Jesuit Law Schools and LexBlog’s Portal Technology Seem an Awfully Good Fit

Jesuit Law Schools and LexBlog’s publishing portal technology seem an awfully good fit.

Scrolling through my Law School Twitter list each morning, I’m drawn to the community service and pro bono work law schools and their students are doing. Particularly being that the impact is in large cities.

The work is inspiring. I am reminded why I wanted to become a lawyer.

Many undergrads selecting a law school would be drawn to the service work a Jesuit law school is doing – if that work could be seen regularly and in a updated publication and across social media.

Being that Jesuit law schools have a community and servant leadership focus, I see the schools trying to share their mission based stories, as a vehicle to attract students and alumni support, across their websites and social media – news sites, blogs, YouTube videos, Twitter, LinkedIn – and more.

Out running this morning, I got to thinking why not an aggregation of the good things individual Jesuit law schools are doing and and Jesuit law schools, nationwide, are doing in their communities.

Not familiar with Jesuit law schools?

• One out of every 10 American law students is enrolled in a Jesuit law school. In the U.S. alone, there are 27 Jesuit colleges and universities located from coast to coast. Of these, 14 have a law school.
• Located primarily in large cities, Jesuit law schools were among the first to provide access to women and people of color, and to offer both day and evening programs of study.
• Programs of study share a distinct Jesuit heritage, one which values the pursuit of academic excellence, acquisition of knowledge for the betterment of society, care and concern of the individual, and preparation for public service.

Impressive, isn’t it.

My idea is for each Jesuit law school to leverage LexBlog’s portal publishing technology much the way that the University of Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law used the technology for its McGeorge Law Today.

As with McGeorge, the portal technology would aggregate and curate existing publishing from the school, its professors, its clinics, its administrators, its students and alums. Original publishing can be added, if desired.

The feeds would generate a publication with a strong community and public service feel.

Unlike other publication websites, a portal driven site can take minutes a day to run, while automatically displaying articles, the profiles of the author and the profiles of the publishing organization. An email of curated new updates is sent to subscribers.

Then take a feed from each school’s portal driven site and aggregate them into a site, perhaps called, Jesuit Law School Today.

Imagine the good work of fourteen law schools, their professors, administrators, clinics, students and alumni on display in one publication, in return shining a light on each school.

Imagine the inspiration for authors receiving greater recognition for their existing written contributions.

And imagine shining a light on a Jesuit legal education.

Just a thought. ;)