Program Components
Academic Tracks
NYU School of Law pioneered the cooperative training of business lawyers with a joint venture in 1992 with NYU Stern School of Business, creating the J.D./M.B.A. program. This focus diversified and strengthened in 1997 with the establishment of the NYU Pollack Center for Law and Business which provides a forum for academic interactions between the Law School and the Stern School faculty, and between faculty members and the professional community. With the new Leadership Program in Law and Business, there will be two distinct curricular tracks:
Leadership Program in Law and Business: The Leadership Program in Law and Business is administered by the Law School and is focused on providing J.D. students with a strongly business-oriented curriculum streamlined within the parameters of the J.D. degree during the three years of their studies. The Leadership Program students bond with their peers in the J.D./M.B.A. program, and gain exclusive access to domestic and international business and political leaders throughout their academic experience. Also, the Leadership Program includes a substantial individualized component with several aspects including individual counseling and curricular design for students, connecting them to other relevant faculty and alumni as appropriate to their interests. In their third year, the students will each be required to complete a substantial Senior Project which will be tailored to their interests and ambitions.
J.D./M.B.A.: This joint program offers to students the full MBA and JD curriculums in a coordinated program that can be completed in four years. The first two years of the program are spent at NYU’s School of Law, the third year is spent at NYU's Stern School of Business and the fourth is divided between the two schools. Students must be enrolled in both programs before starting their MBA.
Curricular Innovations in Law and Business
The recommended curriculum for Leadership Program students will include transactional courses, the new Professional Responsibility in Law and Business course, designed jointly by the Law School and the Stern School, and an individualized Senior Project.
Transactions courses: A number of transactions-based courses, relevant across different industries, will allow students to consider the specific ways in which various business transactions add value to the design, negotiation, finance and implementation of deals, as well as to business management and commercial client relations. Three to five such courses may be offered each year in a variety of transactional areas, focusing, for example, on mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, real estate syndication, labor and employee relations, entertainment contracting, or various types of capital market transactions.
Professional Responsibility in Law and Business: A new approach to business ethics in a combined Professional Responsibility in Law and Business course will be co-taught by one faculty member from the Law School and the Stern School of Business. This course will focus on the functioning of legal counsel’s role in a business transaction and in an on-going business organization. Thus, the realistic intermixture of questions of legal compliance, legal and business ethics, and practical business pressures and constraints will supply the context for this problem-solving approach. The course will satisfy the ethics requirements of both schools.
Senior Project: The Leadership Program will require the design and completion of a Leadership Program Senior Project. Based firmly in the student’s specific interests, this requirement will challenge the student to demonstrate their combined legal and business skills in a simulated environment. The projects will be developed and vetted by Mentors, Faculty, and the Program Directors. Students will be able to work independently or collaboratively in small teams and will be required to present their projects to a panel of faculty and alumni. Examples of projects, described by student interest areas, might include:
Entrepreneur: Business plan, including laying out contract terms
Human resources: Model executive compensation plan
Marketing: Product development plan with intellectual property analysis
Finance: Development of an investment strategy, including legal and financial analyses
Community development: Description of project structure and analysis
International Business: Project proposal, including comparative market and legal analyses
Transactions: Empirical study of contract term(s) and deal type or in-depth analysis of an actual selected transaction.
Merit Scholarships
An important component of the Leadership Program is a competitive, merit-based scholarship program designed to attract and support students of exceptional accomplishment and potential. Scholarships in amounts up to full tuition will be awarded each year to first-year students entering with outstanding academic backgrounds and seeking leadership careers at the intersection of law and business. An additional five students will be selected to enter the program at the end of their first year. These students will be eligible for partial tuition scholarships during their second and third years.
Mentorship and Interaction with Leaders
The Law and Business Mentor network is designed to connect business-minded students with Mentors who hold positions in the corporate world. Each student is assigned a mentor with whom they can network and seek advice on coursework, career tracks, internships, and more. Activities will also include participation in a mentor network; “field trips” to alternative law and business arenas; attendance at programs such as NYU Law Means Business and Investment Banking for Lawyers. Successful graduates of the Program will also serve as mentors as well as advisors in improving the training, mentoring and opportunities offered to this talented group of students.
The Program has already been enhanced by support of successful Law School alumni and friends who have pursued non-legal careers and who have offered to provide their expertise to help students explore internships and careers in business. A Summer Internship Program will be developed between the first and second year of the program, and a variety of other innovative practice-oriented components, such as a community development and micro-lending clinic, may be explored as the program evolves.
Extracurricular Activities and Specialized Initiatives
Students in the Program will meet regularly as a group, and extracurricular events and activities will be produced with dynamic cooperation between the Leadership Program’s Faculty Co-directors, students, faculty, administrators, and alumni. Various opportunities will be created, formal and informal, for students to interact and develop their internal network and group identity. In addition, activities such as working with Stern students on the Business Competition project and similar initiatives will be enhanced to increase networking between the two schools. The NYU Law and Business Association (formerly known as the “Wall Street Barristers”), was established by students to pursue both scholarship and professional opportunities in the various disciplines arising out of the crossroads of law and business. Among other activities, the Association recently spearheaded efforts for creating and publishing the new Journal of Law and Business. Leadership Scholars will also be encouraged to take part in the Association’s series of programs and speaking engagements.
Monthly Brown Bag lunch series featuring business leaders who have connections to law and business will be sponsored by both the Stern School of Business and the School of Law. The series will be designed to foster networking among students and promote deeper knowledge of relevant fields. Additional evening networking events hosted by faculty, trustees, and friends of either school will be organized for Leadership Program students throughout their studies.
The Leadership Program in Law and Business will also benefit greatly from NYU School of Law’s expanding global presence, and international program components will be created on a regular basis in order to examine the interplay between law, business and public policy in other countries and regions of the globe. Recently, law and business students went on a trip to Singapore in order to compare and contrast the public policies of Singapore and the United States by meeting with business and academic leaders, government officials and regulators. The Law School, its faculty, and many colleagues in the private sector have business and academic connections in many countries that have offered to meet with the group. Other international components will be based on a similar strategy and coordinated with programs being undertaken by the Law School at the global level.
Career Services
The counseling and placement services of the Law School’s Office of Career Services are available to students whether they are enrolled in classes at the School of Law or the Stern School of Business. Students will also benefit from a business careers support component offered by the Business School’s Career Services center, and will be invited to participate in activities of the Pollack Center on Law and Business, including attending luncheon lecture-series events and law and business seminars.
The Law School’s Office of Career Services supports the Program by administering the Law and Business Mentor Network, providing educational career panels and programs, and arranging exclusive student meetings with global business leaders. Employers who have applied their legal education in the business arena often visit the campus for recruiting and educational speaking engagements. Career Services will assist Leadership Program graduates to enter the work world uniquely prepared to make a high impact in the business setting.