Law Firms Make a Case for 3D Printing

Given how widespread the use of 3D printing has become over the past few years, I'm rarely surprised by new applications, but I'll have to admit I was taken off guard by this nice profile on the legal blog Above the Law about how a large Arizona law firm is using 3D printers in product liability cases.

The firm, Fennemore Craig, uses the printers to create improved prototypes of allegedly defective products. That involves hiring a team of engineers to "fix" the faulty products, produce the prototypes and then present them as admissible evidence to show that the defective product could have been designed more safely. (Please, insert your own joke here about "manufacturing" evidence.)

According to the article, when the firm bought its first MakerBot printer two years ago they weren't sure how they'd use it.

“After buying one, we quickly found a lot of applications for it, especially in product liability cases. That’s because one of the main questions in those cases is whether the product was properly designed," said attorney James Goodnow, a partner in the firm.

While that sounds expensive, it can be useful in pre-litigation where those 3D models can help the firm reach settlements more quickly, without the expense of a trial.

"It’s one thing to tell a decision-maker or opposing lawyer how your product should have been designed. But it’s much more convincing to show them and letting them actually see and hold a 3D-printed prototype makes it much easier to sell the idea," Goodnow told Above the Law.

This isn't an isolated case, either. In fact, there's enough demand in the legal profession that there are even third-party 3D printing service bureaus just for law firms, like Lawyer Made in San Rafael, CA.

Of course, there's also the emerging industry of 3D printer-focused legal practices that help firms with intellectual property issues and contract drafting, but as far as we know they are still manufacturing their legal briefs the old fashioned way.

Source: Above the Law