intelligence by Ed Walters. (20 pages)
• Weapons of Math Destruction: Arms Race (Chapter 3). (17 pages)
• How Not to Be Wrong: When am I going to use this? (introduction); Less Like Sweden (chapter 1) and Straight Locally, Curved Globally (chapter 2). (49 pages)
• Uncovering Big Bias with Big Data. Written in 2016, the findings seem a bit obvious in 2020, but for the generations of American's facing disparate impacts day in and day out, these findings have always been obvious. What we're interested in examining here is how we can use data to reveal the obvious. As Ellenberg might observe, we are interested in "the extension of common sense by another means." Note: This link is to an archived version of the post and so can take a while to load. (~20 pages)

Knowledge Base

Everyone comes to this adventure with a different background. So this section is designed to be a menu of sorts. If you already know a topic well, you can skip the relevant material. Just answer the questions below, and section(s) will disappear accordingly. That being said, if a section doesn't disappear, you should do it. Any time you save skipping a topic, however, should be spent working on your final project or reading ahead in either Weapons of Math Destruction or How Not to Be Wrong. FYI, we will be reading all of Weapons of Math Destruction and all but parts III and V of How Not to Be Wrong.

All of that being said, let's see if we can pare things down.

Do you feel comfortable creating basic docassemble interviews?

No.
Yes, but I wouldn't mind a refresher.
Yes, and I feel comfortable skipping the introduction.

You've gained roughly 30 minutes by dropping a video introduction to docassemble. You will be asked to create an interview at the end of this Level. If you find yourself with questions, change this answer to unhide the introduction.

Introductory Docassemble (Hello World!)
7-20 Min. Protip: You can watch YouTube videos at more than 1X speed.

You can login to our docassemble server here: http://apps-dev.suffolklitlab.org/

Ready to Go?

Before we add to your mission, let's make sure we're on the same page, and don't worry. Your answers to these questions are only saved to this device. It's just a self-test to make sure you know what you need to succeed on your mission. This is by no means an exhaustive test of what you need to know, but if you find yourself missing something, take it as a suggestion to revisit the materials above. If you pared things down based on an answer to the Knowledge Base questions, consider changing the answer and reviewing the material.

Within a docassemble interview, how does one assure that a block/screen is run/included?

by adding a `Mandatory` key set to `True`
by ensureing that some variable defined in the block is part of a `Mandatory` key
one of the above depending on context

This is a trick question. See if you can spot why.

Yes, this is a trick question. See if you can spot why.

Correct. It's all about context. If a block has a variable you can use the second answer which encompases the first, but if there is no variable you would have to use the first.

Your Mission: Form-2-Interview (the Assembly Line Weaver)
Video: ~4-12 Minutes. Protip: You can watch YouTube videos at more than 1X speed.

Here's the documentation noted in the video: Authoring your interview.

In addition to your package file (the .zip you downloaded after using the Weaver, which you should upload as part of logging your work) you should be ready to pitch your idea to the partners. We'll have them vote on the suggestions and try producing prototypes in class.

Self-Reflection and Logging Your Work
~20 min

As we do at the end of every level, we ask that you take a few minutes to reflect on how things are going. I've also included a set of reading questions to queue things up for our synchronous discussion. Your answers will be shared with me and it will let me know that I can look for any project work you may have posted. That being said, you've almost completed Level 3. Tell me how it's going by completing the form linked below.

Synchronous Meet Up, AKA our Class Time
September 18, 2023 @ 4pm Eastern

If you're an enrolled student, we'll be meeting in Sargent Hall Room 305 on Monday September 19th at 4pm. If you're not an enrolled student, I'm afraid you can't join us.

We will use this time to: (1) troubleshoot any issues folks might have had working through the knowledge base; (2) work on your mission; and (3) discuss the readings.