Executive Development Center

Leadership and Management for Attorneys in Business

Become indispensable to your organization

Are you a general counsel who wants to provide relevant and immediately applicable professional development opportunities for your staff? Are you new to the office of general counsel and looking to demonstrate your value immediately? Are you a specialist attorney who wants to be seen as a problem-solver rather than an obstacle?

The Leadership and Management for Attorneys in Business program provides the tools, resources and concepts to increase the value and productivity of any attorney working within a company. You'll become a better lawyer, respected adviser, and leader in your organization by understanding and thinking about business issues the way business decision-makers think about them.

What Participants Will Learn:

  • Create professional development goals based on 360 feedback * about you, your organization's culture, and your leadership style
  • Add value by giving legal advice that enables business goals
  • Manage projects to implement business strategy
  • Understand the impact of legal advice on financial results
  • Develop successful internal communication strategies

Who Should Attend?

  • Associate and general counsels without significant prior experience in business who are learning to apply their legal expertise to serve business objectives.
  • General counsels expected to manage an office as well as be a member of an executive team.
  • Legal specialists who aspire to become a generalist or who want their legal advice to be seen as adding value.

Program Format

The program entails highly interactive learning, unlike traditional CLE's. May 4-8, 2014, at Willamette University's Portland, Oregon Center. Opening dinner and panel on May 4. Departure at 4:30 pm on May 8.

The program fee includes the opening dinner, lunches each day, course materials and parking. Lodging near Willamette University's Portland Center will be available (lodging and fees not included). Approved for Oregon and Washington CLEs. We reserve the right to cancel this session if enrollment does meet minimums.

Participants receive 6 months of leadership coaching upon completing the program.

*Participants complete a 360-degree evaluation program (administered by the Atkinson School with assistance from the participant's supervisor). The survey includes colleagues, reports and supervisors prior to the first session to guide the discussion and focus on strengths and weaknesses.

What recent participants say:

"Really brought the challenges, issues and day to day items to life and into better perspective in how in-house counsel can best serve the business. The practical application  and instruction was the best part - particularly the segments on leadership, development and finance."


"The program and the instructors were great. I liked that everyone had practical experience to draw from. The materials were good and the class sessions were interactive and enjoyable. I think it was a great class, and I learned a lot from the instructors and my peers."


"Appreciated depth and complexity, real-life examples applicable to my work. Engaged instructors."