Brooklyn Law School Teams with Deloitte to Promote Thinking Like a Business Person

NEW YORK, Jan. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Brooklyn Law School, in collaboration with Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP ("Deloitte FAS") and John Oswald, '84, President and CEO of Capital Trust Group, recently conducted a business "Boot Camp" designed to teach law students valuable skills for succeeding in the business world. This unique course, the first of its kind, involved more than 200 students during the winter break.  Developed and taught by top business professionals and the School's corporate and business law faculty, the program provided students with the skills and basic business literacy they will need to serve their clients.  

The intense "mini-MBA," offered to students free-of-charge and for course credit, is intended to enhance the business law training they already receive. Oswald, who generously underwrote the program, said his goal is to inspire young lawyers to expand their business vocabulary and acumen in order to deliver the services that corporate clients now demand and law firms must provide to thrive in today's increasingly competitive and challenging market.

Barry Salzberg, '77, Global CEO of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, introduced the course, stressing the importance of this type of program in today's changing legal, business and global economic landscape. He encouraged students to step outside of their comfort zones to think more like business people. "No matter what path you choose — private practice, government service or joining a public interest organization — becoming more business literate will be critical to your future success," Salzberg said.

The Boot Camp was modeled in part on law firm training on business and financial topics that Deloitte FAS has provided to first-year associates. The curriculum traced the evolution of a hypothetical business from its founding and initial capitalization to its acquisition of another company. The course taught students the vocabulary and skills needed to understand and implement clients' business objectives, and enable students to launch their own entrepreneurial careers.

More than 50 prominent Brooklyn Law School alumni led interactive breakout sessions and shared with students their experiences as practitioners and entrepreneurs. These alumni included partners in major law firms, CEOs, and general counsels of established companies and startups.  The program culminated in a networking reception for the students and alumni.

By all accounts the program exceeded all expectations.  "The response from both students and alumni to this program was overwhelmingly positive. Our students clearly understand that, in these challenging times, arming themselves with highly tangible and relevant professional and business skills better prepares them for careers in business and entrepreneurship," said Nick Allard, Dean of the Law School.  

Encouraging students to reach outside of their "legal toolkit" was a theme that ran throughout the course.  "As every seasoned lawyer knows, there are times when lawyers need to reach beyond their legal training to effectively advise and represent their clients," said Professor Michael Gerber, who chairs the faculty group that helped to develop the course. "The ability to think like a business person as well as a lawyer is extremely useful, and we designed this course to enable students — even those who have never studied business, finance or economics — to do just that."

ABOUT BROOKLYN LAW SCHOOL. Now celebrating its 112th year in legal education, Brooklyn Law School is a vibrant intellectual community emphasizing teaching excellence, cutting-edge scholarship, and an innovative academic program designed to prepare students for public service, business, and private practice, nationwide and across the globe.

Brooklyn Law School's academic centers of excellence support research, scholarship, and training in a wide range of fields and disciplines, including international business law, health law, business law and regulation, and law, language and cognition.

http://www.brooklaw.edu/

SOURCE Brooklyn Law School