What is the Delta Model?

The Design Your Delta method is grounded in the Delta Model, a progressive and agile competency model for the 21st-century legal professional. The Delta Model consists of three competency areas foundational to the success of today’s legal professional: The Practice, The People, and The Process.

The model recognizes that 21st-century lawyers must start with a base of deep legal knowledge and skills: The Practice.

Building off the concept of a T-shaped Lawyer, lawyers also must understand the impact of technology and digitalization on their client’s business as well as their own delivery of legal services—appreciating the power of data, technology, and process improvement: The Process.

But with the increasing reliance and utilization of technology and machine learning, lawyers also must encompass the emotional intelligence, communication, and collaboration skills to effectively work with clients and colleagues: The People.

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Design Your Delta (DYD) offers a research-based method for professional formation, encompassing the Delta Model, as well as a framework and tools for understanding and using the holistic competencies required to succeed and thrive as legal professionals in the 21st century.

The DYD Method:

Model

As a model, DYD offers a holistic and transparent understanding of the legal profession including traditional, contemporary, and emerging competencies in a simple and easy to understand image, the Delta Model.

Framework

As a framework, DYD provides a holistic, intentional approach to designing and executing professional formation programs — including curriculum, training initiatives, conferences, professional development plans, and much more.

Tools

With customized tools, DYD helps individuals and organizations grow and thrive through intention, innovation, and well-being, using a human- centered approach to professional formation,

continuous development,

and lifelong learning.

Ways to Use Design Your Delta

Legitimize

Use the Delta Model to provide legitimacy to programming and the Design Your Delta (DYD) method to help participants understand the value of discussing competencies found on the model.

Assess

Use the DYD method to reflect on current initiatives and ensure they cover a holistic set of competencies.

Develop

Use the DYD method to plan future initiatives with intention, and ensure that a holistic set of competencies is covered.

Design

Design your organization’s Delta, by identifying which core competencies are important to your organization in each of the three areas on the model, and the depth of competence someone must have in each identified competency based on role.

Reflect and Plan

Use our Design Your Delta^TM method to guide individuals in a self-reflection exercise that will map career goals, identify growth areas, and provide an individualized playlist of offerings to explore professional development opportunities that align with growth areas.

DESIGN YOUR DELTA™ TOOLKIT

Playlists

Resources to build your Delta Model competencies.

Playbooks

Actionable tools customized for a range of legal professionals.

Coaching

Contact us for Design Your Delta coaching.

Curious?

Join the Design Your Delta email list to learn more.

Delta Model working group members Alyson Carrel and Cat Moon are creating Design Your Delta™ to offer practical tools for using the model, across the spectrum of the legal profession. Join the DYD list and be the first in the know about Design Your Delta™ resources via our e-newsletter, DYD. You can read archived DYD issues here.