Editors' Note: This article has been updated to reflect a Correction.
New York Law School recently launched a Center for Business and Financial Law to provide students with academic study and skills training in corporate, commercial and financial services law.
Four full-time faculty members are associated with the program that offers CLE, a speakers' forums and events on topics like transactional law, regulation of the financial services industry, development of corporate values, and legal and business challenges for new and small businesses.
"As we continue to deliver on the fundamentals of a legal education, it is incumbent on us to also develop focused tracks to employment in traditional and non-traditional legal fields, especially in areas of high growth," Dean Anthony Crowell said in a press release. "Even as our city's economy diversifies, the financial sector will always be a major employer in New York and across the globe. Given our proximity to Wall Street and depth of expertise in the area, I'm confident this new program will be a competitive advantage for our students."
New York University School of Law last week received a $750,000 gift from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to support the school's law and business curriculum. Select courses will now be housed under the heading "Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP Transactional and Law and Business Courses." The gift was facilitated by two alumni, Paul Weiss partners Alan Kornberg and Valerie Radwaner.
For its part, Brooklyn Law School held a three-day "business boot camp" before the start of the spring semester for 200 students interested in the business of law. Students learned basic business vocabulary and skills they will need to understand future clients' business objectives and to launch their own entrepreneurial careers.
The free, for-credit course was a partnership with Deloitte Financial Advisory Services. It was modeled on law firm training on business and financial topics that Deloitte teaches first-year associates. "No matter what path you choose—private practice, government service or joining a public interest organization—becoming business literate will be critical to your future success," Barry Salzberg, a Brooklyn Law alum and Global CEO of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, said in a school press release.
More than 50 Brooklyn law alumni—including law firm partners, CEOs and general counsels of companies—led small-group sessions sharing their experiences as law practitioners and entrepreneurs.
