TAKE the law Into Your own hands
The George Washington University Master of Professional Studies and Certificate in Law Firm Management
Katherine Diggs Director of Business Management Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP New York City, NY THE BENEFITS OF THE COURSE A legal way to get ahead
DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE YOUR CAREER OPTIONS “Anyone in the legal industry today is witnessing dramatic change. Many law • Graduates tend to advance quickly to higher- firms look to me in my role at Thomson paying positions. Many have created their own Reuters for insights and solutions to help titles and job descriptions. their law firm business succeed. I have • Your degree puts you on equal footing with been fortunate to complete and receive others who have advanced degrees, thus a few degrees, including a JD and an graduates tend to gain a stronger voice within the firm. MBA, but George Washington University’s Master’s Program in Law Firm Management • Your studies give you a managerial perspective and a birds-eye view impossible to gain in the has clearly been the most beneficial to field day-to-day. me personally and professionally. The • Your increased understanding of the business George Washington University law firm of law means you can become integral to your management program combines the best firm’s growth and success. of law school and business school–it’s • A like-minded alumni community broadens grounded in leadership skills, taught by your career network. experienced law firm leaders, and gives me, and my clients, a true competitive advantage.” YOUR FIRM BENEFITS, TOO
• Well-trained professionals help sustain the Tommy Williams firm’s competitive edge. Senior Director, Thomson Reuters • High performing teams are more productive Washington, D.C. and loyal to the firm. • When administrators think like owners, they add constant value, ferreting out inefficiencies and streamlining operations. • Graduate leadership skills are passed on to others, creating a culture of continuous learning not firmly embedded in law firm administrative culture.
Outside affiliations are listed only for the purpose of identification and do not THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY imply endorsement by the US government or other outside employer. LAW FIRM MANAGEMENT | 3 LAW FIRMS INCREASINGLY VALUE THE DEGREE AS A GATEWAY FOR FUTURE LEADERS Build a case for yourself
YOUR DEGREE ADDS CRITICAL MANAGERIAL SKILLS “MBA programs can’t match this program. They simply aren’t focused on • Development and implementation of strategy professional services and even if they were, they can’t match the experience of • Law firm economics and profitability analysis the faculty at GWU.” • Law firm management structures • Legal services market analysis Crystal McNeill • Marketing, branding and client services Office Manager, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP • Legal lean sigma process improvement New York City, NY • Legal technology and knowledge management
no other law firm management master’s program also develops leadership skills
• Strategy development and execution • Leading teams and leading change • Legal industry dynamics and competition • Partner compensation systems • Leadership styles, communication, motivation and conflict management • Change leadership
THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Outside affiliations are listed only for the purpose of identification and do LAW FIRM MANAGEMENT | 5 not imply endorsement by the US government or other outside employer. WHO SHOULD APPLY, LOGISTICS AND YOUR DEGREE Beyond a reasonable doubT
EARN YOUR MASTEr’s of “This is a shortcut to a better business law firm management life. It would have been a much longer road without the degree.” • An executive Master’s Program focused on law firm leadership and management that may be Jeffrey Eberhard completed in 18-months. Managing Partner, Smith Freed & Eberhard, PC • Designed for students who work full-time. Portland, OR • Classes are small—12 to 20 students—to provide an interactive experience with faculty. • Five residences at The George Washington University, Graduate Education Center in ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS Alexandria, VA (located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.). • Bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA or higher (on • The remainder of the Program is done from a 4.0 point scale) from a regionally accredited where you live. college or university • Program will give you a high-level perspective of • Minimum three years professional administrative leading and managing a law firm. experience in a law firm or related setting • You will learn skills in strategy development, • Completed Online Admissions Application Form leadership, process improvement and technology. • Non-refundable Application Fee, payable to • Faculty consists of professors from the GWU George Washington University Business School and experts from the law firm • Current Resume with Education and Work History industry, including former heads of Arnold & Porter and Morrison & Foerster. • Statement of Purpose: a 250 to 500-word essay giving your academic objectives, research • Upon successful completion of the course work, interests and career plans you will graduate with a Master of Professional Studies in Law Firm Management from The • Two Professional or Academic References, George Washington University. preferably from a current supervisor • One Official or Certified Transcript from each institution of higher education attended • An official detailed evaluation is required for an International Transcript • International applicants may need to submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Scores • Application Deadline is March 1 for the Cohort beginning this Summer with the June Residency
Outside affiliations are listed only for the purpose of identification and do not THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY imply endorsement by the US government or other outside employer. LAW FIRM MANAGEMENT | 7 LAW FIRM LEADERSHIP SPRING RESIDENCY THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY FACULTY Compelling EVIDENCE for excellence
William A. Bachman Carl A. Leonard, Program Director M.S.A., University of California, Irvine. Former COO, J.D., Hastings College of Law, University of California. Bingham McCutchen LLP. Adjunct Professor, School of Former Chairman of Morrison & Foerster. Assistant Management, Boston University. Professor, The George Washington University.
