How to Engage Your Law School in Strategic Planning

By Donald Tobin

Strategic planning: The words can sound daunting to faculty, staff, and administrators, let alone the idea of going through the process. In reality, a thoughtful strategic planning process can provide a valuable opportunity to bring the law school community together to set priorities, align resources, and move ahead in ways that support long-term success.  

Law schools are unique among educational institutions when it comes to strategic planning. Most stakeholders agree on the big-picture goals: preparing the next generation of outstanding lawyers by attracting talented students, supporting their academic and career success, and recruiting and retaining excellent faculty and staff.  

While the big picture goals are rarely in dispute, understanding how best to achieve them can be a challenge. That’s where strategic planning plays a valuable role. It’s a collaborative process that brings together perspectives and expertise from key stakeholders.  

Admission professionals, for example, understand the recruitment landscape and the resources needed to attract a great class of students. Career services professionals know the job market and what is needed to support strong employment outcomes, while faculty contribute valuable academic and governance perspectives.  

Strategic planning brings these viewpoints together to build a coherent strategy that works toward achieving high-level goals. It is a way to strengthen collaboration, align priorities, and build consensus among stakeholders. If well designed, the process is almost always less burdensome and complicated than what is anticipated.  

How Can I Improve My Strategic Planning Process?  

Here are seven suggestions that, in our experience, can help make the strategic planning process collaborative, productive, and meaningful for all involved.  

1. Respect people’s time. Participating in strategic planning is a significant commitment. Make wise use of the time and expertise of all involved so that everyone leaves feeling their participation was worthwhile.
2. Set out basic rules and processes that allow for orderly discussion and realistic expectations.
3. Start with areas of agreement. Note them, set them aside and move on. Save time and energy for issues that require meaningful debate and discussion.  
4. Stay focused on the future. The strategic plan should be a high-level guide for the direction of the law school, not a forum for addressing today’s difficult issues.  
5. Recognize the expertise in the room. Lift up staff who spend most of their days thinking about these issues.  
6. Ensure that all participants are equipped with the right background and context to make meaningful contributions.  
7. Most importantly, treat each other with dignity and respect. Recognize that each law school has its own approach — there is no single “right way.” Enjoy being together and learning from each other, and most importantly, keep the best interests of the law school, its students, and community front and center.

Please contact me at DTobin@LSAC.org if you would like to discuss your law school’s strategic planning needs or learn more about how Legal Education Consulting can support a collaborative planning process.