Inaccurate or unclear communication can lead to misunderstandings between lawyers, clients, and judges. This can result in incorrect legal strategies, missed deadlines, and unfavorable client outcomes.

Inefficient communication can cause delays in legal proceedings, such as missed court appearances, rescheduled hearings, or postponed trials. These delays can prolong trials, increase costs, and cause frustration for all parties involved.

Failure to communicate effectively can result in ethical violations, such as breaching client confidentiality, failing to disclose relevant information, or misrepresenting facts. These violations can lead to disciplinary action, legal sanctions, and damage to a lawyer's professional reputation.

-Hannah Smith

Unclear communication can have many detrimental effects in the packaging world. When information is not effectively communicated between cross-functional teams, manufacturers, suppliers, and other entities, the companies risk losing an immense amount of money. It is imperative that material and design specifications, strength requirements (like critical drop height or critical components), expectations, and machinery and material requirements are accurately communicated to ensure that millions of dollars are not wasted. 

There also needs to be a clear line of communication between the product manufacturer and the packaging team to ensure that the product will be adequately protected from the environment. Furthermore, when a product manufacturer has problems, they can affect the packaging company's reputation. Food safety is a big concern in the packaging industry, and the following case is an interesting consideration of how food safety can affect a company's reputation. 

- Lindsey Diehl

Paul Leighton summarizes a case where the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) failed to communicate with the state of Texas to register a particular manufacturing plant. This location was operating with rodents in the basement and leaks in the roof that spread animal feces into the food products made there. Due to this lack of communication and unsanitary conditions, the company’s products were recalled due to a salmonella outbreak in 2008, and the company became bankrupt and defunct as a result. Even more shocking is the fact that this was not the only food safety issue the company had. Previously, a salmonella outbreak was traced back to their Georgia facility, but the CEO claimed that the outbreak was isolated. This blatant manipulative communication is very interesting in the packaging industry. It brings forward questions about whether companies are being truthful in their claims. The peanut butter containing the bacteria was sold in bulk to schools and other companies to produce various snacks, so it emphasizes the importance of trust and communication between companies and their suppliers. 

- Lindsey Diehl

As it relates to packaging science, there is one case of poor communication that is an ongoing issue within the industry. In this day and age, it is desired for a companies packages to be "environmentally friendly" and sustainable. The problem is that the term is often misused.

Consumers assume all types of eco-friendly packaging are comparable when it really isn't the case. Thus, a new analyzation tool was invented and allows for the packages true sustainability be analyzed. As it stands, there is little to no regulation on claiming how environmentally friendly your package is, so producers can really claim anything they want. Consumers, however, are not aware of this situation.

To help alleviate the situation and make a packages eco-friendliness more clear, regulations on communication between packaging suppliers and consumers should be put into place. This way, communication will be strengthened by telling consumers specifically how environmentally friendly their packaging is by removing the broad outline of being "eco-friendly".

-John Brightwell

Within packaging there can be many instances of poor communication, but one of the instances with the biggest issues is poor communication on medical packaging. In healthcare packaging, the package itself is used to communicate how the medication or devices should be used safely. The way the packaging communicates to the consumer in regards to the the proper use of the medication or device, is pivotal for ensuring safely. In the article “The Impact of Technical Writing on Product Safety and Liability” by Diendra Steward, she discusses technical writing has a huge impact on ensuring that products are used properly ensuring safety and minimizing the chance of injury. Which directly relates to the technical writing on the packaging itself. If there is poor communication in regards to what should be put on the medical packaging, or the words used on the label itself, the safety of other could be affected. 

The NHS did a study on medical errors in regard to medical packaging in order to better understand how bad communication via packaging can effect consumers. It was shown within the study that 33% of medical errors are attributed to packaging and label confusion which shows how important good communciation on packaging within the health care industry is important 

- Abby Tammaro