A young woman with long, wavy, blonde hair and fair skin smiling, wearing a colorful, patterned shirt. This is Maddy Buck.

Maddy Buck

is an artist and lawyer
who creates
illustrated explanations of tech, law, and all things complex.

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Law? Art? Do those things even go together?

Great question! I have wondered the same thing (too many times!) over the years. Let me give you a little bit more detail.

I believe that communicating complex ideas in a playful, visual way makes them easier to absorb.

Delight, humor, and joy have a place alongside our serious world, helping us to stay engaged and hopeful.

When the law is presented in simple, compelling ways, it is easier to see its impact on our lives so that we can take action.

On top of that, I believe that everyone is creative and can draw.

(Stop saying, "I can't draw!" I don't believe you!)

Two women, one of them Maddy Buck in a yellow sweater, sitting by a large window, laughing and looking at colorful papers or cards, with trees and blue sky outside.
A hand-drawn illustration of a speech bubble containing a question about non-citizens' rights in the U.S., connected to a group of diverse, cartoon-style people, with the U.S. Constitution highlighted inside the speech bubble.

#LetsDrawLaw

Using comics, zines, and illustrated newsletters, I write about the Constitution, the rule of law, and how everyone can play a part in protecting our democracy.

A colorful illustrated magazine or book page featuring various sketches and handwritten notes about research and teamwork. There are images of people collaborating, a research center diagram, and vibrant splashes of color.

I use drawing to interpret and simplify complex concepts, translating them into accessible visuals.

For my illustration clients, my starting point is usually a complex text that needs simplifying.

I first pull out the key ideas to create a comic script, segmented by each panel.

Then, I use a simple illustration to visualize the key ideas.

Learn more
Colorful drawing of a character with a pink, round head and stick figure body, surrounded by various faces with angry or frustrated expressions. Text on the left says 'Anger can pile up!' and on the right 'But we only have so much space.'

Comics, Zines, and Kid-Oriented Activities


My graphic narrative and comics work grew out of my practice of creating handmade books with watercolor collage illustrations.

Woman - Maddy Buck- holding a newspaper with the headline 'From textbook to sketchbook: making legal concepts accessible,' smiling and looking to the side. Colorful circular art installation in the background.

For many years, I developed my art practice on the side of full-time roles as an attorney.

I balanced out the heavy days by making collage and ink picture book zines, kids activity books (Mad(dy) Libs, A Coloring Buck, The Book of Anger, and an activity designed for the Minneapolis Institute of Art), and drawing creatures on my walls in the evenings.

At first, I focused on emotions and autobiographical comics. Eventually, I incorporated this new art practice with my law background to explain and comment on timely legal issues.

Art and Law Developing Together

A courtroom scene with six judges seated at a long bench, and a woman - Maddy Buck - standing in front of them, possibly giving a speech or presentation.

Tech & Law

Until recently, I worked in the legal technology start-up space, where I loved the fast-paced environment and emphasis on using technology to simplify workflows. During this time, I started drawing and writing about overlaps between law, art, and technology, particularly the issue of AI models being trained on copyrighted works. I also discovered that this new practice of simplifying ideas into text and image could be applied to discussions of technology.

Before pivoting from traditional law, I clerked for the Minnesota Supreme Court and developed a sense for how justices approach their work. I began to track the developments at the U.S. Supreme Court with this perspective in mind, growing increasingly concerned with just how much more politicized the Court's decisions were compared to what I had seen in my own state.

A collage of colorful handwritten notes and sketches on paper discussing legal concepts, contract law, business judgment rules, and related topics, including diagrams, summaries, and key points.

Drawing Through Law School

My path to becoming an artist started out in earnest at the University of Michigan Law School, where the urge to create irregular, colorful drawings arose as a reaction against, and a need to simplify, the dense legal texts I was studying. Sometimes drawing was the only way to stay awake in class or to memorize a particular concept.


While training as a lawyer, I learned how to read any text and grab its meaning so that I could explain it to others. Not only did this leave me frustrated at how unnecessarily complicated and opaque legal writing is, but it also showed me firsthand how a different form for communicating the same idea could make that idea so much more compelling.

A woman with blonde hair and turquoise earrings is holding a ball of yellow yarn, smiling, in front of a white wooden fence with a window behind her. A yarn ball is swinging above her head.

Outside of Art

I maintain my law license and remain connected to my legal community, in particular as a member the Minnesota State Bar Association committee dedicated to determining how AI tools can be used to promote access to justice. l live in Minneapolis with my family and a large black dog named Bjørn-Knut. Oh, and I love playing tennis!