By Josh Rosenblatt 

In this competitive job market, hungry law students are looking to distinguish themselves from their classmates.  I did this by getting a joint JD/MBA.   

It has to rank as one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  The upside: learning to “think like a business person,” valuable insight into how to network effectively, and an expanded group of contacts, to name a few.  The downside:  it is expensive and time consuming.  Also, some classes are (completely) irrelevant for a young lawyer.

So, if you are a current law student who wants to differentiate yourself by picking up some MBA skills but don’t want to spend the time and money on the degree itself, here are my suggestions for the top three classes you should audit.

Accounting

To paraphrase an accounting professor:  “If you can’t read a balance sheet, you might as well not be able to read.”  Accounting can turn off a lot of law students, especially those who think that numbers are big scary beasts to be avoided at all times.  However, the professor’s advice is spot on.  A corporate attorney needs to feel comfortable reading, analyzing, and understanding financial statements.

Corporate Valuation

I struggle with this class.  The math is over my head and the group work takes forever.  Regardless, if you are going to be a “deal lawyer,” then it is good to know how the finances of a deal work.  Corporate Valuation will teach you that ...whether you like it or not. 

Negotiations

Finally, a “soft skills” class!  This class may overlap with a negotiations class taught at your law school, so you may want to check the syllabus first.  However, it has been my experience that classes with the same name at both schools are often completely different, and thus even more worth taking.  Business students negotiate differently than law students, or so I am told.  The difference: taking vs. creating value.  (I’ll let the reader decide who does which).  Take this class to ensure that you can do both. 

A Bonus Class: Spreadsheets

The joke told during class one day was:  Q: “What’s the difference between a lawyer and a business-person?”  A: “When making a list, business-people use Excel.  Lawyers use Word.”  (Laughter ensues, seriously).  You think you know Excel?  It turns out you do not.  You should though; it is a freakishly powerful program that can help almost anyone do almost anything.   

By Eileen Burkhalter Smith

So, I have just learned that there are rules in hockey about who can fight whom in a fight (the allowance of which is in and of itself an unwritten rule).  Apparently, these rules are not actually written, but they are enforced.  Check out the outrage that happens when someone doesn’t follow them here.

This made me think about the unwritten rules in a trial.  I think we can all agree that we have our fair share of written rules, but would you agree with me that there are unwritten ones as well?  Here are three (a hat trick?) that I think exist based on some recent experience:

1.  Embrace your case.  We all have to be advocates, right? I was surprised recently by seeing someone act almost sheepishly about her position in a case during a trial.  I think this might be effective during negotiations, counsel to counsel communications or in other situations, but in front of the judge? The jury?  I think you have to take a stance and believe it.  If you don’t, no one else will.

2.  Pick your battles.  A trial is different than a written motion where it may be appropriate to footnote or reference every facet of every argument.  In a trial, making a mountain out of a molehill can backfire.  Consider whether your strong dispute about a harmless hearsay statement will make the Judge less likely to give you time to argue your later motion to exclude testimony.

3.  Respect their time.  I think it is also important to edit arguments, witness examinations and even evidence depending on how a case is going.  Has the point been made?  Is it 4:00 p.m. on a Friday?  If the case allows for it, I think it is appropriate to realize that the trier(s) of fact may have made a decision and would appreciate an early end.

These are all case specific, of course, but perhaps we should learn a thing or two from hockey:  don’t run a foul of the unwritten rules; it may leave you short-handed.