James R. Bailey Catherine Alman MacDonagh A.M. and Ph.D., Washington University. Hochberg J.D., New England School of Law. President and Co- Professor of Leadership Development, School of Business, Founder, Legal Sales and Service Organization. Chief The George Washington University. Executive Officer and Founder, Legal Lean Sigma Institute. Burkey Belser B.A., Davidson College. President and CEO, Greenfield/ Steven R. Petrie Belser Ltd. M.B.A., Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. Chief Strategy Officer, Faegre Baker Stephen R. Chitwood Daniels LLP. “Law firms today are becoming more M.P.A. and Ph.D., University of Southern California; J.D., Aric Press complex to manage as they focus The George Washington University. Professor Emeritus of Public Administration and former Director of the Center J.D., New York University. Editor in Chief and Vice on the corporate business model for Law Practice Strategy and Management, The George President, ALM (American Lawyer Media). for sustainability. The LFM graduate Washington University. degree is like no other in the country Marianne Purzycki because it concentrates solely on Laura J. Colcord M.S., Library Science, Case Western Reserve law firm business and sustainability. M.B.A., New York University. Lead Instructor, Legal Sales University. Former Senior Research Analyst, The This program provokes strategic and Service Organization. Chief Operating Officer and Hildebrandt Institute. Founder, Legal Lean Sigma Institute. thinking and critical understanding for Jeffrey S. Rovner managing the law firms of the future.” Silvia L. Coulter J.D., The George Washington University. Managing Law Firm Management, The George Washington Director for Information, O’Melveny & Myers. Former Grace C. Lopez University. Partner, Client Development Practice, partner, Morrison & Foerster. LawVision Group. Director of Administration Gretta Rusanow Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, P.A. N. Sharon Hill L.L.B., The University of New South Wales. Director Miami, Florida Ph.D., University of Maryland. Assistant Professor and Senior Client Advisor, the Citi Private Bank Law of Management, School of Business, The George Firm Group, Citibank, NA. Washington University. Sherrese Smith William G. Johnson J.D., Northwestern University School of Law. Partner, M.B.A., Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall University. Paul Hastings, Washington, D.C. Director of Strategic Planning, Cravath Swaine & Moore. Jeffrey L. Weeden James W. Jones M.P.S. Law Firm Management, The George J.D., New York University. Senior Fellow, Center for the Washington University, J.D., Ave Maria School of Law. Study of the Legal Profession, Georgetown University. Principal, WeedenLaw, Denver. Principal, Legal Management Resources.
