From 14 – 16 March 2025, Bucerius MLB student Batu Uslu took part in the three-day LWOW Sprint event hosted by University of Buckingham School of Law in the UK. Over the course of 3 intense and challenging days, participants were allocated to talented and multidisciplinary teams composed of a mix of intergenerational legal and business professionals, academics, and law/business school students from around the world. The teams were sponsored by corporate legal departments, law firms or law/legal tech companies and worked together to solve real business-of-law problems or social responsibility challenges.
The Law Without Walls Sprint 2025 was taught with the innovative 3-4-5 method (3 Phases-48 Hacking Hours-5 Stages) and included collaboration exercises, intensive hacking as well as a mini-composium. Batu talked to us about his experience.
What attracted you to participate in Law Without Walls?
As someone deeply passionate about the intersection of law, business and technology, I was especially excited about Law Without Walls because of the program’s emphasis on teamwork, creativity, and practical problem-solving. It also gave me a chance to be part of something that challenges traditional ways of thinking and operating in the legal world.
I thrive in environments that encourage diverse perspectives, and I believe that by working closely with others who share a passion for change, I can contribute meaningfully whilst continuing to grow both personally and professionally. Thanks to Bucerius, I was fortunate to participate in this incredible experience, which broadened my horizons and connected me with visionary mentors from various sectors and backgrounds.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when thinking about LWOW?
The first thing that comes to mind is transformation. LWOW was more than just a program—it changes the way in which challenges are approached. The program fosters a mindset that values interdisciplinary collaboration, open-mindedness, and the ability to innovate beyond traditional legal thinking structures. From the very beginning, participants are encouraged to critically assess established norms and explore new ways to devise to real-world problems.
This mindset became especially evident when our team encountered a creative roadblock early in the ideation process. We found ourselves navigating different perspectives and priorities, unsure of the right direction. Instead of reverting to familiar approaches, we were open to experimentation and uncertainty! This was a turning point that allowed us to trust both the process and each other. For me it was a moment of growth that reinforced the core values of LWOW—collaboration, creativity, and bold thinking across boundaries. Above all, LWOW emphasized the importance of stepping outside one's comfort zone.
How intensive was the preparation for the pitches?
The preparation for the pitches in LWOW was very intense, but also incredibly rewarding. The process involved several stages of brainstorming, refining ideas, and ensuring that we could clearly communicate our solutions to a diverse audience. One of the first challenges we faced was defining and narrowing down the problem we wanted to address. Each team had to work through multiple rounds of feedback, integrate this feedback and further refine the ideas. This required flexibility, openness to constructive criticism and a readiness to change direction.
The diversity of our team members added a layer of complexity to the task, as we had to make compromises and adjust our perspectives based on each person’s unique professional experience. In the end, however, I believe we had a successful pitch, presenting a viable solution to our specific challenge.
Tell us more about your LWOW Sprint Challenge.
For the LWOW sprint challenge, our team focused on the question: How can legal teams help stakeholders self-serve common legal queries efficiently without compromising quality? This was a particularly interesting and complex challenge, as it required us to balance the need for efficiency and accessibility with the high standards of legal quality and accuracy.
We started by identifying common pain points in legal teams, such as the time-consuming nature of answering routine legal queries, and the burden it placed on legal professionals. At the same time, we recognized that many stakeholders, whether internal employees or clients, often needed quick access to information, but without compromising the expertise and quality that comes with legal advice. So, our challenge was to develop a solution that would empower stakeholders to find answers independently, without the need to always consult a legal team.
What made the challenge particularly engaging was the necessity to merge technology with legal expertise. We had to ensure that any self-service solution would not only be efficient but also align with ethical standards and legal integrity. It pushed us to think critically about how technology can complement the work of legal professionals rather than replace it, and how legal teams can manage this shift to maintain control over quality while empowering others to take charge of routine queries.
What inspired you most during this tournament?
What inspired me most during the LWOW tournament was the sheer level of creativity and innovation that emerged from the diverse teams. This diversity in thought processes and experiences created an environment where new ideas could thrive and where traditional boundaries of legal practice could be challenged. It was inspiring to see how people from different fields—law, technology, business, and beyond—worked together to solve real-world problems in new and creative ways.
I was also deeply inspired by the opportunity to engage with mentors and professionals who are leaders in their fields. The guidance and feedback we received from innovation coaches and experts in the legal and tech industries was so insightful and their passion for pushing boundaries and embracing change reinforced my belief that innovation in law, particularly with emerging technologies, is not only possible but absolutely essential for the future of the profession.
The collaborative spirit, creativity, and commitment to making a meaningful impact were, without a doubt, the most inspiring elements of the tournament.
Will you stay in touch with your team members?
Yes, absolutely! I’ve already connected with my team members on LinkedIn, and we’ve had discussions about staying in touch and supporting each other moving forward. We’ve even talked about meeting up if any of us ever find ourselves in the UK, Germany, or the US. We forged a strong bond through the intense LWOW experience and I’m excited about the possibility of collaborating with them again in the future - who knows, maybe next year we’ll either be competing against each other or once again as team members!
