Combined Legal MBA an Australian First

AUTHOR: Lachlan Colquhoun   DATE: 01.09.05   ISSUE 2, 2005

The two year full-time program, an Australian first, will encourage and develop higher order management and leadership skills within the legal profession and at the same time develop outstanding managers capable of leading successful enterprises in the legal industry.

“As lawyers progress through their career they are increasingly called upon to participate in strategic management of the business.”

ILLUSTRATION: Gregory Baldwin

AGSM Director of Award Programs Sharyn Roberts said, "as lawyers progress through their career they are increasingly called upon to participate in strategic management of the business. They are required to manage large budgets, lead and manage teams and design and implement strategy. It is increasingly important that lawyers have the knowledge and language of business to enhance their effectiveness as legal counsel for the clients.

“The MBA/LLM will fill a need for mid-level to senior lawyers to develop managerial skills to support legal practice. This is important for both large and medium sized law firms.

“It enhances the status of the LLM program by providing those in the program with access to other bodies of professional knowledge – in this instance expertise and knowledge in management.”

The LLM initiative, along with a similar degree to be offered in combination with the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine, are the first of their kind for an Australian business school and the beginning of a new direction for AGSM which could be replicated in other professional disciplines with relevant faculties.

MBA/LLM candidates will be required to complete four courses less than the standard MBA, and will choose between eight specialised areas of the law, from criminal justice law to international and financial services law.

"It is increasingly important that lawyers have the knowledge and language of business to enhance their effectiveness as legal counsel for the clients."

PHOTO: Taek Yang (Sharyn Roberts)

The combined degree will be marketed in the UK, Europe and Asia as well as nationally, and the annual intake is expected to attract between 20-25 students a year.

The Associate Dean (Postgraduate) of the UNSW Law Faculty, Professor Angus Corbett, welcomed the initiative, which he said would fill a growing need in the legal profession.

“We believe there is a small but significant market for lawyers who need to develop their management skills, and managers working in highly regulated areas who are looking for a much more sophisticated understanding of law,” Professor Corbett said.

“Local students could take the law component part-time and then take a year off to do the MBA.”

AGSM’s Sharyn Roberts said students would have the choice of which course component to study first, providing two optional starting points a year.

“The only time students would need to study in sequence is when they’re doing the MBA core, which takes three terms,” she said.

“After that they can mix and match.

“The exciting thing is the access they will have to the faculty of law, which has several specialised streams dealing with topical issues in intellectual property and biotechnology.”