Are you passionate about legal innovation, civic technology, or technology policy? Do you want to help grow a multidisciplinary community in your city or at your university? Are you excited about meeting and collaborating with a global community of Legal Hackers? If so, then consider founding a Legal Hackers Chapter or Student Group!
Chapter or Student Group: What’s the Difference?
There are two types of Legal Hackers communities: (1) Legal Hackers Chapters designed for a local city or region open to the entire community and (2) Legal Hackers Student Groups limited to current students of an academic institution. Here are the key differences:
| Legal Hackers Chapter | Legal Hackers Student Group* |
| One chapter per metropolitan area (or similar region) (e.g., “DC Legal Hackers”)
Has a diverse team of 2+ co-equal volunteer Chapter Organizers (must live locally) Free membership open to all community members Hosts 8-12 free, public events per year |
One student group per academic institution (e.g., “UCL Legal Hackers”)
Has a diverse team of 2+ co-equal volunteer Student Organizers and a faculty advisor Free membership open to current students Casual, regular meetings during the academic year |
*Students may form and/or join a Legal Hackers Chapter or a Legal Hackers Student Group. If a Chapter already exists in your area, consider starting a Student Group; if a Chapter doesn’t exist, consider starting a Chapter. However, the presence of a local Legal Hackers Chapter is not a prerequisite for forming a Student Group.
A Note on Inactive Chapters: If someone already founded a Chapter in your area but it appears to be inactive, please contact the organizer and email us at info@legalhackers.org.
Benefits of forming a Chapter or Student Group
As a Chapter Organizer or Student Organizer, you are eligible to receive the following benefits:
- Access to LH marks (e.g., logo) to use for your Chapter/Club activities
- Reimbursement of your first six months of Meetup.com fees (for Chapters only)
- Best practices and resources to help you plan and host successful events
- Access to the global Legal Hackers organizers network
- Invitations to global and regional Legal Hackers Summits
- Public speaking opportunities
- And much more…
Application Process
All potential Legal Hackers chapter organizers must go through a formal application process before launching an official chapter. This is important to help preserve consistency across chapters and our community values.
The first step is to complete a the appropriate form below:
Once we have reviewed your application, we will get in touch with you about next steps and the formal process for establishing your chapter.