Leadership and Management Skills for Lawyers

This is a 1 or 2 credit course that helps to prepare law graduates for leadership positions in multiple contexts. Lawyers lead law firms, legislatures, non-profit organizations, businesses, government agencies, and a wide variety of other organizations and causes. Lawyers also exercise leadership roles heading teams, leading committees, overseeing projects, and advising clients who exercise managerial authority. While the need for lawyer-leaders with vision, values, and technical competence is evident, a traditional assumption was that leaders were born, not made, and law schools rarely devoted attention to leadership education. Today, it is well understood that leadership’s major competencies can be learned through understanding and practice. The course will address key issues in leadership to build awareness and habits that will prepare students for leadership and management roles and for success in the organizations and for the causes they may serve.