I am delighted to be able to break the news to readers of "Adam Smith, Esq." that SUNY/Stony Brook will be offering a first-of-its-kind Executive MBA for Law Firm Leaders, with courses commencing  this coming April, 2006 for the first class of 25.  What's this about?  Here's the premise, as articulated by William Turner, Dean of the College of Business: 

"New York is the law firm capital of the United States. Eighty four of the nations 100 largest law firms have offices in New York City.

"As their work forces and revenues grow, law firms are revising the way they run their businesses. Management structures are becoming more centralized, specialized, and sophisticated.  [...]

"There is a growing recognition that traditional management principles may not always apply in a law firm setting. But until now, business schools have not addressed the skills and organizational challenges necessary for managers to be successful in this unique setting."

The Executive MBA program will be limited to an initial incoming class of 25 students, each of whom must be sponsored by the law firm they work for (which must also agree to pay the full tuition for the program).  It consists of:

• 11 required "core" courses in areas such as leadership, communications and organizational behavior, finance, human resources, managerial economics, marketing, operations management, technology & innovation, and strategy.

• With additional coursework and terms-in-residence (in London) permitting elective concentrations in business management, human resources, marketing, or technology.
• The program extends for the usual two full years of an MBA degree, from April 2006 through March 2008.
• Classes are held for four-hour periods on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings at SUNY/Stony Brook's Manhattan facility on Park Avenue South at 28th Street.

Some of the faculty include people you have decidedly heard of, including:

• David Barnard, former managing partner of Linklaters North America
• J. Speed Carroll, formerly worldiwde managing partner of Cleary-Gottlieb
• Chris Conroy, director of finance at Simpson-Thacher for 21 years
• Gary Fiebert, executive director of Schulte Roth & Zabel
• Art Gurwitz, executive director of Proskauer (and formerly of Sulivan & Cromwell)
• Jim Lantonio, executive director of Milbank (and formerly at Sidley-Austin and Covington & Burling)
• and others of their caliber.

The Advisory Board is equally distinguished (Rodgin Cohen of Sullivan & Cromwell), M. Frederic (Rick) Evans of Debevoise, Mel Immergut of Milbank, Valerie Jacob of Fried-Frank, Robert Link of Cadwalader, Daniel Neff of Wachtell, Barry Ostrager of Simpson-Thacher, William Perlstein of Wilmer-Hale, and Earle Yaffa of Skadden, just to name a few).

Why is this so exciting?

• It's timely.
• It's in the best possible (US) city for a ground-breaking program such as this.
• Whereas individual law firms have struck deals with business schools before to offer truncated executive education programs (Reed Smith with Wharton, DLA Piper with Harvard, as previously noted here), this is the first time a business school has recognized the need and formalized a law-firm-centric Executive MBA track.

And—saving my favorite for last—I am pleased, flattered, and humbled to report that I have been asked, and have agreed with alacrity, to teach the core course in "Technology & Innovative Practices."   Readers of "Adam Smith, Esq." will, I promise, get regular updates as the program launches, and as my participation evolves.

In the meantime, all you CIO's and CTO's out there:  What do you consider required reading for someone in your position?  Let's start compiling the syllabus together.