The Law School Challenge: Getting the attention of time-starved students

Getting students' attention is not easy, but it is critical.

Law schools have their own email and text-messaging systems. They have multiple websites -- some housing coursework, others for administrative matters, and still others for campus organizations. They spend enormous sums of time and money to communicate regularly -- through multiple blasts of time-sensitive emails, announcements and evites -- all in hopes that a student might open them in time and take the necessary action. But, frankly, they're not sure the message is getting through.

Law students, meanwhile are overwhelmed. Law school communications are proliferating. There's TOO much being sent, and too little being received and acted upon.

It's not that law student's don't WANT to check their email, law blogs, websites and class portals. They do. They want to stay abreast of deadlines and meeting dates. But many lack the time to do it consistently, especially when it means going to a half dozen different sources, where they read many of the same messages over and over again. The burden is on them to add items to their calendar while worrying what else might have slipped through the cracks.

The diagram below illustrates the communication problem most law schools now face: many communication producers using multiple tools to communicate to students with no cohesive communications policy.

This approach to communications is inefficient for both the information producers (staff & faculty) and consumers (students). Success is often difficult, if not impossible, to measure.

Do you think your law school has a similar issue? Find out by taking our diagnostic quiz.