For over a decade, the Wharton Certificate in Management (WCM) has provided upper level law students the opportunity to hone their practical business skills, especially those future lawyers who aspire to lead key parts of a business, non-profit, agency, or firm and form the pool of future top leadership of any organization.
Designed by the Wharton School’s Aresty Institute of Executive Education in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and taught by Wharton professors, this unique partnership equips students with a set of transferable skills they can apply in diverse professional settings over the course of their careers.
“The Wharton Certificate in Management is offered exclusively to upper-level JD students at Penn Carey Law and aims to increase the business skills and leadership capabilities of its students, particularly those with little to no background in finance or business,” said Amanda Aronoff, Managing Director, Cross-Disciplinary Programs at the Law School and Director of Student Engagement for the Francis J. & William Polk Carey JD/MBA Program at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and the Wharton School.
“Participants advance their strategic decision-making capabilities, deepen understanding of organizational dynamics, build capabilities for leading teams across functions, and develop knowledge in core areas of running an enterprise—including marketing, management, strategy, and finance. Particularly the understanding of how financial data is generated and reported.”
Originally launched in 2013 as a 12-week program, the course is now held in a condensed, bootcamp format. Business Management for Lawyers awards the WCM to students at successful completion of the five-day program focusing on the fundamentals of Strategy, Finance, Accounting, Decision Making, and Leadership.
Throughout the course, students can expect to advance their strategic decision-making capabilities to think faster and more creatively about current competitive strategies and solutions, deepen their understanding of organizational dynamics to improve the design and implementation of new initiatives and avoid destructive conflicts, and build capabilities for leading cross-functional teams.
The course focuses on the connection between these core areas of business and other disciplines based on current research and best practices across industries.
“An understanding of the business context surrounding a given legal matter can provide lawyers with a crucial edge to engaging with their clients and helping them with their legal needs,” said David W. Hauck Professor at the Wharton School and Management Department Chairperson Rahul Kapoor. “It can also facilitate their own growth in the organization in terms of being more skilled at supporting the business of law firms.”
Kapoor explained how the program’s design not only provides law students with foundational management skills on how businesses operate and create value, but how, as individuals, they can contribute to the success of their organization through collaborative teamwork.
“This program is tailored for law students who are intellectually curious and motivated to expand their knowledge base from the practice of law to the practice of management, and, thereby, take advantage of the cross-disciplinary synergies available at Penn,” he said.
46% of the Class of 2024 received the WCM, which counts toward three law school credit hours. Additionally, outside of a one-time certificate fee for students, Penn Carey Law covers the tuition cost as it also counts toward two of the four non-law courses paid for by the Law School.
The inclusion of the Wharton Certificate in Management as part of the Law School’s curriculum underscores the importance for future lawyers to acquire business knowledge in an evolving legal landscape, both to understand and interpret the concerns of business clients while reflecting how the law now intersects with a broad array of disciplines.
“The course is designed specifically for Penn Carey Law JD students,” said Kelly Corcoran, Director of Open Enrollment & Academic Partnership Programs at the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton school. “Our hope is that the business acumen skills students learn during this week will provide insights as they continue their careers in corporate law.”
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