Outside affiliations are listed only for the purpose of identification and do not implyTHE endorsement GEORGE byWASHINGTON the US government UNIVERSITY or other outside employer. LAW FIRM MANAGEMENT | 9 LAW FIRM MANAGEMENT COURSEWORK REQUIREMENTS LAW FIRM MANAGEMENT COURSEWORK REQUIREMENTS Be sure to read THE FINE PRINT
Five on-site residencies in Alexandria, VA, SUMMER Nine-Day Residency Spring Nine-Day Residency Fall Distance Learning consisting of two nine-day residencies and three Theories, Principles and Practices of Law Principles of Leadership Process Improvement in Law Firms four-day residencies. Additional coursework in Firm Management (6 credits) (3 credits) the program is done from where you live. (6 credits) • Developing a Personal Leadership Philosophy • Complete a simulated Legal Lean Sigma project The sequential cohort structure of the program • Students Work in Teams to Develop Strategy for a demonstrating its applicability specifically to the law • Influencing through Motivation and Persuasion begins with a nine-day residency each June. Simulated Law Firm firm environment • Managing with Power The residencies and distance learning cover the • Overview of the Legal Industry and Emerging • Identify the problems and challenges surrounding following four topics: Trends • Having Difficult Conversations efforts to introduce new management techniques within the legal environment • Strategic Thinking in the Law Firm Context • Leadership Communication Using Storytelling • Apply leadership practices and techniques when Law Firm Management focuses on how • Economics and Profitability of Law Firms • Using Conflict and Collaboration for Mutual seeking to overcome resistance to organization to develop a law firm strategy and align the Advantage, Motivation and Performance • Legal Services Marketing, Managing Client change economics, management structure, partner Relations and Tools for Market Research • Leading High Performance Teams compensation and culture of the firm behind it. • Management and Compensation Structures in • Leading Organizational Change: Process, Culture Fall Four-Day Residency Modern Law Firms and Structure Legal Technology and Knowledge Law Firm Leadership focuses on • How to Work in Virtual Teams Management developing each student’s leadership skills. Spring Distance Learning (3 credits) fall DISTANCE LEARNING Application of Leadership Frameworks • Identify the elements of a firm’s information Process Improvement results in each Applying Strategic Management (3 credits) technology (IT) organization student receiving a Yellow Belt in Six Sigma. (3 credits) • Personal Leadership Plan • Assess the alignment of a firm’s IT strategy with the firm’s overall business strategy • Profitability Analysis • Analysis of Biography or Autobiography of a Leader Legal Technology and Knowledge • Articulate the role and goals of knowledge • Market Analysis of a Practice Group • Personal Case Study on Change in an Organization Management focuses on the ways management for the law firm of today and • Law Firm Strategic Planning information technology enhances the quality of tomorrow • Analysis of a Merger Proposal Spring Four-Day Residency legal services, increases client satisfaction and • Explain the interrelationships of IT and knowledge improves firm profitability. Strategic Leadership for Sustainability management and Change Fall Four-Day Residency • Examine the security aspects of the firm’s IT systems Practical Applications of Law Firm (3 credits) • Specify the components of a successful knowledge The campus is • Presentations and Discussions of Projects on Management management organization MARYLAND located 5 minutes (3 credits) Organizational Change outside of • Colleague Coaching on Individual Development Washington, D.C. • Completion of Simulated Law Firm Strategic Plan and Merger Proposal, Presentations and Critique Plans WASHINGTON D.C. • Revision of Simulated Firm Strategic Plan, • The role of and requirements for becoming a Legal VIRGINIA Presentations and Critique Lean Sigma Champion • The Future of the Legal Industry and Continuing • Fundamental principles of Legal Lean Sigma and the DMAIC process improvement methodology ALEXANDRIA Challenges for Law Firm Managers
THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW FIRM MANAGEMENT | 11 “It seems like there’s always a reason not to take the step that can change your life—timing, money, whatever. But no time is ever perfect, no circumstances will ever be ideal. Now is the time. No more delay. Join us.”
Margarida Saragoca Director of Business Development Vieira de Almeida & Associados Lisbon, Portugal
Our Closing argument
FOR MORE INFORMATION call 800-JOIN-GWU (800-564-6498) or visit www.cps.gwu.edu/lawfirm The George Washington University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution certified to operate in Va by SCHEV.
Master of Professional Studies and Graduate Certificate in Law Firm ManagemenT