Why In-House Lawyers Are Going To Business School
King’s Mini-MBA equips in-house lawyers with the business skills increasingly expected in the role.
The role of the in-house lawyer isn’t what it used to be. As expectations on in-house teams have grown, the remit of in-house counsel - and the skillset required to fulfil it - now extends well beyond legal expertise.
King’s Business School’s Mini-MBA for in-house lawyers recognises this change, offering a compressed course targeted at in-house lawyers looking to step into broader leadership roles.
“In-house lawyers are responsible for more than they’ve ever been,” explains Professor Crawford Spence, who teaches the finance and accounting modules of the course.
He argues that much of the commercial and financial understanding lawyers are expected to have is typically picked up “slowly and sporadically” over the course of a career - something more structured executive education can accelerate.
“Lawyers have a unique vantage point across the business,” he says. “They see risk, compliance, regulation. That puts them in a strong position to contribute strategically to the development of the organisation.”
Lawyers are in a strong position to contribute strategically to the development of the organisation.
Taught over three days in-person at Kings’ Strand campus in London and developed with the Association for Corporate Counsel, the Mini-MBA introduces core MBA disciplines including leadership, finance and accounting, strategy, personal branding and decision-making, tailored to the in-house context.
The programme is aimed at in-house lawyers at various stages of their careers, from those stepping into senior roles to more experienced GCs looking to deepen their commercial understanding.
Closing the finance gap
Spence says the most common area of insecurity for attendees is finance, particularly when engaging with senior leadership. By the end of the course, many leave with the confidence to take part in those discussions.
“This course gives them the confidence to start having different types of conversations,” he says, “and signals internally that they’re a much more rounded thinker.”
Ann Brookes, who went through the programme and is now general counsel at a US-based family office, saw that shift first-hand. As a GC, she says, the role can extend well beyond being “the department of no”.
The Mini-MBA improved her confidence in areas where she felt commercially weaker and gave her the tools to engage more fully in senior discussions.
“My experience would be sitting in management meetings listening to the CFO go through financial reports in great detail,” she says. “While I understood it at a high level, I wasn't able to see all of it in a more granular way.
“The financial aspects of the programme really enhanced my understanding. I could sit in those meetings and have a much better handle on what was being said. It brought greater perspective to my review of contracts.”
A global, cross-industry perspective
The Mini-MBA brings together in-house counsel from various industries and countries across Europe and beyond, combining teaching with collaborative case study exercises.
For Brookes, the opportunity to learn from peers was a highlight.
“Very often we feel like we're on an island because we're in a specific industry,” she says. “It was interesting to see that people in different industries or regions were facing the same challenges.”
That “cross-fertilisation” of knowledge is a key part of the programme, according to Spence, who says participants often learn as much from each other as they do from the faculty.
“They're not just sitting there being lectured to,” he says. “There is some of that, but a lot of it is interactive - learning about each other's organisations and the challenges counsel are facing across different industries.”
As the expectations on in-house lawyers continue to expand, programmes like this are increasingly aimed at helping them bridge the gap between legal expertise and commercial leadership.
The next cohort of King’s Mini-MBA for in-house lawyers is now open for applications.
Sponsored by King’s Business School
